Stir Fried Facts #1 - The Referral

Periodically, we receive info from our agency's home office regarding our adoption from China. The items may help other adoptive families so we are including some in our blog ... happy reading ... Don & Be

Q: What is a "referral" and what is the process? A: A referral is the much anticipated answer to all of our prayers. It is the matching of an orphaned child with their forever family. Once your dossier is received and LID ("logged-in") at CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs), it gets translated. The dossier is then placed in the holding area. When it is time, the referral is made by matching families' dossiers with children's paperwork. God's Plan for your family is already in the works! The "referral" itself is the child's information on paper. What's next? Note: Each branch may operate slightly differently in order to better serve the needs of their families. Depending on your branch office/social worker, your referral process may vary slightly from the process below. Please check with your social worker as to "what to expect." The rererral process: When a referral arrives at Bethany-International from CCAA, it is a celebration of joy! The referral typically arrives among a group of referrals for Bethany families across the U.S. whom all share the same LID (log-in date) or multiple LID's. 1. International sends an email to all the branches and social workers whose families are in this "batch of referrals." We notify them with your family name, the child's given name, gender, given date of birth, and the orphanage & province your child calls home. You then get "the call".... we hope you are ready!!! :o) 2. We review the paperwork and the referral is overnighted to your local branch office/social worker. You will then schedule a time in the next day or so to meet with your social worker to review the referral and sign the acceptance documents!!! 3. The original referral documents are yours to keep. The acceptance documents are then overnighted back to Bethany-International. 4. Once Bethany-International has received all of the families acceptance documents, they are forwarded back to CCAA. This prompts the preparation process for travel invitations and then travel. The referral presentation: When you meet with your social worker to meet your child "on paper," please bring the following: 1) The name(s) you have picked out. Your child's new given name will officially be written on the acceptance document at this time. 2) A check for $xxx.00 written to "Bethany Christian Services" for the acceptance fee (China Consultant Fee). If you are accepting a Child of Promise, this fee is reduced to $xxx. 3) A list of any significant changes that have occurred in your household since the home study has been approved. These changes may include but are not limited to; new employer, new job, decrease in annual income, criminal, health, moved to a new home, additional persons in the home, etc... your social worker will also ensure that your fingerprints will be valid for travel. *Tip: In preparation for your referral and travel, please check your I-171H for the expiration date of your fingerprints. This date is located at the bottom of your I-171H form. Fingerprints are valid for 15 months out from the date you were printed. These prints must be valid through your travel dates! With lengthening referral and travel timeframes, most families are needing to be re-fingerprinted. Please check with your social worker for specifics. The referral USUALLY consists of: 1) 1-3 original, color photos; these photos may be current or within a few months. 2) The English translation of your child's Chinese name. 3) Your child's alleged abandonment site & story (if available). 4) Your child's height, weight, and approximate date of birth. Please remember that these children are abandoned and therefore approximate dates of birth of given based on an admittance medical exam. 5) Any and all medical information & social history since the child came under orphanage care (including eating/sleeping schedules, personality, etc...). Some referrals contain less, some contain more information. Usually within a few weeks prior to travel, we receive updated measurements of the child. Not all families receive updates. Please remember that we cannot guarantee that the measurements are 100% accurate. Just like here in the U.S. when your baby is taken to the pediatrician, there are many factors that influence the measurements... two nurses can measure the same baby and come up with different measurements. Some factors that may influence discrepancies in measurements are: -The child's weight may be altered if she/he is pre or post a bowel movement. -The child's weight may be altered depending on how many layers of clothes she/he has on. -The child's height may be altered if she/he cannot lay completely still or flat for the measurement. -Different medical professional may measure slightly differently. *Tip: Have a pediatrician ready to review the referral. We do not require you to seek a medical review, but if there are questions or concerns, we do recommend having a medical consultation with a ready physician. In addition to the actual referral information, you will also receive a "clear envelope" at the time of referral. This envelope contains the documents you will hand carry to China with you for the adoption. It also contains a "Post Referral Travel Packet." In the PRTP, you will find the visa application forms that each person traveling will need to complete and send for right away. There are also some other travel tips you may enjoy. Please read this PRTP thoroughly. You may have also heard of the "brown envelope." Some families receive the "brown envelope" while others never do. There is no rhyme or reason to the randomness of the "brown envelope." The "brown envelope" is generated from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China and contains embassy documents. If you do not receive the brown envelope prior to receiving your referral, please notify your social worker. She/he will provide you with the contents, no worries :o) We hope that this information helps prepare you for your referral. For those of you awaiting the referral of your precious child... please use this opportunity to read adoption books, journal, build an adoption website, attend the education & preparation your branch offers, connect with other adoptive families, and scrapbook/lifebook your child's adoption story. Please pray for the BirthMother who has just chosen Life. We are unaware of her experiences and pray that she is safe and loved. She too, is praying that the child finds a good family to provide for all the needs that she cannot. Please pray for the children... that they may be found quickly, be cared for and loved. Imagine... around the same time that you are recieving your LID, your child may be entering the world...