adopting a child locally and you are
willing to take a child of any age,
gender, nationality, and background,
you may not have to wait long. The
majority of children waiting for
loving homes here in Hong Kong
have special needs, from physical
disabilities and developmental
delays, to children aged over three,
and those from “complicated family
backgrounds”. Here, preference is
given to Chinese families in order to
keep adopted children close to their
ethnic and cultural home.
Once you’ve been matched with
a child, you will be invited to meet
him or her. Mother’s Choice requires
that adoptive families visit daily for
a period of time before taking the
child home, in order to allow them to
get to know each other in a familiar
environment. You will continue to be
supported and monitored after taking
your child home and, after they have
lived with you for six months, you
can officially apply to the Family
Court for an adoption order.
The experts at Mother’s Choice
remind prospective parents that,
“Adoption is a good and rewarding
Mum Sonia says: “Alex, my husband,
is Spanish and I am English/Chilean,
and we’ve been living in Hong Kong
for five years. Previously, we lived in
Madrid, where our daughter Georgia,
who’s now five years old, was born –
thankfully! – after many heartaches.
When Georgia was two, and after
many, many failed IVF attempts –
attempts which we had to travel
to three continents to endure – we
realised we couldn’t have any more
kids. Whilst we had always discussed
adoption, it was our assumed infertility
that pushed us to do so. (In fact, it
turns out we weren’t actually infertile,
and welcomed another biological
daughter into our family last year!)
We started the process in Hong
Kong through the Government’s
adoption services and found it
very easy to get all the relevant
information. It also helped that we
had an absolutely fantastic social
worker allocated to our case. We
didn’t say too much to our families
until the actual moment we were
matched. I suppose I had never given
up on having another biological child
and it was really my husband pushing
the adoption process. And, if I’m
honest, I always knew there was an
escape route – I was plagued with the
fear that I might not love the adopted
child as much as my biological child
(an unfounded fear since I absolutely
adore my adopted son Ollie!).
The whole process was a whole
lot easier than I expected, though I
found the first month quite tough. I felt
so sad for Ollie, who was the
happiest little soul at Mother’s Choice,
but who was suddenly beside himself
with sadness at our house. I felt
helpless to try and help him out with
everything he needed.
For couples who are thinking
of adopting I would say, “DO IT!
DO IT! DO IT!” We are truly blessed.
I cannot imagine life without Ollie
and we are so proud of him, and his
achievements. He completes us. He
has given the girls a brother, and Alex
and me the absolute joy of parenting
him. He is the most gorgeous, kind,
loving, little thing. I cannot wait to
watch him grow and blossom, and I
thank God every day that he came
to us.”
way to form a family, but it is also
complex.” If you’re ready to make
the complicated commitment, at
Sonia & Alex
least the process of adoption in Hong
Kong is vay straightforward and
transparent.
• International Social Services Hong Kong:
• Department of Social Welfare:
/
• Mother’s Choice:
• Po Leung Kuk:
• Adoptive Families of Hong Kong:
Resources
Family ties
Two families who had room in their homes and
hearts for adopted children share their own adoption stories.
If you’re interested in learning more about adoption in Hong
Kong, these organisations can help.
December 2013
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