Nightlight’s current Taiwan program has been operating since 2017 and has placed 12 children to date. It is a smaller program and we work with Chung Yi Social Welfare foundation. They are licensed by Taiwan’s central adoption authority and operate ethically, following all Hague, US, and Taiwan standards for care. Taiwan has a strong social services system and the majority of the children available are placed with foster families. Once in care, children received regular evaluations and medical and early intervention services before being adopted. Chung Yi does an excellent job of preparing children for adoption, which includes talking with the children about their future family and life in a new country, as well as preparing life books for them.
Most families in our program adopt waiting children, but families can also register for the blind referral process and wait to be matched with a child based on their preferences. To be successfully matched, families should be open to children up to at least the age of 5, with mild special needs, such as developmental delays, and children with a birth parent history of alcohol and substance abuse. Depending on each family’s preferences, the wait time to receive a referral can range from about 6 to 24 months. Once a family is officially matched, the process in Taiwan will take 12 to 18 months to complete.
The wait time for a referral can be significantly shortened if a family chooses to pursue adopting a waiting child. These are children who have all necessarily investigations and paperwork complete and are only waiting to find their forever family. Some examples of current waiting children available for adoption are:
10-year-old Boy – No special needs
10-year-old Boy – Vision impairment
9-year-old Boy – Developmental delays, mild intellectual disability
8-year-old Boy – Cognitive and speech delays, mild intellectual disability
8-year-old Boy – Mild cognitive delays, hypothyroidism
7-year-old Boy – No special needs
6-year-old Boy – Developmental delays
5-year-old Boy – Speech and motor delays, vision impairment, epilepsy with no current symptoms
5-year-old Boy – Mild speech and motor delays, Epilepsy (fully stabilized with medication)
3-year-old Girl – Comprehensive developmental delays, vision impairment
Child profiles can viewed on Nightlight’s Adoption Bridge website. If you are interested in learning more about these children, you can inquire to view their full file. You can learn more about Nightlight’s Taiwan Program on our website or by contacting Liana Stoddart at liana@nightlight.org.