Adoption Issues

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Proposals Make Adoption Easier for Australians

Changes to Australia's Adoption Act could make the adoption process easier for everyone involved. Women would no longer have to stop fertility treatments, and both adoptive parents and the adopted child would have access to the child's records before he or she turned 18.

"The changes are among several proposed by the state government to simplify adoptions locally and overseas, including by foster carers. The Minister of Community Services, Linda Burney, said the changes will mean people will no longer need to go through so much red tape."

One of the proposed changes would give adoptive parents copies of a child's original and amended birth certificates, and would allow the child access to the same information. Some child welfare agencies oppose the changes, citing concerns that access to too much information could drive birth parents "underground," leaving more adopted children with less access to their birth parents. Source: Illawarra (AU) Mercury

Labels: adoption_process, adoptive_parents, australia

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

How To Tell If Adoption is for You

When many people begin to entertain the idea of adoption, the question that plagues them the most is, "Is adoption right for me?" There is ample information pertaining to adoption costs, processes and waiting times, but how do people determine whether they should even begin the process?

"Locate living resources. You don't need to wear a button saying 'I'm considering adopting: tell me your story.' Just bring up the subject in conversation and you'll be surprised at how many experiences will pop out of people you barely know."

Consider your ability to be patient with a child who will act out for seemingly no reason, and may be very emotionally needy. Don't be overly pessimistic, but be realistic about the emotional energy you'll have to invest. Evaluate both the pros and cons of the situation and your personal needs and desires. Source: Monterey County Herald

Labels: adoption costs, adoption_process, prospective_parents

Friday, May 30, 2008

Adoption of Toddler Held Up for Seven Months

Karla made the decision to adopt a child about three years ago. She began the process twice, both times with countries that changed their rules and refused to accept her application, before turning to Vietnam in hopes of finally realizing her dream of becoming a mom.

"On the day [Karla] arrived in Vietnam, Oct. 25, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Ho Chi Minh City announced that because of 'growing concerns about irregularities in the methods used to identify children for adoption in Vietnam and the resulting difficulties in classifying those children as orphans,' the local USCIS office would need to verify the status of any orphan up for adoption to the U.S."

Thus began what is, to date, a seven-month wait for Karla to bring her adopted daughter home. Karla's lawyer, Irene Steffas, says there is hope because they're re-tracing some of their steps to show governments in both countries that the law has been followed and the adoption is legitimate. Source: Wisconsin State Journal

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Labels: adoption_process, immigration, international

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

An End to Painful Delays

Couples across the United States have been anxiously waiting for their adoptions of Russian children to be completed. The waiting, for some, began over a year ago when Russia tightened its accreditation rules, requiring adoption agencies to reapply for their accreditation. Now many of those couples are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

"Gladney [Center adoption agency] regained its accreditation this month, and officials say they hope that local adoptions of Russian children will soon resume."

A total of 16 adoptions agencies have been reaccredited so far. According to a spokesperson from the Gladney Center, their new certificate has no expiration date - an indication that another stoppage of adoption processes is unlikely.

Labels: adoption_process, agencies, Russia

Monday, December 24, 2007

How to Become a Foster/Adoptive Parent

Many people consider adopting a child, but stop short because the process seems overwhelming or drawn out. But Chrystal Main, social services chief for Nevada's Child and Family Services, says it's better than most people think.

"'I know there's a stigma about the paperwork and the background checks,' she said. ‘But we have streamlined the process. We certainly like to say to adopt, it can take under a year - and could be faster than half a year. It doesn't take nearly the length of time people think it does.'"

Currently, in the rural counties of Nevada, more than 470 children are eligible for adoption. They range in age from infants to seventeen-year-olds who are about to "age out" of the foster care system.

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Labels: adoption_process, foster_care, foster_families

Friday, December 21, 2007

Guatemala Ratifies the Hague Convention

The Guatemalan Congress recently approved a new law that ratifies the Hague Convention and regulates the country's adoption process. It has long been speculated that Guatemalan adoptions were fraught with corruption and those involved in the process have often been accused of bribery and even of child trafficking.

"Today is a historic day for the country, because the foundations have been laid for putting an end to the theft of children to place them in adoption', said parliamentary Deputy Edgard Alfredo Rodriquez of the centre-left National Union of Hope (UNE), after the law was approved by more than two-thirds of the legislators."

The new laws mean that adoptions will take longer, which some critics say will deter prospective adoptive parents. Overall, however, the ratification has been met with excitement. Both the Hague Convention and its accompanying laws will take effect on December 31st.

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Labels: adoption_process, international, kidnapping

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Road to Adoption Frustrating, Rewarding

Melissa and Shawn Bowers didn't have a good first adoption experience. For six months, they paid rent, doctors' visits and other expenses for a young pregnant girl who said she was going to let them adopt her baby. But she eventually decided to keep the baby, and Melissa was devastated.

"But they connected with... a 25-year-old woman in Texas, when she was about four months along and kept in touch with frequent phone calls, Melissa said. Mason was born in August, and the couple brought him home about a week later."

Mason bonded quickly with Melissa, Shawn, and their biological son Maxwell who seems to enjoy his new role as big brother.

Labels: adoption_process, relationships

Friday, November 16, 2007

Adopting and Adapting

The decision to adopt is not the end of a process, but the beginning of one - as many adoptive parents will agree. They will also agree that finalizing the adoption and taking a child into their home is not the end - but the beginning - of another process; one of adaptation.

"It sounds easy intellectually, but in the real world, it's human beings developing trust and confidence in each other,' Willie [Jones- an adoptive parent] said. Tapping counselors, social workers and doctors is crucial, they added. "You want to think all these kids need is love, but they need a whole lot more too,' Pam [Jones] cautioned."

Though the adjustment can be tough, most adoptive parents will agree that it's worth the struggle.

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Labels: adapting, adoption_process, support

Monday, October 15, 2007

Foreign Adoption gets Simpler

New adoption rules recently passed in India will make adopting Indian children easier for foreign couples. Previously, foreigners needed clearance from Indian adoption coordination agencies. The process often took over a year. Now, that step will be bypassed.

"Under the new rules, the government will be responsible for identifying the agency in India that can offer a child for adoption. Now, foreigners have to first apply to their [own] governments, which have to find and get in touch with adoption agencies in India on their own."

Though rules will be easier for foreigners, they will become stricter for Indians. Currently, Indians can contact adoption agencies directly, but critics say this increases the chances that children will be trafficked. Under the new rules, Indians will have to first register with a state adoption agency.

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Labels: adoption_process, foreign_adoption, India

Friday, September 14, 2007

How to do it Fast - Part 1

Though not all adoptive parents are in a hurry to complete the adoption process, most would like to have it completed sooner rather than later. An experienced adoptive parent offers helpful suggestions for decreasing the amount of time it takes to bring an adopted child home.

"Get an understanding for which parts of the process you have control over and which parts you do not. For example, how long it takes to prepare the dossier is very much in the hands of the adoptive parents. Some take weeks. Some even take months. We accomplished ours in a matter of hours (less than a weekend). That is a part of the process we could control. Other things, such as court closures and other nuances of the legal systems in our country and others, are completely out of our hands. Figure out which parts you have some control over and get them done as fast as possible."

Other suggestions include reading directions thoroughly and following them completely, sending paperwork via FedEx or UPS so the package can be tracked, and keeping color copies of everything so that if an original gets lost it can be easily replaced.

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Labels: adoption_process, experience, support

Friday, August 24, 2007

Guatemalan Police Uncover Adoption Scam, Rescue 46 Children

Guatemala is second only to China in the number of children that are adopted by US couples each year, but has the fewest regulations and restrictions in the region. This week, Guatemalan police discovered and rescued 46 children during a raid on a clandestine orphanage in Old Guatemala.

"Although authorities involved in this weekend's bust found paperwork that indicated family members had given the children up for adoption, the papers had not passed through the juvenile court which 'is the correct path for every adoption process,' said [prosecutor general spokesman Carlos] Azurdia."

The US State Department has called the Guatemalan adoption process rife with "conflicts of interest" and "improper financial gain". Read more at TurkishPress.com.

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Labels: adoption_process, orphanages, scams

Friday, August 17, 2007

Virginia Launches Paternal Registry

Virginia has become the latest state to develop a registry that's designed to identify potential fathers. Registration is voluntary, and state officials say it will help speed up the adoption process.

"Men who have been sexually active with someone who they are not married can voluntarily register. If they do, they will be notified if the potential child is being put up for adoption or if the mother is looking to terminate the father's parental rights."

Registration doesn't establish or prove paternity, but a father who fails to register within 10 days of a child's birth will lose his parental rights. Read more at WDBJ7.com.

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Labels: adoption_process, fathers, parental_rights

Monday, July 30, 2007

From China with Love

After six months of paperwork and eighteen months of waiting, a family in South Boston has been made complete. Chloe, a 15-month-old baby girl from China, has come home to her eagerly waiting adoptive parents.

"The People's Republic of China began a formal adoption program in 1990; 300 babies were adopted that year. The program has now grown to 12,000 adoptions a year..."

The eighteen-month wait was mainly due to the adoption process in China. The Chinese government carefully matches Chinese babies with American parents. But once they're notified of the match, the potential adoptive parents have just 72 hours to decide whether to accept it. Though the process was long and involved, new parents Claude and Nancy truly believe the Chinese government is doing its best to find homes for China's children. Read more at SouthBostonOnline.com.

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Labels: adoption_procedures, adoption_process, China