Our Colombia All Families Adoption Program helps children in Colombia find permanent, loving families across the United States—with support from Spence-Chapin at every step.
All Families Program
Spence-Chapin’s All Families Program welcomes families of all backgrounds across the United States to adopt from Colombia. Rooted in a shared belief held by the Colombian Adoption Authority that a family’s ability to provide loving, nurturing care to a child is not defined by their demographics but rather by their readiness to meet the individualized needs of a child. This inclusive adoption program welcomes applicants of any faith background; of no faith background; of all racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds; and welcomes LGBTQ+ parents.
Children In Need Of Adoption
Gender: Boys and girls are equally represented in the Colombian child welfare system. Therefore, the right-fit family for adoption from Colombia is one that is open to a child of either sex; this ensures that children have equal access to adoption irrespective of their sex.
Race/Ethnicity: Colombia is a beautifully diverse country. The children come from a wide-range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Families should be prepared to parent a child of any racial or ethnic background.
Ages: Families must minimally be open to the adoption of a child ages 0 through 5 years old at the time of referral. However, the majority of children awaiting international adoption are older than 7 years-old so families with wider openness with respect to age may experience shorter wait times.
Special Characteristics: Children placed in this program have a range of special needs. The Colombian adoption authority thoroughly documents each child’s developmental, social and medical functioning. Additionally, you will have an opportunity to further evaluate the specific needs and abilities of the child referred to your family as the following common characteristics might impact individual children differently.
- Global developmental delays
- Behavioral & learning disorders which in protective care are often managed with medication
- History of abuse or neglect: It is common that children in Colombia enter protection due to having experienced abuse or neglect which can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and physical or emotional neglect
- Birth family background: in Colombia, typically birth family is known, therefore we commonly know that children have experienced in-utero substance exposure and are at risk of heritable mental health conditions
- Medical conditions: All children referred through this program will have some form of medical need that requires care in the health system. Families who are open to chronic or profound medical needs such as CP, seizure disorder, or down syndrome may be matched more quickly.
For families who have wider openness to special needs and who feel prepared to parent a child with complex and multi-faceted needs which exceed the needs described above, Waiting Child Adoption may be a right-fit path.
Adoptive Parent Eligibility
Spence-Chapin encourages individuals with questions around eligibility to reach out.
Age: Prospective adoptive parents 25-55 years old a minimum specified age range of 0-5 years old at the time of referral or a sibling group of two, where the oldest child is 0-6 years old. Prospective adoptive parents 56-59 years old are eligible to adopt a child 6-9 years old at the time of referral, or a sibling group of two where the oldest child is 7-9 years old.
Marital Status: Colombia encourages applications from single men, single women, married couples, heterosexual and LGBTQ+ parents living throughout the United States.
Citizenship: Single applicants must hold U.S. citizenship; for married applicants, only one applicant must hold U.S. citizenship and the spouse must have lawful status in the U.S.
Medical: Identified medical conditions, including mental health diagnosis, will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the country’s Central Authority, Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar.
Wait Time & Travel
Predicted wait time to be matched with a child: Approximately 12-24 months after approval of the dossier. Please note that in all international adoption programs, wait times are estimates and can change.
Travel: In order to complete the adoption process, families will be required to make one trip to Colombia of approximately 4-6 weeks in length. Couples must both travel to country and be present for finalization in court. You’ll be accompanied by a bilingual companion to all appointments and will have support from Spence-Chapin’s staff and our in-country partner throughout you full time in Colombia.
Fees
Spence-Chapin prides itself on transparency of fee disclosures. In any intercountry adoption process, families will incur professional services fees from their primary adoption service provider as well as third-party and travel costs. Spence-Chapin’s professional services fees reflect the work and support dedicated to your family. Spence-Chapin’s professional services fees are paid in installments as your case reaches new milestones.
Local Families: | Non-Local Families | |
Spence-Chapin Professional Services Fees | $16,115 | $16,615 |
Home Study Fees | $2,500 (home study) $1,000 (home study update) | $2,050-$5,000 |
Post-Adoption Supervision Fees | $550/visit | $2,500-$2,875 |
Total Estimated Third-Party & Immigration Fees | $9,875-$19,805 | $9,875-$19,805 |
Estimated Travel Expenses | $6,000-$10,000 | $6,000-$10,000 |
Total Estimated Cost of Adoption Before the Federal Adoption Tax Credit* | $37,240-$53,170 | $37,040-$54,295 |
*The Federal Adoption Tax Credit is an income-dependent tax credit for qualified adoption expenses which can be taken as credit when you file taxes for the year of adoption finalization; in 2024 the maximum adoption tax credit is $16,810 per child. Read more here.
**Local families are families who live in New York or New Jersey, and within 100 miles of Spence-Chapin’s Manhattan office, for whom Spence-Chapin is providing home study and post-placement/post-adoption reporting services. See full fee disclosures here for Local Families.
***Non-local families are families who live more than 100 miles from Spence-Chapin’s Manhattan office, or who live outside of New York or New Jersey, who will have their home study and post-placement/post-adoption reporting services completed by an agency licensed in their jurisdiction. See full fee disclosures here for Networking Families.
We offer resources to help you finance your adoption. We partner with the experts at Your Adoption Finance Coach to provide our families with free access to experts, tools, and content that can take the worry out of financing your adoption. This service is available at no additional cost to families. Please contact us to learn more.
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Upcoming Colombia Adoption Events
Mar
25
05:00pm – 06:00pm
Introduction to Adoption from Colombia
Mar
27
08:00pm – 06:00pm
Colombia Host-to-Adopt Program Info Session
Apr
17
08:00pm – 06:00pm
Colombia Host-to-Adopt Program Info Session
Apr
23
01:00pm – 02:00pm
Introduction to Adoption from Colombia
May
13
05:00pm – 06:00pm
Introduction to Adoption from Colombia
May
18
08:00pm – 06:00pm
Colombia Host-to-Adopt Program Info Session
Colombia Heritage Program
Colombia
Host-To-Adopt
Waiting Children
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