We have recently received several inquiries regarding estimated wait times for referrals and hope the following information will be useful.

CHSFS is a child focused international child welfare organization that provides many services to children, families and communities in Ethiopia, including adoption services. As an adoption service provider we do not control how many children are in need of adoption services in the regions where we work. We base estimated wait times for referrals on what we have seen as typical patterns in the past, as they are our best guess of what the future may hold. Like all programs, these time frames are subject to fluctuation based on the number of children who need permanent homes abroad, how fast local courts process documents, etc.

Late this spring, we announced that we anticipated that we would continue making referrals through court closure. This has not come to fruition as there are fewer referrals than anticipated. Based on current trends, waiting time for a referral is now approximately 12 months. Several variables can impact this timing such as gender preference, age range, number of children you are approved to adopt and what medical conditions a family has indicated they are willing to consider or accept. As we stated above, this timeline is subject to fluctuation. We still are hopeful there will be referrals before the courts resume, but cannot control or predict exactly when.

On a related note, every year after the courts re-open, we review the timing of how cases are progressing in order to re-calibrate expected court processing time frames to the best of our ability. The courts are expected to re-open the first week of October. By the end of the year, we usually have been able to determine a pattern and believe we will be able to do the same this year. When more information is available later this fall, we will readdress the court processing timelines at that time.

If you have any questions regarding this update, please contact your adoption specialist.

Best,