A state audit of New York’s Office of Children and Family Services found that over $200,000 in improper payments were made to parents who had adopted hard-to-place children. The payments were received by adoptive parents whose kids had either passed away or were too old to qualify for aid.

The Office of Children and Family Services doled out $180,783 in aid for 25 children who were listed as deceased, according to an audit conducted between January 2007 and January 2009. ...

The agency stopped the improper payments during the course of the audit and officials are now trying to recover the money.” [Source: Democrat and Chronicle]

Though $200,000 may not seem like much for a program that pays out over $490 million each year, it is money that could have been spent to help adopt more kids out of the foster care system. The Offices of Children and Family Services, in an attempt to prevent future mistakes, plans to begin partnering with the state Department of Health to match vital statics of children who are receiving aid.
 

Labels: adoptive parents, fraud

Posted By: Adoption Issues 0 Comments

Now that Michael Whitney has raised his two adopted sons, who are grown and off on their own, Michael has taken it upon himself to advocate for children who still need permanent homes. He has become a volunteer spokesman for Children Awaiting Parents.

Children Awaiting Parents recruits foster and adoptive families for children in the United States who have waited the longest to find permanent families. There are more than 120,000 children in America’s foster care system waiting for permanent homes, according to the organization’s Web site. [Source: Seacoast Online]

Whitney and his wife adopted their own sons through Children Awaiting Adoption, after spending thousands of dollars on unfruitful attempts to adopt internationally. Whitney believes so much in the importance of providing homes for kids who have none that’s he’s in the process of adopting two more children through Children Awaiting Parents.

Labels: awareness, parents

Posted By: CRC Health 0 Comments

Parents who adopt children from foreign countries may be under the impression that the adoption process itself makes their kids American citizens. But, as Alexis Stevens found out, that isn’t necessarily true.

“Stevens’ parents never went through the process to allow Stevens to become a U.S. citizen. The mistake her parents made by not applying for naturalization of their adopted children almost 50 years ago has sent Steven’s life reeling, leaving her uncertain of her identity and her future.” [Source: Fort Myers Press-News]

In 2001, the Child Citizen Act of 2000 was passed in an attempt to solve the unique citizenship challenges posed by foreign adoptions. Under the new law, a child who’s adopted by American parents becomes a U.S. citizen the moment he enters the country. However, the law only applies to adoptees that were minors as of February 27, 2001. All others will still need to apply for citizenship.

Labels: international, adoption laws, citizenship

Posted By: CRC Health 0 Comments

The Iowa Department of Human Services is considering changes to the process by which it removes children from homes in which they’re endangered. Child advocates who say change is necessary hope the state will implement some of the changes that have already been made in Polk County.

In Polk County, however, social workers have been working on a process of forewarning parents that they intend to remove a child.

Unless a child is in immediate danger of injury or death, social workers conduct a pre-removal conference with the parents to determine how to make this process as easy as possible for the child. [Source: Press-Citizen (IA)]

The goal of the pre-removal conference is to limit the amount of trauma the child experiences when being removed. So far, the new process has achieved its goal. Ultimately, DHS hopes the kids can return to their homes, but some are placed for adoption.

Labels: laws, abuse

Posted By: Adoption Issues 0 Comments

Central Florida may soon have a new organization managing its child-welfare system. State officials put management of the system up for bid, hoping to attract organizations that were both effective and fiscally responsible.

“The two finalists are Family Services of Metro Orlando, the nonprofit that has had the contract for Orange and Osceola for the past six years, and Community Based Care of Seminole, the nonprofit that has had the contract for Seminole County for the past five years. Both agencies were created when DCF [Department of Children and Families] privatized its child-welfare system county by county earlier this decade.” [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

The contract winner will manage foster care, adoptions, and child abuse and neglect cases in both counties. State and county officials plan to make their final decision by September 28th. The winning nonprofit will be awarded a four-and-a-half year contract.

Labels: foster care, adoption_agencies, welfare

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

In England, when a child is removed from his home, the judicial system has up to 65 weeks to determine whether that child can be returned home or should be placed for adoption. In some instances, kids have spent years in foster care, waiting for the courts to decide their fate.

The courts are clogging up with cases. Figures show that at the end of 2009 there were 12,994 open care cases in the courts. This is almost 50% more than at the end of 2008, when there were 8,677 cases open. [Source: The Guardian]

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said family justice practices are currently under review, in an attempt to determine how best to streamline the process and ensure that kids are placed in loving, permanent homes as quickly as possible.

Labels: laws, court, abuse

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Most children’s rights proponents consider the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child an important step in protecting kids. Some, however, like U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, think the treaty goes too far, taking parental rights away from parents and giving them to the United Nations.

“DeMint is lead sponsor of S. Res. 519, a resolution to protect parental rights, which is co-sponsored by 30 senators total. Only four more senators need to sign on to inform President Obama that he does not have enough votes in the Senate to ratify the treaty, DeMint said.” [Source: CNS News]

DeMint also believes the treaty is redundant, since the United States already has child protection laws in place. Supporters of the treaty say its purpose is not necessarily to establish new laws, but to get governments around the globe speaking the same language about child protection and rights.

Labels: international

Posted By: Adoption Issues 0 Comments

Four-year-old Kairissa was adopted from China in April. Her new home was in Tennessee. But now, law enforcement officials are saying that Kairissa was subjected to repeated physical abuse that eventually cost her her life.

Kairissa's story has prompted Chinese officials to revisit that nation's adoption policies

“In response to this latest incident, the China Center of Adoptive Affairs now plans to change their policies with American families, first by possibly stopping work with problematic agencies, then by increasing the number of post adoption supervisory visits.” [Source: WSMV-TV (TN)]

Currently, Chinese policy requires that adoption officials follow up with families six months after the adoption has been finalized. That time frame will be shortened. Additional changes are pending as well.


 

Labels: international, China

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

Several decades ago, Terilee Wunderman adopted two children. She now has 30 years experience as both an adoptive parent and psychotherapist, and she’s always willing to share words of wisdom with new or soon-to-be parents.

The first tool in your arsenal should be a sense of humor and a little advance preparation, Wunderman said. "Use humor, and have a canned reply ready for insensitive comments. … Most people don’t know anything about adoption except for what they’ve seen on TV. A lot of times, it’s an adoptive parent’s job to educate others about it," she said. [Source: Deseret News]

Support groups are important for adoptive parents, too, so they can talk with others who understand the unique challenges they face. Ultimately, the relationships within the family, between parents, children and siblings, are the highest priority. Educating the informed is good, but should not be a parent’s main focus.

Labels: mothers, advice

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Paula and Bryan Blatchford were excited to adopt. Paula had a teenage daughter from her first marriage, and Bryan didn’t have any kids of his own. They were willing to adopt older children, and were soon paired with a brother and sister. But 16 months after the children arrived, a series of problems resulted in them leaving the family.

Each year, roughly 5 per cent of the 600 adoptions from children’s aids societies in Ontario are not completed. With children over the age of 6, that number can be as high as 25 percent.…

Experienced adoption workers say all children put up for adoption, whether given up by their parents or seized from the home, have special needs. Abuse, multiple moves, drug or alcohol addictions and abandonment have left their mark on fragile psyches. [Source: The Toronto Star]

Adopted children, especially older ones, sometimes have trouble bonding with their adoptive parents; often the result of trauma suffered at an early age. Some families can get past issues like this, using counseling or some other form of family therapy.

Labels: abandonment, connections

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment