A Parent's Guide to Adoption Disruption & Dissolution - DURING
What about international adoption? Passage of a
federal law in the year 2000 that made citizenship faster and easier for internationally adopted children also created new ramifications surrounding disruption. People who adopt children from other countries and bring them back into the USA must sign a form pledging to be financially responsible for the child. Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, requires that adoptive parents reimburse any government or private agency that provides their child with any means-tested public benefit, such as food stamps or welfare.
In the case of an adoption dissolution, the parents will usually be required to pay child support, based on their income, until the child is adopted by another family or turns 18 years old. This can be financially devastating, not only because of the payments themselves but also because these parents often have tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt for medical and therapeutic costs for the child. Private insurance is notoriously stingy when it comes to mental health benefits for children.
International adoption agencies that place high risk and special needs children with American families should make sure that each family understands the tremendous financial risk they assume when they adopt such children from other countries. There is no automatic Medicaid or adoption subsidies for these kids, and private insurance may not be up to the task of covering all of the health care costs. One month in a residential care facility can cost $10,000.00 or more. And these families often begin the adoption already deeply in debt for the adoption process expenses.
At one time, adoption disruption before finalization gave families some financial protection because another family could step forward and adopt the child right away. However, changes in federal law mean that most internationally adopted children's placements are finalized before they arrive back in the United States, or shortly thereafter. This increases the risk to the adoptive parents that they will have post-dissolution financial responsibilities for the child.
The bottom line is that since the year 2000, adopting high-risk children from overseas has carried increased financial risk for parents, risks they may not even be aware of. People of modest means who are interested in adopting children with special needs and risk factors will find subsidized domestic adoption a much safer prospect, financially speaking.
Cindi Lash, a staff writer for the Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, wrote a series of articles in 2000 about international adoption and disruption. They give an excellent overview of the problems:
"Overwhelmed families dissolve adoptions: More American parents find they can't cope with troubled Russian children".
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next More of this Feature •
Introduction •
BEFORE: Answers to First Questions •
AFTER: Now what? Glossary •
Adoption Disruption •
Adoption Dissolution •
Residential Treatment Related Resources •
Adoption Laws •
Interstate Compact •
Subsidies/Assistance Payments © Rita Laws and Nancy Ashe. This copyrighted article may be printed for private family use and for one-time reproduction in the print newsletters of non-profit adoption support groups and non-profit agencies with appropriate credit to author and web site. This notice must remain with the printed copy. ALL other uses require written permission.
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