Single Parent Adoption

 As a single adoptive parent you may have a little more of a challenge adopting than a married couple will have. A Love Beyond Borders does not discriminate based on marital status although we may be limited to providing country options depending on the laws of the foreign country. It is increasingly difficult for singles, especially men, to adopt from a country other than the US but it is possible, and surprisingly so in several countries. This information is for single men and women who are interested in adopting a child.

A single woman or a single man often has a harder time in a child adoption than a married couple.  In the decades of the 1960's and 1970's if a single person wanting to adopt had gone to a child adoption agency, they would have been turned down because it just was not done, nor acceptable.  Now, thousands of children in the U.S. and in other countries are living with single men and women who have chosen to become adoptive parents.  

It is more difficult for a single parent to take care of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of a child than it is for two parents. This is based on the very real limits of one person verses two of time, energy and financial resources (on average). These barriers adds fuel to the view of many adoption and social welfare experts who believe that the best placement for a child is with a family that has a mother and a father.  While the typical "traditional" family structure has certainly changed in the U.S., there is still hesitation on the part of many professionals to accept single parent adoption. This hesitation on some workers/agencies is reflected in the varying policies of adoption agencies who will have to complete your homestudy and approve you as a single adoptive parent.

A Love Beyond Borders has approved many capable and exceptional single persons for adoption, and the children continue to grow and thrive in a one parent home. The founder of the agency is a single adoptive parent with a commitment toward assisting other singles to adopt thus our policies are single-friend to the extent offered by the foreign country.

Programs offered by LBB that accept single women:  Ethiopia     Haiti      Kazakhstan     Kyrgyzstan     Ukraine

Programs offered by LBB that accept single men:     Haiti   (Ghana also accepts single men but we do not offer this program)

More countries may be available, please check around. It is possible for single men and women to adopt through private agencies in the US as well as through the foster to adopt program offered at the county level.

Another obstacle in the adoption of a child by a single person, especially single men, is the cultural concerns and prejudices of foreign countries about the appropriateness of gay or lesbian adoption. In fact, we are not aware of any country except for the US and Canada which allows gay and lesbian adoption. While being single and being gay or lesbian may be perceived as being related, the concern is present for many adoption officials in countries and you may find yourself as a single person having to explain or justify your life style as a single through documentation and affidavits provided to the foreign officials. It is becoming increasingly standard practice for all single applicants.

Getting Started in a Single Parent Adoption

Getting started as a single parent is no different than for a married couple except that you may have to do a little more research and may have to make several more contacts than a couple might have to make. 

First you need to decide if you want to adopt a child domestically or look into an international adoption. Then you need to decide on the age of the child and if you want a healthy child or are willing to consider a special needs adoption.

At A Love Beyond Borders we’re confident that we will provide the support you will need in your quest to single parent adoption. We do not discriminate based on marital status, race, age, cultural background, or for any other reason. We have helped many singles adopt.  Please feel free to contact us to learn more about our commitment to assisting single applicants.

Additional Help and Resources

The reasons that single parents adopt, explanations for the increase in these adoptions, and other factors are discussed in the Child Welfare Information Gateway article entitled Single Parent Adoption: What You Need to Know.

A list of parent support groups is available by writing to the Committee For Single Adoptive Parents, P.O. Box 15084, Chevy Chase, MD 20825.

Another resource is the National Adoption Center, 1500 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, (215) 735- 9988 or 1-800-TO-ADOPT.