1. The legal base for international adoptions conducted by the Centre:

Legal Act of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies dated 30.01.2012 published by MP Dziennik Urzędowy RP dated 09.02.2012 item 44.

2. The intentions of the Centre regarding a child:

• The own family is the best environment for a child to grow in;
• In the case there is no possibility to bring up a child in its own family it should be placed in a substitute family environment in the country of the child’s origin;
• If there is no appropriate family in the child’s home country, a family from another country can adopt it.

3. Basic requirements of the Centre regarding a family from abroad:

• The couple wishing to adopt a child must be married for at least 5 years;
• The difference between the age of parents and that of a child should not exceed 40 years, taking into account the age of an older spouse;
• The status of being qualified for international adoption needs to be granted by a licensed adoption organisation in the country of the parents’ origin;
• Once a year during the 3 years following the adoption each family is required to submit to the Centre information regarding the development of the child;
• Each family undertakes to raise the child allowing him/her to develop emotional relations with the country of origin;
• When analysing applications preference is given to Catholic families, then to families of other Christian churches.

4. Adoption procedure

Our Centre does not accept individual applications, only those submitted by licensed adoption organisations.

It means that in order to adopt a child with the assistance of our Centre a couple should first contact one of the licensed adoption organisations in their own country (the organisation that has signed an agreement of co-operation with our Centre) and with its assistance acquire qualifications necessary to adopt a child from Poland. Each of these organisations (full list containing addresses and phone numbers can be found at the end of this document) receives then from us Information Cards of children qualified for international adoption. The Information Card contains basic data about the child, its biologic parents, health and psychophysical development. The organisation tries then to find the best family for that child among the ones qualified. When a married couple accepts the offer the Qualifying Commission of our Centre issues approval for their contact with the child.

The married couple makes the final decision after the contact with the child at the place of its residence. If they declare willingness to become its parents their adoption application needs to be submitted to the court. Afterwards they wait for the designation of the ‘time for personal contact’ with the child usually lasting a couple of weeks. This time is necessary to create relationships.

The end of the process is the court’s decision on adoption, basing on which and in accordance with the Polish law the candidates become parents and hold full subsequent rights. After the three-week period needed for the act to come into force and to issue a new birth certificate and a passport for the child, the parents can go back to their country together with the child.

The entire adoption procedure in Poland lasts several months and requires 2 or 3 visits to Poland in the meantime.

5. Information about children

In accordance with the Polish law, for each child a family from Poland is searched at first. Only when this turns out to be unsuccessful, the child can be officially qualified for international adoption. This is why many children to be adopted by families from abroad are the ones with problems. These can be medical problems – e.g. heart diseases, neurological disturbances, Hbs “+”, cleft palate and lip cleft, problems related to delays in development, emotional disturbances or hereditary transmission – e.g. mental illness of the biological parents. Another group consists of ‘older’ children, that is above the age of seven, or children with a number of brothers and sisters.

6. Information for adoption organisations

We co-operate with licensed adoption organisations and international associations in the area of international adoption of Polish children who, because of various reasons, have not found families in Poland.

We require current documents from the organizations:

• national licence approving the organisation to adopt children from Poland,
• accreditation of Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy,
• status of the organisation,
• current legal regulations valid in the country of the operations of the organisation.

Documents mentioned above should be translated into Polish by an accredited translator and signed by proper institutions.

The Centre does not accept individual applications. Neither do we work with persons who have not been approved by licensed organisations to adopt a Polish child.

7. Our activities

We have been conducting international adoptions since 10the of December 1998.

Till the end of 2011 we have placed 1321 children in 826 families. They have found homes in the USA, Italy, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Norway, France and Denmark..

8. The Department of International Adoptions

The Department of International Adoptions offers help to all interested from Monday till Friday between 9am and 3pm. There is an English-speaking person available in the Centre. Tel/fax No.: (+48-22) 818-54-30.

9. Information about organisations co-operating with us:

COUNTY	NAME OF ORGANIZATION	ADRESS	PHONE
Netherlands	Stichting Kind En Toekomst	Varsseveldsweg 2 a 70 25 GB Halle	0314 63 20 80 0314 63 16 14 (fax)
France	Oeuvre de L’Adoption Foyer des Tout – Petits	Place Alexandre I B 2. 82 000 Montauban	0.033 563 20 07 92 0.033 563 20 23 61 (fax) e-mail: oeuvre.adoption.montauban@wanadoo.fr
Germany	Eltern – Kind – Brücke	Bonhoeffer Str.17 69 123 Heidelberg	0 62 21 83 31 48 0 62 21 83 31 38
Sweden	BFA-A Children Above All	Energigatan 11 SE-43437 Kungsbacka	0.046 300 331 30 0.046 300 331 30 (fax)
USA
	OPEN DOOR	218 E Jackson Street, PO Box 4, Thomasville, GA 31799, USA
	NEW BEGINNINGS Adoption and Family Services	P.O. Box 7055, Tupelo MS38802-7055 e-mail: office@NewBeginninsAdoptions.org	(662) 842.6752 (662) 840.7176
	Children of All Nations	248 Addie Roy Rd. A102, Austin TX 78746	512-323-9595 ext. 3061 512-323-9599
	The Catholic Charities Maternity Adoption Department	651 West Lake Street Chicago Illinois 60 661, USA	312 655 70 00 312 655 72 67
	CHILDRENS HOUSE INTERNATIONAL	P.O. Box 1829 Ferndale, WA 98248	Tel. 360 383 0623 inquiry@chiadopt.com
	Life Line	2104 Rocky Ridge Road Birmingham AL 35216	205.967.0811 I 1.800.875.5595 (fax) 205.969.2137
	Saint Mary International Adoptions	10801 Johnston Road, Suite 201 Charlotte NC 28226	www.saintmaryadoption.com Tel 704-527-7673
	The Lutheran Service Society of New York	6680 Main Street P.O. Box 1963 Williamsville, New Jork 14231
	KIDSFIRST INTERNATIONAL ADOPTON	9135 N. Meridian Street, Suite B-4 Indianapolis, IN 46260 USA	tel. 317-843-2300 fax. 317-843-2332 www.kidsfirstadoption.com
	Global Adoptions Services	Maryland 2046 Rashmore Court
Italy	Solidarieta	Viale Dante 104 85 100 Potenza	0.039 971 21 517 0.039 971 22 071 (fax)
	La Primogenita	Via Fiorini 6/B 29 100 Piacenza	0 523 71 64 13 (tel/fax)
	NADIA	via Fenil Novo 8 37036 San Martino Buon Albergo	+39 045 99 53 88 +39 045 87 96 68
	In Cammino per la Famiglia	Piazza Mozzini 58 16 030 Casarza Ligure(GE)	+39 0 185 46 94 34 fax: +39 0185 469 433
	La Cicogna	Via Caraglio, 24 10 141 Torino	011 382 71 55 fax.011 3802 763 (fax) email: cicogna@lacicogna.eu skype: ass.cicogna1
	N.A.A.A.Onlus	Via San Maurizio 6,10073 Cirie (TO)	0039 011 92 22 178
	La Dimora	Via Taormina 1, 97100 Ragusa	0932 62 50 80
	AFN – Famiglia Nuove	Via Isonzo 64 00046 Grottaferrata, Rzym	0039 069411565 Fax. 0039 069411614
	Il Convertino	Via Gavazzeni 11 24 125 Bergamo	+39 035 459 8320 Fax. +39 035 459 8325
Spain	Creixer Junts	c/. Barón de Pinopar, 4, 4° C 07012 Palma de Mallorca (Illes Ballears) España	Tel. +34 971-71-94-23 Fax. +34 971-72-72-70 creixerj@creixerjunts.org
	EKAI 3ai	Avd.Alfonso XEL Sabio n° 11 5°D 3000 8 Murcia	tel. 34 971 7194 23 Fax. 34 971 7188 08
Belgium	HET KLEINE MIRAKEL	Vrijwilligersstraa1 10 bus 8 2340 Beerse, Belgia	+32 477-712-183 +32 479-523-743 e-mail:info@hetkleinemirakel.be
Norway	Adopsjonsforum	P.O Box 2364 Solli N-0201 Oslo	tel. 47 232 80 800 fax. 47 232 80 801