A Congolese family that fled to Kenya to escape their country's war wants to adopt a baby boy that they found abandoned by the side of the road. The case is the first of its kind in Kenya, addressing whether or not refugees can legally adopt children.

"Teacher and small businessman Jean-Pierre Tombo Milenge fled the Democratic Republic of Congo... with wife... and children in 2005 when, he says, rebels sought to recruit him. In August 2007, [his wife] came a across a baby boy... sitting alone by the side of a Nairobi road, covered in filth."

The family tried to take the boy to an orphanage, but none would take him. He had been living with the family for nearly a year when authorities came and took him away. A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Nairobi said if the couple wants to adopt, they have to go through the same legal proceedings as everyone else. Their case is set to be heard March 13, 2009 Source: Reuters

Labels: abandonment, refugees, abuse

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Judith Leekin will spend 20 years in prison for adoption-related crimes and her abuse of the children she adopted. Arrested in 2007, Leekin was charged with several counts of aggravated child abuse.

"Leekin used four aliases to adopt children from different agencies and created fake report cards to show the children's progress, even though they were not attending school, according to court records and officials."

Leekin has also been sentenced to 11 years for fraud. Source: MSNBC

Labels: scams, abuse

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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

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 1 Comment