Over the last decade, Great Wall has been successful in finding homes for children with many different types and severity of special needs. Our success would not be possible without the loving and nurturing families that have opened their hearts to these children. We thank those families and are grateful to have participated in finding Forever Families for our Waiting Children. Please review the information below to learn more about our Waiting Child Program. If you would like to speak with a family that completed an adoption through the Waiting Child Program, please request our Waiting Child Reference List.
For families that have already submitted a free waiting child application, you may access Great Wall's additional information on children available with the password provided to you upon submitting your application. The password protected site may be accessed by clicking the following link: GREAT WALL AGENCY SPECIFIC LIST PASSWORD PROTECTED SITE.
GWCA staff will be traveling to YC SWI this summer to meet the children and visit with orphanage staff and foster families. They will be working directly with the foster families and orphanage staff to thoroughly evaluate the children's needs and development. GWCA staff will be providing developmental assessments of the children and reviews of medical needs and care as well as discussing with orphanage directors what information is important to include when preparing a child's file.
GWCA staff will be creating reports for each of the children based on their interactions, as well as obtaining more information about the children’s special need, photos and video. Our hope is a better understanding of children’s conditions and development will allow for faster placement of these children. We will keep you updated through blogs, pictures and videos of this special trip.
As a part of our YC SWI project, we are assisting the orphanage with the children's medical exams. We need your help! By donating, or "chipping in," you will receive pictures of the children and the knowledge that you are making an impact in that child's life.
We are eager to help your family in any way we can. To ensure that we are able to respond to you in a timely fashion, please direct questions to the appropriate person.
If you have questions about a specific child on the CCAA's shared list, please contact:
For general questions about the Waiting Child Program, or if you are unsure who to contact, please contact:
If you would like to receive information and updates about China's Waiting Child program, please feel free to join our Yahoo Group. This group is intended to provide updates and information to families interested in adopting a child through the waiting child program. Please note it is not a discussion group and you will receive information on a regular basis about the program and the children available. To sign up, please send an email to the following address: greatwall_wcpu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Great Wall Angels of Hope Newsletter is Great Wall's official monthly Waiting Child newsletter publication. In it you will find a selection of stories from Great Wall families as well as information about China’s Waiting Child Program, medical and financial resources and other relevant information.
Please be sure to complete the application as thoroughly as possible. The Waiting Child team will utilize your answers when determining the best possible family match for any child.
Your Waiting Child application is valid for 6 months. We ask families to complete a new application every 6 months to ensure we have the most up to date information about your family and your continued interest in the program.
Once you submit your Waiting Child application, you will receive an email with more information about the matching process along with information on how to access our password protected site. Please remember your password should be kept confidential and information posted on the site is not to be copied or shared. Due to the large number of children on the CCAA’s shared list, we do not post information about every child who is waiting. We are continually reviewing applications and contacting families about children whose need match their applications. Only when there is not a potential family for a child will we post their information. This listing is updated on a daily basis, however Great Wall cannot guarantee a child’s availability at any given time.
The general application provides Great Wall staff with the opportunity to review and potentially match children with qualified families as we receive information on the children. Great Wall will use these applications for placement of available children from all lists.
The CCAA provides information on children currently available for adoption in the Waiting Child program to agencies through a secured online system. Multiple agencies have access and work within this system to place these children who are older and/or with special needs. Great Wall is one of the honored agencies to have access to the shared agency listings.
For children on the shared list, Great Wall reviews the information on the children when they become available and then reviews the General Waiting Child Applications currently on file with our agency for a good fit. Upon finding a good match for the child we will contact the family. Should the family choose to move forward after a doctor reviews the child's file, Great Wall will "lock" the file and the family will have 72 hours to submit the information required for the online application. Until your family has thoroughly reviewed the child’s file and their file is locked by our agency , Great Wall cannot guarantee the availability of the child.
It is important to note the following:
If your family chooses to move forward with a specific child, our first step is to “lock” the child’s file. This means we place both spouses name along with your log-in date information on the child’s file. Once we do this, the system will automatically pull the child’s file from the view of other agencies. We then have 72 hours to complete the “formal application” for your child. You will be asked to write a letter of intent, complete a parent information sheet, and submit photos to the Waiting Child Team. Great Wall submits this information through the CCAA’s online system. Please note, a child’s file can only be locked by one family from one agency, and the CCAA will only consider one family for a child. As long as we submit this information within 72 hours, the child’s file remains “locked” for your family throughout the remainder of your adoption process.
The CCAA’s Review Room and Matching Room will review your family’s information and judge your eligibility. If they feel your family is a suitable potential match for the child, they will issue a Pre-Approval. This is their agreement to consider your dossier on behalf of the child.
If you are currently in the dossier process, the Pre-Approval will provide you with a three month deadline to complete your dossier. If you are unable to meet this deadline, Great Wall cannot guarantee the CCAA will issue your family an extension.
If you have already submitted your dossier to China, the Pre-Approval will initiate your dossier into the expedited, Waiting Child process.
The CCAA’s Review Room will then review your family’s dossier on behalf of your child. When their review is complete, the Matching Room will formally pair you with your child by issuing the “Letter Seeking Confirmation”. This is the official referral of your child to your family.
The timeline to travel depends on where your dossier is in the review process. Most families will travel with 7-9 months of moving forward with their child. If your family is working to complete the dossier, this timeframe will begin with your log-in date.
Confidentiality
We have made significant changes in regards to the Waiting Child Program in order to protect the privacy of the children and our families.
