Today is the official beginning

Today I am driving to Edmond to meet with our Home Study Social Worker and drop off a check. She was recommended by the Oklahoma Yahoo group. In all my research I have only found 3 agencies for home study (HS) in the state. Didn't I say earlier I have never met anyone my age who adopted? Earlene has been doing home studies for over 30 years. She has to have seen a lot. A longer wait since she is so popular but we believe she will do it right the first time. HS agency sends it to placing agency and placing can send it back for changes if they don't like how something is phrased.

We have yet to choose our placing agency. Many more than 3 to choose from. 100's. The placing agency isn't usually in your home state. We did check out the biggest one in our state and they didn't wow us with their commitment to China adoptions. HS says we have about one month to choose. There are 3 different ways to find your child in china.

CCAA (China Adoption) puts out a list of children who need homes about once a month. This is called the shared list. As of September for some of those children who have never been on the list before have to have LID in order for you to look at their files. If they have been on the list for 2 months you have 3 months to DTC. And some of the hardest ones to place that have been on the list for 3 months you have 6 months to DTC. You can use any agency to adopt off the shared list. You have 72 hours to examine file and decide if this is your child. DTC (dossier to China) & LID (Log in Date)  means you have HS completed and about half of your remaining paperwork is already done. Probably around 5 months.

As if that wasn't confusing enough the CCAA sends some children directly to agencies designated list. Those are children that agency spends extra time getting the files updated and answers to questions. You can only adopt one of those children through that agency. Many advocates blog the info on these kids so you can see them. Then if you want them you have to change your paperwork to that agency OR if that agency cannot find them a home within 3 months they release the kids to go on the shared list. (Not likely, they try very hard to find placements) Some agency's also host "camps". CCAA sends around 30 kids from different orphanages to a central location where they have a camp fun experience. Usually harder to place and older children. Those kids are designated for 3 months to the agency who paid for the camp. But there is now a large amount of information on each child with videos usually.

Special Focus Agency specific. Any agency can pull any child off the shared list and put them on their Special Focus list for 3 months. This is great if you are interested in a child on the shared list but think you will need longer than 72 hours to get any information you need to make a decision. The bad part is that the agencies can and do pull all the children with less serious needs off the shared list within a day of the list being released. Now to adopt that child you have to use this specific agency or wait 3 months and see it the child is still there. Not all agencies get designated lists so those only have the option of pulling from the shared list.

Things I've learned:
1.  China time is 13 hours ahead of us.
2.  The shared list release date is known and the time is around 10pm
3.  Good agencies are waiting by their computers with a list of parents awaiting matches and the exact special needs those parents are willing to accept.
4.  This is hard to say. Children, especially girls, with minor needs are matched within minutes. If your agency has a long list they are working on matching or your acceptable needs are narrow you might not get a match. If your agency says they check the list first thing in the morning, change agencies. You must be LID for minor needs, just listed or girls. Agency rep then goes to bed and tells you of your match in the morning. or afternoon. or evening. or the next day. All the while your 72 hours are counting.
5.  No one blogs or posts about possible matches until LOI (letter of intent) and PA (pre-approval)
6.  If a family doesn't accept their match the child goes back on the shared list. This creates another frenzy at 72 hours of second chances.
7. If you decline a referral your agency will most likely try to match you again next month.
8. You can look all month at the shared, special focus and designated lists. But if you find your child on another agencies designated list and you are already LID with your agency you have to again pay all money you already paid agency #1 to change to new agency.
9.  China changes the rules with no warning. But this is one of the most stable country programs.

So which agency do we choose? Who will have our child on their list in 5 months? Finding out who is matching off the shared list right away is not hard. Who stays up all night matching? But what if she's not on that list? What if she never was on the list and went straight to an agency's designated list? Which agency will it be? We have narrowed it down to five. ASIA, CAWLI, WACAP, Lifeline, FTIA.