New Special Needs List Rules
The CCAA has put out new guidelines for the special needs list, and (as usual) different agencies seem to be interpreting them differently.
Best I can tell:
- Agency specific lists are gone. Except for a few exceptions where agencies are part of what was a pilot program, the only way to adopt special needs children is now through the shared list.
- Easier to place children are now only eligible to be adopted by those already logged in with the CCAA. It is unclear whether the CCAA will be making the distinction and making the software require LID information for certain children, or whether they are requiring agencies to make that distinction.
- It appears that in some cases families are now going to have 72 hours to make a decision after the agency locks a file for them, not 48 hours. Though there seems to be some confusion, some agencies think it’s 72 hours the first month the child is on a list then goes to 48 hours… other agencies seem to think it’s 48 hours the first month and then goes to 72 hours. I’ve seen what seems to be a translation of the CCAA’s message, and it’s not clear from the translation, so the confusion is understandable.
These guidelines/rules are in addition to the ones we discussed in this post.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:24 am
wow , do you think this will speed things up ? how do you find a doctor to review a file in 72 hrs? I guess you would have discussed with them and put them “on call” oh my this whole thing gets more exciting everday ….I bet our agency in Canada will find a way to use this change to add on another fee…ha ha .. All I can do now is laugh and hope it gets better soon…$1200 here $1200 there anyone want $1200 ???
March 8th, 2010 at 11:07 am
I’ve decided I like this new CCAA director. Whoever he is, I think he’s on the right track. ;)
2chinagals….72 hours is WAY better than 48 hours, but most international adoption specialists understand the rules and will work fast to get a file reviewed for you. (The one we are looking at in Boston will do it in 12 hours.)
March 8th, 2010 at 11:16 am
My agency’s translation of the CCAA message states that from now on families need to be LID to be matched with a newly listed child on the SN list (does not say only minor special need). If the child has been on the list greater than one month then a family may not need to have a LID but the agency and family need to get their dossier to China by the time limit set by the CCAA.
I don’t know if the time limit will be different for each child. Previously the CCAA has given 90 days after PA. I also don’t know if this means it will be harder to get an extension after the 90 day mark.
The translation also says that agencies will have to input the family’s LID and that the time period a file can be locked for review will now be 72 hrs rather than 48.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:54 am
I like this new Director – I really like the changes he’s made.
Let’s hope LOTS of new families are created soon and the kids won’t have to wait for a year until they can meet their new Moms & Dads!
March 8th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
I echo everyone else’s thoughts on the new director. In my opinion, he communicates more frequently. Thus, creating a more transparent process. I appreciate his efforts. It makes a big difference to me.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
So, I’m confused. My husband and I are beginning the process for our 2nd adoption from China and we are going SN. Does that mean that we will not be granted access to adopt any child that is “new” on the SN list? If so, does that mean that we will only be permitted to adopt children with more severe health issues? That doesn’t seem fair. I understand that many people will be ahead of us in the “waiting game” but at what point would we become eligible for new children on the list? Confused…Worried…
March 8th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
karysnn2006,
What I believe it means is that you need to have an LID to view the newest children on the SN list. It sounds to me that the CCAA wants to get these kids home as quickly as possible and therefore are giving those who are already logged in priority for the new listings and mild/correctable SNs (especially AYAP SN girls). It sounds like children who are still on the list after a month might be open to any family (that’s how I read it anyway).
TB
March 8th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Karsynn2006…it means that CCAA wants to highly encourage families to be logged in BEFORE they start looking for a child on the list. Those of us that are SN waiting famlies knew this change was coming. Some agencies started this change 18 months ago when the list first came out…others did not.
So if you want to use the list and look for a child that is new on the list (with minor needs abeit just because they are new on the list does not mean they are all minor needs) then you need to have an LID.
If you are NOT LID and find a child on the list, then it will need to be a child that has been on the list for longer than 30 days—which does not neccessarily mean that the child is not one with minor needs….(boys and older children remain on the list with minor or no needs.) Many of these families that opt to go the “not LID” yet route will most likely need to be able to be DTC within a short period of time like 3 months. Again, this is not new as many agencies have been adhering to this guideline for over a year or so.
It appears that CCAA is looking to streamline and create a fair playing ground for famlies in the waiting child arena. There have been many an ugly fight over children on the shared list. It has not been pretty for many families. I think they also do not want to see children placed on hold only to have a family take a year to get their dossier submitted.
Our second SN/WC adoption was from a list and we were not DTC or LID when we petitioined for him. We got PA and then started the crazy paperchase. Our agency closed (one week before we were DTC) and when we went back to the agency that did our first adoption we had to resubmit everything and that meant having an LID first (which we thankfully were ready to go) so that we could resubmit electronically our LOI. Once in the electronic system it moved fast.
But all in all our second adoption took 2 years from our first sighting of him and locking his file. That is too long for a child to sit and wait knowing they have a family coming to get them. He was four when we started and 6 and a half on gotcha. I think this type of situation is one of the many things CCAA does not want to see happen with waiting children.
samba in sac
talesfromthebigtomato.blogspot.com
March 8th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
My agency has a different take on the 72 hour (or 48 hour) window for locking. They say that the time period is not supposed to be used to talk to a doctor and make your final decision. Rather, you’re only supposed to lock the file AFTER you’ve talked to the doctor and made your decision. The 48 or 72 hour window is for you to have time to get your LOI paperwork together–not to make you decision.
March 8th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
karsynn2006 – others have explained it well, it doesn’t mean you can’t have access to those children in the first month, it just means you’ll need to wait until you are logged in to have access to them. You have access to all other children now, but as has been explained, it’s really better in most cases to be logged in before putting a child on hold. For some really hard to place children there are exceptions, of course.
zgirll – I’ve seen some correspondence from the CCAA that makes it seem obvious (to me) that they give that time period specifically so that families can talk to a doctor and decide whether or not to submit LOI for a child. They understand we have to pay money to talk to a doctor, and they allow you to put a child on hold in order to do that. Otherwise you could pay a doctor for the consultation and miss being able to adopt a child (that you would have gladly adopted) dozens of times, and that could get really expensive on families – both in terms of heartache and actual money.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I agree with everyone with regards to the new Director. To me this is a good thing and more children should find their forever family faster. I also hope it is across the board fair to all agencies and waiting families.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
ok..I have a stupid ??? how many files can an agency lock in .I mean, our agency says they have 19 in the “active ” waiting group and 13 on the call back list… how many kids can they they lock in? what if someone on the call back list is asking for an older child? do they wait ?Is there a quota they can lock in ? I don’t get the whole active & call back list ?
March 8th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
I have another question that i hope someone can answer. We have an LID for NSN (July 07). We are switching to WC. Do we have to wait for a new LID to send a LOI or does the original LID suffice?
T
March 9th, 2010 at 12:19 am
I am sorry but our agency told us that we could not lock the file until we were ready to move forward and submit the LOI. The 72 hours (or 48 hours as it was for us) was not to be used to have doctors review files. It was to do our paperwork and submit it. If you back out and do not submit your LOI after locking a file your agency can’ have access to that file again for several weeks. So they can’t present that child to any other families that they think may be a match.
tedandberyl….you do not have to submit anything else for a new LID. Your original LID is what your agency and CCAA go by for SN. You will just have to give your agency a checklist so they know what SN you are open to. Good luck in being matched with your child soon. One thing that will help you when you do get a call and you have to move quickly (because any agency has access to that child and they can disappear off that list very quickly), do some further research on your SN that you listed. That way you have a better understanding when your child is presented to you..you don’t have to run around researching that specific SN. It will save you some time. Talk to a family doctor or a friend that you have in the medical field. Let them know what you are doing and if they would be willing to help you review medical files when the time comes. Maybe they will give you their cell number so you can reach them any time and especially if you get a call on the weekend. It is very difficult to locate a doctor on the weekend… unless you know someone (at least in the USA).
March 9th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Not to sound dumb…but how do you find the list? I’d be interested in knowing more. I’ve looked on a few list but is there a main list that’s considered the shared list? I’m just not up to speed on this list. Thanks.
LID 8-8-06