Adoption Overview:

Children Available for Adoption:

• Children ages 4 years and older and older at time of referral. All children are school-aged
• Sibling Groups
• Children with special needs

Parental Requirements:

• Heterosexual Married couples at least 25 years and married for more than 3 years
• Single individuals (men and women)
• At least 14 years older than the youngest parent and child but no more than 45 years
• Competent in Spanish (Level 2)
• Additional educational training requirements (outside of USCIS requirements)
• No major current or past health concerns

Timeline:

9-24 months from submission of dossier to completion

Travel Requirements: 1 trip about 8-10 weeks long; only one parent must remain in country for the entirety of the trip

Central Adoption Authority: Autoridad Central del Ecuador en Materia de Adopciones Internacionales

The Children:

There are many children in Ecuador who want to be part of a loving family. Children live in residential facilities while awaiting adoption. There are children ages 4 years and older available to be matched with families as well as sibling groups. Children eligible for adoption are assessed for medical and developmental needs. Most children do have an identified medical diagnosis which ranges from mild to severe. Additional evaluations for most current diagnostic information can be provided. Waiting Children from Ecuador are available for adoption (include link to WC webpage)

The Program:

Children’s Adoption Services works closely with our partner attorney in Ecuador as well as the central adoption authority. Dossiers are translated and submitted to our partner attorney for review. Upon approval, our partner attorney submits the dossier to the central adoption authority to register the family as prospective adoptive parents. Families can also submit a dossier to be matched with a Waiting Child.

The Process:

Three to four months after a child is matched with a family, the family will be invited to travel to Ecuador. Prior to travel, families can have video calls with their child. Only one parent must remain in country for the entire trip. While in country, the family will bond with their child, attend court and receipt custody of their child, and obtain their child’s visa. Families are assisted every step of the way by our English-speaking representative. Upon arrival home, families will continue to receive support from the CAS team. CAS and the central adoption authority require post adoption reporting to be completed at 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months.