Adoption seems like one of those industries that, by nature, would only be populated by good people. However, adoption is not just good business, its also big business that is loosely regulated. Hopeful, prospective adoptive parents can be easy targets if theyre not careful.

In an article entitled "Ten Things Adoption Agencies Won't Say," on the website SmartMoney, writer Michelle Marchetti offered the following tips:

• Avoid searching the Web blindly. The Internet is replete with agencies that lack a physical location, which should be a major red flag.
• Instead, check out the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory, a database funded by the Department of Health and Human Services that lists licensed agencies by state.
• When agencies estimate time frames, they typically dont include the duration of a home study in their estimates, so be sure to factor in the four months it often takes.
• Ask prospective agencies for an itemized list of charges, and consider dropping any firm that wont cooperate
• To weed out the lesser agencies, ask for the names and phone numbers of three clients whose adoptions were completed at least three years ago. Contact those adoptive parents and inquire about how the agency handled both post-adoption services and the adoption process itself.

Marchetti's article also lists licensing specialists for each state, which can tell you how many complaints, if any, have been filed against an adoption agency.

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A Wichita-based nonprofit organization will stop providing adoption and child welfare services and instead focus on family preservation. The move will require the organization to lay off about 45 percent of its staff.

A June 28 article in the Wichita Eagle provided the following details about the decision by DCCCA Inc.:

Before, family preservation workers had to split their time between trying to help families stay together and working with courts to ensure foster care and adoptive families followed judges orders, officials said. ...

Tom Buell, direction of addiction services for DCCCA, said the change allows his agency to concentrate on what its good at. "I like holding families together rather than working the aftermath of the trauma of kids going out of their homes," Buell said.

Children that had previously been working with DCCCA will now transition to Youthville, the state contractor that handles foster care and adoption

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A year ago, the Florence Crittenton League adoption agency was on the brink of shutting down after the agency's office manger pled guilty to stealing over $600,000. That money had been the agency's safety net, and its absence made the future questionable.

"But nearly a year later, through a combination of insurance money and donations... the venerable adoption agency has 'stabilized'... The agency is still in business, but now she has a staff of one..."

That staff of one is Ilze Keegan, a former social worker and Latvian refugee who serves as the agency's executive director. Keegan has implemented bookkeeping changes intended to prevent similar fraud from happening again. The agency was recently accredited to facilitate adoptions from Russia and has also applied for additional accreditations to expand it international adoption services. Source: Lowell Sun (MA)

Labels: agencies, accreditation

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Started in the late 1800s in response to a growing number of abandoned infants, the New York Foundling is getting ready to celebrate 140 years spent helping children find permanent homes.

"The organization has arranged more than 10,000 adoptions over the years, [Executive Director Bill] Baccaglini estimates, while undertaking new ventures ranging from a Bronx charter school aimed at foster children to a Head Start program in Puerto Rico."

About 65 people who were adopted through Foundling plan to attend a reunion that will mark the organization's 140th anniversary. Source: Hamilton (OH) Journal-News

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Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc., plans to close because it is unable to get the accreditation required by many countries. The agency has offices in Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas and Arizona.

"The agency learned in July that it had been denied accreditation required by the Hague convention - a treaty that governs international adoption, signed by the United States and nearly 75 other countries."

The agency intends to transfer most of its existing clients to other agencies, while other families that are further along in the adoption process will be able to complete it with Commonwealth. Source: Arizona Daily Star

Labels: agencies, accreditation, inter-country_adoption

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The Great Wall of China Adoption Agency held a workshop on Saturday for people considering adopting children from China. The workshop was held at the Wichita Falls Public Library.

"China has two routes you can go... the more popular one is what they call the regular referral route, which means adopting a newborn. The other one is what they call a 'Special Needs' match. Either the child is older... or they have medical needs."

Some people are choosing the special needs route, in part, because the wait for a healthy newborn can be as long as two to three years. Source: KAUZ, Wichita Falls, KS

Labels: China, agencies, workshop

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Nightlight Adoptions is an adoption agency with a unique twist. It facilitates the adoption of frozen embryos. Because it can be a delicate issue with some unique legal challenges, Nightlight organized an essay competition inviting law students to submit position papers on embryo adoption.

"The winning students carefully tackled the issue of how to handle custody of a child born through embryo adoption after discovering that the egg donor never intended for any resulting embryos to be donated."

First place went to a student from the Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla., who received a $2,500 cash prize and a trip to the 2008 Emerging Issues in Embryo Donation and Adoption conference in Washington, D.C. Source: BusinessWire

Labels: agencies, embryo_adoption, custody

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Adoption is a special subject to Paul Ury. Both he and his father were adopted as children. So when it was Paul's turn to have a family of his own, he wanted to adopt but didn't think he and wife Tina could afford it. Then a friend told them about Antioch Adoptions.

"It all started with a 12-year dream of Antioch's pastor, Dr. Ken Hutcherson. He desired to see all children from the foster care system adopted into loving homes. He also desired for more families to be able to afford infant adoptions. The services offered by Antioch Adoptions are free of charge."

Through Antioch, Paul and Tina were able to adopt 5-year-old Amanda and 4-year-old Hannah. Though Antioch Adoptions' free service is currently available only to Washington State residents, the church has started an awareness campaign to help churches in other states develop similar programs. Read more at CBN.com.

Labels: adoption_costs, foster_care, agencies

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The Colorado Department of Human Services will take 60 days to fully review the practices of all licensed adoption agencies operating within the state. The review comes on the heels of an investigation of fraud charges that have been brought against Claar Foundation adoption agency in Boulder.

"Police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley on Friday said investigators are still looking into allegations that Claar officials, including former Erie Trustee Lisa Novak and her husband, Martin Claar, defrauded and stole money from hopeful parents."

The Claar Foundation is one of two adoption agencies that have closed their doors since December, with another planning to close soon as well. The investigation, coupled with the closures, has raised concerns about the financial practices of Colorado agencies. The Department of Human Services plans to make its findings public once the investigation is complete. Read more at DailyCamera.com.

Labels: agencies, fraud, licensing

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Homecoming Adoption, Inc, an adoption agency run by attorneys in Orlando, Florida, is under investigation by the Department of Children and Family Services. The agency has had several complaints filed against it in the last three years, and some of the couples who filed them are speaking out publicly, in hopes of warning other potential adoptive families.

"'We are not sure where our money (has gone) and how much of it has been used,' David Daynes said. 'When we call the agency and say we want to find out when you paid the people in Guatemala and how much you paid them, they don't answer our questions.'"

Attorney Shane DeBoar of the DCF says the company has been playing a "shell game" to try and avoid investigation. In 2006, Homecoming Adoptions had its adoption license revoked. Read more at Local6.com.

Labels: awareness, agencies, legitimacy

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At the end of the month, the United States will enter into an agreement known as the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. It's an agreement between 70 countries that will regulate the adoption processes between them.

"The regulations also try to ensure adopted children are not exploited. It's a process [Jamie] Chmielewski says will give comfort to parents like [Stefanie] Leist who is now looking to adopt her fourth child from China... With the regulations ensuring consistency, Chmielewski says she expects the numbers of people adopting from countries like China to only grow from here."

The Hague Convention requires all participating countries to give accreditation to adoption agencies that assist in international adoptions. Requirements for the accreditation are spelled out in the Convention. Read more at 13MAZ.com.

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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: Russia, agencies, adoption_process

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Wide Horizons for Children, a non-profit adoption and child welfare agency, has named Dr. Tsegaye Berhe as Director for African Programs. He will be responsible for developing and implementing adoption and related services for Wide Horizons throughout Africa.

"'Without adoption or sponsorship, Africa's children face a grim future,' said Dr. Tsegaye Berhe, WHFC's Director for African Programs. 'Being able to give hundreds of Ethiopian children a hopeful future makes me truly happy, but the need extends beyond Ethiopia. I am hopeful we can soon make an impact on the lives of many needy children throughout Africa.'"

Dr. Tsegaye has over 30 years of child welfare experience. During his time overseeing WHFC's efforts in Ethiopia, over 400 children were adopted and another 720 were sponsored.

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In the world of adoptions, the dossier is the collection of paperwork that's required by a foreign government in an international adoption. Dossiers typically include medical letters, homestudy paperwork, background checks, and reference letters. While it may seem overwhelming to some, this adoptive parent offers still more advice on how to complete this step quickly.

"Read directions carefully, and whenever possible, use example letters. Some agencies send you example letters or specific recommended wordings for your documents. If your agency does this, use the examples they give. This will help get things right the first time."

Don't be afraid to be politely pushy when requesting reference letters or paperwork from government agencies. It is possible to tactfully hurry people along so you're not waiting any longer than necessary.

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Labels: paperwork, agencies, references

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The purpose of non-profit adoption agencies is to serve children and their potential adoptive families, right? According to an investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the financial statements of some agencies indicate that caring for children may be secondary.

“The newspaper’s review of federal tax returns and other public documents found numerous examples where top executives’ compensation accounted for one-fourth to one-third of agencies’ budgets. In many instances, administrative costs exceeded expenses on direct services for children.”

The Journal-Constitution obtained its information by reviewing the tax returns of nearly all 336 private foster care and adoption agencies licensed to operate in Georgia. Though phone calls and emails were made, few agency executives responded to requests for comment.

 

Labels: agencies

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