Can Brits adopt from the US

Found a little info not sure if it totally answers your question. I did a google on your question and there was an article on Foreign Secretary David Milliband and his adopting children from the US. While the article was talking about the darker side of adoption it did make the following statement, "U.S. adoption laws allow its citizens to adopt while living abroad. Non-American couples can adopt only if they remain living in the U.S." You could probably find out more by doing a google on US adoption laws and non-american couples. Hope this helps a little.

At this time, the U.S. allows non-Americans to adopt. However, it is very unlikely that non-Americans will be able to adopt healthy infants or toddlers. There are far more Americans desiring to adopt healthy infants or toddlers than there are healthy infants or toddlers of any race available for adoption. That is why many American citizens look to the countries of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America when they want to build a family via adoption; they just don't want to sit on waiting lists for years, with no guarantee of a placement. When there is a healthy American infant or toddler in need of a home, the birthmother will often be given a say in whether the child goes to a foreign family or to an American family, and in many cases, she will choose an American family so that there can be more openness in the adoption. Also, most agencies will give priority to an American family. Thus, given very few available infants and toddlers AND the priority given to American families, most non-Americans stand very little chance of completing an adoption in a timely manner. The sole exception seems to be in regards to adoption by Canadians of infants born in parts of the U.S. that border on Canada. Some Canadians HAVE managed to adopt American babies, often because the birthmothers actually have gotten to know the Canadian families and to feel comfortable with them. In general, however, foreign families who want to adopt a healthy infant or toddler, and cannot do so in their own country, would do best seeking to adopt from countries with a high birth rate, a very low per capita income, and other conditions that often drive people to make adoption plans. Now, if you are willing to adopt a child -- especially a child of color -- who is ten or older, and/or who has significant physical, mental, or emotional special needs, it is a different story. There is a great need for families for American children in this category. These children are usually in the American foster care system, and considered very hard to place. As a result, adoption professionals are often willing to consider foreign families who are comfortable with transracial adoption and the challenges of parenting a child who may have significant issues related to circumstances in his/her birth family or in his/her foster care experiences. Now, the American adoption environment will be changing at some point in 2008, because our government plans to ratify the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption at some point, if all goes according to plan. At that time, both adoptions of non-American children by Americans and adoptions of American children by non-Americans will be affected, if the non-American countries have also ratified the Hague. The U.K. HAS ratified the Hague. Adoptions by foreigners will not cease. However, adoptions by people in other Hague-compliant countries will have to conform to Hague requirements. Sharon

Sharon-I am curious about where you found your information concerning US children adopted abroad? I was discussing this issue with an agency rep at an adoption conference and was told that the majority of US children adopted abroad were healthy infants of african american or mixed race heritage and were adopted privately through agencies rather than through the foster care system (where children over ten and special needs children would be).Jaclaw - contact your Department for Children, Schools and Family and ask them for info on adopting from the US. In 2006 there were 14 children adopted by UK families and in 2007, so far, there were 17. That makes the US the 5th highest sending country in 2007 for UK foreign adoptions. (China 94, Guatemala 31, Russia 25, India 19, US 17, Thailand 16, etc).Gina

Thanks for all info and advice. Indeed the UK does allow adoption from the UK so we are pursuing that route, although the Gvt helpline was less optimistic about the impact of the US joining the Hague. Will watch this space!