Spence-Chapin is proud to announce the opening of our adoption program in Ghana! The referral program is for families who wish to be matched with a child in Ghana. If you already have a child identified that you hope to adopt, please explore our Kinship Adoption Program.
This beautiful country is known as having one of the most stable government systems in Africa. However, many children in Ghana await loving families who are willing to open their hearts and homes to children in need of adoption. While a new program for Spence-Chapin, Ghana has a long history of finding families for children in need of a loving home through intercountry adoption.
斯彭斯 - 查平以收費披露嘅透明度而自豪。喺任何跨國收養過程中，家庭都會向佢哋嘅主要收養服務供應商支付專業服務費，同埋第三方同旅遊費用。 Spence-Chapin 嘅專業服務費反映咗專為你嘅家人而設嘅工作同支援。隨住你嘅個案達到新嘅里程碑， Spence-Chapin 嘅專業服務費會分期支付。.
| 當地家庭： | 非本地家庭 | |
| 斯彭斯 - 查平專業服務費 | $16,115 | $16,615 |
| 家居學習費用 | $2,500–$4,500 | $2,050–$5,000 |
| 收養後嘅監督費 | $4,400 total ($550 × 8 visits) | $4,000–$4,600 total |
| 預計第三方同移民費用總額 | $17,433–$20,083 | $17,433–$20,083 |
| 預計嘅旅遊費用 | $9,000-$16,000 | $9,000-$16,000 |
| 聯邦收養稅抵免額之前嘅收養總估計成本 * | $49,448–$61,098 | $49,098–$62,298 |
* 聯邦收養稅抵免額係一個符合收入嘅稅抵免額，用嚟支付合格嘅收養開支，當你喺收養最終年度申報稅項嗰陣，可以將佢當係抵免額；喺2026年，最高收養稅抵免額係每個子女14T17，280。睇多啲 呢度.
** 本地家庭係指住喺紐約或者新澤西嘅家庭，同埋喺斯彭斯 - 查潘嘅曼哈頓辦事處100英里以內嘅家庭，斯潘斯 - 查平為佢哋提供家庭學習同安置後/收養後報告服務。睇下全部費用披露 呢度 為當地家庭而設。.
*** 非本地家庭係指住喺距離 Spence-Chapin 曼哈頓辦事處超過 100 英里嘅家庭，或者住喺紐約或新澤西州以外嘅家庭，佢哋嘅家庭學習同安置後 / 收養後報告服務將會由佢哋管轄區持牌嘅機構完成。睇下全部費用披露 呢度 針對網絡家庭。.
Did you know that the Adoption Tax Credit 領養稅抵免額 is available to families adopting internationally? In 2026, the Adoption Tax Credit is up to $17,670 per child. This tremendously offsets the cost of adoption as most families are eligible.
Additionally, Spence-Chapin partners with the Adoption Finance Coach 領養財務教練 to provide our families with FREE access to experts, tools and content that can take the worry out of financing your adoption. Families who use 個 Adoption Finance Coach typically raise $5,000-$15,000 for their adoptions.
Spence-Chapin 致力於減少領養障礙，並與專家合作 你嘅領養財務教練 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.
Our Ghana adoption program helps to facilitate the legal process of adopting a child in Ghana. Every country is unique and this is a high-level look at the process.
Attend our Introduction to Adoption from Ghana Webinar, then complete our application 呢度.
All families must undergo a home study which is designed to prepare you for adoptive parenthood and assess your ability to parent an adopted child. For families living in New York, New Jersey, or Arizona, Spence-Chapin will complete your home study. For families living outside of that area, you will work with a local agency on your home study and Spence-Chapin will guide that agency to ensure that the home study they prepare meets all of the requirements of Ghana. The home study includes paperwork, clearances, interviews with a social worker, and at least one visit to your home.
For all families, Spence-Chapin will provide a pre-adoption training plan which will help you prepare for the unique considerations of adoptive parenthood. Our social workers facilitate training on trauma, attachment, bonding, transracial parenting, how to talk to your child about adoption, and more.
Once you’ve completed your home study, Spence-Chapin will guide you in obtaining all documents required to be submitted to Ghana as part of your “dossier.” Spence-Chapin submits your dossier to Ghana’s Central Adoption Authority (CAA). CAA will review your dossier. Once your dossier is approved by CAA, you are officially eligible to receive a referral!
The wait time to receive a referral is dependent upon the level of openness of the prospective adoptive parents. The typical wait time to receive a referral from Ghana can be 8-24 months after submission of your dossier. For families with more restrictive levels of openness, the timeframe may be longer. Our social workers are here to support you during the wait!
請注意，視乎你等轉介嘅時間，你可能需要完成家庭學習更新同埋更新所選文件 – 我哋會追蹤呢啲時間表，同埋喺必要嘅情況下引導你完成呢個過程。.
CAA issues referrals in consideration of what characteristics your family is open to. When we receive a referral for your family, after careful review by our team, we will share all information provided with you. A referral will contain photographs of the child, medical information on the child, details of the child’s legal process by which he/she became eligible for international adoption, and any known social information on the child and biological family. You are welcomed and encouraged to ask any questions you have about the child and information provided before making a decision on whether to accept the referral.
Soon, after you accept your referral, you will be able to travel to Ghana to begin the required bonding period with your child. Spence-Chapin will provide you with specific training tailored to the known needs of your child to complete before travel. You will also begin the process of obtaining the necessary legal and immigration approvals necessary to complete your adoption. Spence-Chapin and our in-country team will ensure that all necessary approvals are obtained; the timeframes of these governmental approvals can vary and are subject to potential delays. We will guide you with all logistics for your adoption travel, so you feel confident and prepared for this life-changing experience.
The travel process for adoption from Ghana maintains a child-centered focus and places strong emphasis on bonding with the child. As a result, families spend a significant amount of time in-country. However, Ghana’s Central Adoption Authority offers flexibility in how travel is structured, while maintaining clear standard expectations for the process. The timeframe from initial placement of the child to bringing the child home can take 4-6 months to complete, but Ghana does offer flexibility in the number of trips the family takes to Ghana during this time, typically ranging from one to three trips. Families adopting a relative may have a shorter timeframe if particular requirements are waived by the courts.
Your child will be placed into your custody soon after your arrival to Ghana and you will begin caring for your child 24/7. This bonding period will last a minimum of one month and can last up to three months based in assessment of the child’s best interest by the CAA. This time will provide you a chance to experience Ghana and spend time bonding with your child and getting to know one another. Once you have completed the bonding period, you will finalize your adoption in a court in Ghana, accompanied by our in-country team.
After your adoption has been finalized, Spence-Chapin and our in-country team will walk with you through every step of obtaining your child’s new birth certificate, passport, and visa. Once you have obtained your child’s visa, you will be ready to fly home with your child!
Throughout your whole time in Ghana, Spence-Chapin and our in-country team are available to you. A member of Spence-Chapin’s in-country team will accompany you to all appointments and be available to your family to check-in and offer support.
Within the first 2-4 weeks of your arrival home, a post-adoption home visit will be scheduled by your social worker; this is designed to support your family during this significant transition and is a Spence-Chapin requirement. Additional post-adoption visits will be conducted at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, and 60 months post-adoption. These visits and resultant reports are required by the Ghanaian Central Authority (CAA).
Thousands of children in Ghana are living in institutional care (orphanages). Spence-Chapin is responding to this crisis through comprehensive services to children living in institutional care and by providing for the concrete needs of vulnerable children in Ghana. Spence-Chapin has the following services in place to serve children in Ghana:
Spence-Chapin’s Granny Program pairs children living in an institution in Accra with daily, individualized attention and care. Grannies are trained to meet the developmental needs of children deprived of consistent caregivers and provide the individual love and attention that all children deserve. For four hours each day and five days a week, each Granny focuses on the specific physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of a child they are match with through direct care, play, and skill building exercises that address speech and language development, motor skills enhancement, and attachment. Spence-Chapin founded the Granny Program in 1998 and established the Granny Program in Ghana in 2024.
Spence-Chapin brings birthday celebrations to every child living in an institution in Accra. Birthdays are rarely celebrated in institutions, and Spence-Chapin is changing that for these children.
In 2020, Spence-Chapin secured funding for and oversaw a large-scale renovation at Chosen Children’s Center in Accra; this project built a safe and dignified residential building for children living in protection who previously lacked basic facilities such as designated bedroom spaces and appropriate kitchen facilities.
加納 and the United States are both parties to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. This ensures that safeguards are in place throughout every step of the adoption process to ensure that ethical, transparent practices are followed, and the best interests of children are preserved. Spence-Chapin is Hague-accredited and has maintained that certification since the onset of such accreditation processes.
It is estimated that 2.5-5 million children in South Africa have been orphaned. Spence-Chapin is responding to this crisis through comprehensive services to children living in institutional care, and by providing for the concrete needs of vulnerable children in South Africa. Spence-Chapin has the following services in place to serve children in South Africa.
Spence-Chapin’s Granny Program, pairs children living in institutions with “Grannies” who provide them with daily, individualized attention and care. Grannies are trained to meet the developmental needs of children deprived of consistent caregivers and provide the individual love and attention that all children deserve. For four hours each day and five days a week, each Granny focuses on the specific physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of a child they are matched with through direct care, play and skill building exercises that address speech and language development, motor skills enhancement, and attachment. Spence-Chapin founded the Granny Program in South Africa in 2011 at Othandweni Children’s Home and has now brought the Granny Program to four institutions in South Africa, ensuring that all children living in those homes receive the dedicated care of a Granny.
Within four Children’s Homes, Spence-Chapin provides funding for every child to receive a birthday gift and birthday celebration. This means over 200 children each year who are living in institutional care are being recognized and celebrated on their special day. We love receiving photos of each birthday celebration and seeing each child’s face light up!
In 2020, Spence-Chapin secured funding for and oversaw large-scale renovation and refurbishment at Othandweni Children’s Home. Othandweni, which means “Place of Love,” houses 90 children between infancy and age 18. Children come to Othandweni while a permanency plan is made for them; some children will be safely reunified with their biological family, some children will be adopted domestically within South Africa, some children will be adopted internationally, and sadly some children will age-out into independent living. All of these children deserve a safe living environment. The renovations included:
Spence-Chapin sends recuring care packages to ensure that children living in institutional care throughout the greater Johannesburg area have sufficient food, clothing, and hygiene products. As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, we continue to send personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies to the children’s homes.
Spence-Chapin believes that in order to care for the most vulnerable children, we must care for the communities in which they reside. Spence-Chapin has therefore provided funding for services to survivors of family violence within Johannesburg, funding for job skills training for community members and for family counseling centers for families facing crises in the community.
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.
等候緊嘅小朋友個人檔案
多謝你有興趣透過 Spence-Chapin 領養！我哋可以分享啲被認為係最有需要，同埋喺國際上等緊同養子家庭配對嘅小朋友嘅個人檔案。呢個頁面上面介紹嘅小朋友等咗最耐先搵到家庭，包括年紀大啲嘅小朋友、兄弟姊妹群體嘅一部分，或者有確診醫療狀況嘅小朋友。為咗尊重呢班小朋友嘅私隱，呢個頁面已經受到密碼保護。.
Spence-Chapin 非常認真對待我哋所尋求嘅兒童私隱權，並喺以下條件下同你分享個人檔案：
確認密碼存取
你承認同明白呢一點
1. 嚴禁濫用內容，同埋/或連結到任何反映涉及銷售、綁架、剝削或販賣兒童嘅做法嘅網站。.
2. 你已經獲得有限嘅存取權，以你唔會向任何人披露嘅圖像形式，或者以任何唔符合 Spence-Chapin 家庭及兒童服務嘅適用政策同程序嘅方式，存取機密資料。.
3. 保密義務應無限期持續，包括我同斯彭斯查潘家庭及兒童服務合作後嘅任何時間。.
4. 你唔可以以任何形式發佈、複製、分發或者將任何呢啲圖片出售畀第三方。.
5. 唔允許披露圖片可能會導致由嗰個人或者代表嗰個人對你採取法律行動。.
6. 你係自由、自願噉做呢件事，同埋完全明白你透過進入/存取呢個博客同意啲咩。.
7. 多謝你有興趣為一個等緊嘅小朋友提供一個有愛心嘅家！我哋期待好快同你聯絡，繼續喺 Spence-Chapin 討論領養路徑。我哋希望你哋可以喺 Facebook 上面鍾意我哋，喺 twitter 追蹤我哋，同埋透過我哋嘅領養博客同我哋嘅家人保持同步！
熱烈嘅問候，,
斯彭斯查賓嘅收養團隊
電話：212-400-8150
電郵： [email protected]
