Spence-Chapin is proud to be able to assist families who are looking to adopt their relatives, or children in Ghana who are known to them, through our Kinship & Kinship+ International Adoption Programs.
We know the kinship adoption process can feel like a lot to navigate. Spence-Chapin is here to help you understand what comes next and guide you through each step. As your Primary Adoption Service Provider in the United States, we’ll work closely with you, government agencies, and our trusted in-country providers to help coordinate the many requirements involved in an international kinship adoption. With more than 100 years of experience in adoption, our team brings the knowledge and experience to help you move through the process with greater clarity and confidence.
Spence-Chapin provides Kinship & Kinship+ adoption services in several countries, including Ghana. For families who do not have an identified child and are interested in being matched with a child, we also offer referral adoption services in Ghana. If you are pursuing a kinship adoption from a country outside of our current country programs and need a home study, we also offer kinship-specific home study services for you and your family. If you’re interested in our Kinship Programs, please reach out directly by giving us a call at 212-400-8150 or submitting an inquiry through the link below.
Spence-Chapin is here to serve as your primary adoption service provider! We will support and guide you through the process of adopting a child related to or known to you. We are able to coordinate all the requirements of the child’s birth country and the United States to ensure a smooth integration of the child into your home, providing support through your adoption and beyond.
All U.S. citizens adopting internationally need to work directly with a Primary Adoption Service Provider in the U.S. to oversee the legal requirements in the United States under the Universal Accreditation Act. That is where Spence-Chapin can support your family. Our experienced staff works closely with our in-country provider, PlusOne Charities.
Spence-Chapin’s in-country provider, PlusOne Charities, is an accredited NGO in Ghana who partners with Spence-Chapin to ensure all adoption services are provided in Ghana. PlusOne has experienced adoption staff who will collaborate with Spence-Chapin to support your family throughout your adoption process and facilitate the adoption proceedings in Ghana. PlusOne Charities also provides developmental aid to children with learning and behavioral challenges in Ghana.
If you are looking to adopt a child who is related to you or known to you, please begin by contacting us at 212-400-8150 for an initial eligibility discussion. From the very beginning, we will assess your case through a lens of the USCIS immigration requirements. Because not all children are eligible for intercountry adoption, we will need to assess the individual circumstances of the child you wish to adopt. A member of our team will schedule an initial screening call to understand more about the needs and circumstances of the child you hope to adopt. During this screening process, we may need to collect documentation with respect to the child and may need to confirm eligibility via Ghana’s Central Adoption Authority. Following this initial assessment, you may be invited to apply.
If your application is accepted, Spence-Chapin will begin working with you to prepare all required documents and will guide you through each step in the process as outlined in the below roadmap. Call us or submit an inquiry here.
Current adoptive parent eligibility as established by Ghanaian and U.S. regulations include:
| Local Families: | Non-Local Families | |
| Spence-Chapin Professional Services Fees | $13,115 | $13,615 |
| Home Study Fees | $2,500 (home study) $1,000 (home study update) | $2,050–$5,000 |
| Post-Adoption Supervision Fees | $4,400 ($550/visit, 8 visits) | $4,000–$4,600 total |
| Total Estimated Third-Party & Immigration Fees | $17,433-$20,083 | $17,433-$20,083 |
| Estimated Travel Expenses | $9,000-$16,000 | $9,000-$16,000 |
| Total Estimated Cost of Adoption Before the Federal Adoption Tax Credit* | $46,448-$58,098 | $46,098-$59,298 |
*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 2026 the maximum adoption tax credit is $17,280 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, or who live in Arizona within 100 miles of either Spence-Chapin’s Phoenix or Tucson office. Spence-Chapin directly provides the home study and post-adoption reporting services for local families. See full fee disclosures here for local families.
***Non-local families are families who live more than 100 miles from either Spence-Chapin’s Manhattan office, Phoenix office, or Tucson office, or who live outside of New York, New Jersey or Arizona. Non-local families will have their home study and post-adoption reporting services completed by an agency licensed in their jurisdiction. See full fee disclosures here for non-local families.
| Local Families: | Non-Local Families | |
| Spence-Chapin Professional Services Fees | $9,115 | $9,615 |
| Home Study Fees | $1,700 (home study) $1,000 (home study update) | $2,050-$5,000 |
| Post-Adoption Supervision Fees | $3,600 ($450/visit, 8 visits) | $4,000–$4,600 total |
| Total Estimated Third-Party & Immigration Fees | $17,433-$20,083 | $17,433-$20,083 |
| Estimated Travel Expenses | $9,000-$16,000 | $9,000-$16,000 |
| Total Estimated Cost of Adoption Before the Federal Adoption Tax Credit* | $40,848-$52,498 | $42,098-$55,298 |
*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 2026 the maximum adoption tax credit is $17,280 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, or who live in Arizona within 100 miles of either Spence-Chapin’s Phoenix or Tucson office. Spence-Chapin directly provides the home study and post-adoption reporting services for local families. See full fee disclosures here for local families.
***Non-local families are families who live more than 100 miles from either Spence-Chapin’s Manhattan office, Phoenix office, or Tucson office, or who live outside of New York, New Jersey or Arizona. Non-local families will have their home study and post-adoption reporting services completed by an agency licensed in their jurisdiction. See full fee disclosures here for non-local families.
Spence-Chapin is committed to reducing barriers to adoption and partners 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. Additionally, the Federal Adoption Tax Credit can greatly offset the costs of adoption. For adoptions finalized in 2026, the Adoption Tax Credit is up to $17,670 per adoption, taken in the tax year in which your adoption is finalized.
Elizabeth L. Smith, LMSW (she/her) is a compassionate, trauma-informed, and adoption-competent therapist. In her Adoptee Support Sessions, she provides non-clinical support services to adopted people. Her clinical training, narrative work, and living experience as an adopted person inform her perspective and practice. Elizabeth possesses deep awareness, empathy, and understanding of the shifting complexities of adoption, reunion, search, and the importance of being together in community.
Waiting Children Profiles
Thank you for your interest in adopting through Spence-Chapin! We are able to share the profiles of children who are considered to be the most in need and are waiting internationally to be matched with an adoptive family. The children featured on this page have been waiting for the longest to find families and consist of children who are older, part of a sibling group, or children with a diagnosed medical condition. In order to respect the privacy of these children, this page has been password protected.
Spence-Chapin takes the privacy rights of the children that we are seeking to place very seriously, and share the profile with you under the following conditions:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PASSWORD ACCESS
That you acknowledge and understand that
1. Misuse of the content, and/or linking to any sites that reflect practices that involve the sale, abduction, exploitation, or trafficking of children is strictly prohibited.
2. You have been given limited access to confidential information in the form of images that you will not disclose to any person or in any manner that is inconsistent with applicable policies and procedures of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children.
3. The confidentiality obligation shall continue indefinitely, including at all times after my association with Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children.
4. You are not permitted to release, copy, distribute, or sell any of these images to third parties in any form.
5. Impermissible disclosure of the images may result in legal actions being taken against you, by or on behalf of that person.
6. You are doing this freely, voluntarily and with a full understanding of what you are agreeing to by entering/accessing this blog.
7. Thank you for your interest in providing a loving home for a waiting child! We look forward to connecting with you soon to continue discussing adoption paths at Spence-Chapin. We hope that you like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter, and keep up with our families through our adoption blog!
Warm regards,
The Adoption Team at Spence-Chapin
Phone: 212-400-8150
Email: [email protected]
