A sixteen-year-old Russian teenager is thankful for the future she now has. Katya, who now lives in Sherwood, AR, was already eleven when she was adopted by Jan Scholl. Katya's parents died when she was just a child and there weren't any relatives who could care for her. Before she was adopted, Katya lived in an orphanage with many other kids and seemed destined to stay there until she became an adult. Many adoption agencies consider eleven too old to be placed online. Luckily, Jan saw Katya's profile online the day before it was going to be removed. Read more about Jan and Katya's story from the Sherwood Voice.

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On Feburary 15th, The United States State Department published their final rules regarding the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions in the Federal Register. These rules outline standards and procedures for international adoption services. The Hague Convention, which aims to protect adopted children and adoptive parents, sets minimum international standards and procedures for adoptions that occur between implementing countries. Learn more about the State Department's Rules on Intercountry Adoption and the Hague Convention online.

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Like many states, Delaware's Department of Children, Youth and their Families is facing a failing foster care system. There are too many children in foster care, not enough foster families, and poor transition plans. Foster care providers say that older children present the greatest challenges and some just don't do well in foster care. Learn more about what officials in Delaware are doing to help children of all ages in need of foster care online.

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When courts find birth parents guilty of abuse or neglect, they place their children in foster care. According to the Iowa Department of Human Services nearly 6,000 children were placed in foster care in 1999 and families that choose to help foster kids are desperately in need. Foster families have to pass criminal checks and classes that prepare them for adoption and fostering issues. Learn more about being a foster parent and the adoption process from the Muscatine Journal.

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