Update on advocacy for I-600A renewals for China adoption

On October 7, I posted a call to action from JCICS. JCICS’s advocacy — in conjunction with the advocacy of other stakeholders and concerned Americans — has resulted in at least limited success. Here is JCICS’s announcement.

Dear Colleagues,

After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has formally announced on their website a very positive ruling concerning the I-600A process.

In summary, it is our understanding that, effective immediately, Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Adoption Law, China Adoption, International Adoption | Leave a comment

Please help: JCICS Call to Action on I-600A Renewals

JCICS sent out the following Call to Action to member agencies yesterday. We encourage all our readers to participate! For more information, go to the JCICS 5 Ways to Help page.

Beginning in May 2008, Joint Council has been actively engaged with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) and Members of Congress in seeking a positive resolution to the I-600A renewal issue. Our continued advocacy seeks a resolution that addresses a serious shortfall in the law affecting families adopting children from Hague Countries.

Despite numerous and continued meetings with all stakeholders and the release of Joint Council’s Position Paper on I-600A Renewals, USCIS has not yet provided a feasible solution to this problem. However, we now see evidence that positive steps are being taken and that a solution may be found soon.

To support these positive steps and to advance efforts toward a positive resolution, Joint Council calls on all Member Organizations and Potential Adoptive Parents to take the actions detailed below.

If our recommended actions do not result in a timely resolution of the I-600A renewal problem, Joint Council stands ready to significantly expand, intensify and target our efforts by launching The P.A.P. 10,000 Initiative. This Initiative, if launched, will ensure that the U.S. government acts in a way that is consistent with the goals and purposes of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, The Hague Convention and, most importantly, the best interests of children.

At this time, Joint Council requests that each Member Organization execute the following:

No later than Friday, October 10, 2008, distribute the attached two documents, Letter to Families & Friends (Word Doc) and I-600A Position Paper, to:

  • All members of your organization, including staff and board of directors
  • All adoptive families, including support groups
  • All donors/supporters/partners
  • Child advocacy groups in your area

[That's what Carolina Hope is doing with this post. We encourage you to link here from your blog, send emails to friends with an interest in international adoption, etc.!]

Included in the materials are instructions for all concerned parties to:

In advance, we thank you for your active participation in this effort and your continued service to our world’s orphaned and vulnerable children.

Best Wishes,

Tom

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JCICS issues position statement on I-600A renewals

The Joint Council on International Children’s Services has worked tirelessly to ensure that the spirit of the Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA) of 2000 is honored by the government bodies responsible for implementing it. A particular problem recently has been USCIS’s decision to allow only one renewal of the I-600A pre-approval for families waiting to adopt from China and Haiti. Soon, families who have already renewed once may be required to start their homestudy and other adoption paperwork over again. This requirement will be disruptive and expensive, and as JCICS articulates below, the requirement would be a violation of the intent of the IAA.

Caroline Hope is a member of JCICS, and we, too, urge the USCIS to solve this problem without putting an onerous burden on adoptive families.

Joint Council Position on I-600A Renewals

As previously noted, Joint Council and others in our field have great concern regarding the one-time renewal of I-600A approvals and the impact on Potential Adoptive Parents (PAPs). Following is Joint Council’s assessment and statement on this very important issue facing over 10,000 U.S. families.

Overview

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has again confirmed that PAPs with an approved I-600A in a Hague country may only file for a renewal one-time. Thereafter, families must ‘start from the beginning’ and file an I-800A petition.

It is very clear that the authors of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 intended to ‘grandfather’ all I-600A petitions filed prior to the date on which the Hague Convention went into force in the United States (April 1, 2007). At the time the legislation was drafted, the authors did not foresee the lengthy processing time now associated with adoptions from countries such as China and Haiti. Yet the intent was clearly to Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Adoption Law, China Adoption, International Adoption | 1 Comment

Vietnam Adoption Memorandum of Agreement expires today

Although Carolina Hope does not have an adoption program in Vietnam, we wanted to pass along this alert from the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, an organization that Carolina Hope is a member of.

Joint Council Update

Today, September 1, 2008, the current Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the United States and Vietnam expires. As a result, intercountry adoption is effectively suspended until a new MOA is signed and implemented by both countries. Joint Council sees the suspension of intercountry adoption as a tragedy for children and for the families willing to provide a loving family to Vietnamese orphans.

Joint Council and its Member Organizations remain committed Continue reading »

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The Safest Place for Adoptive Families

Michael Monroe, leader of Irving Bible Church’s adoption ministry Tapestry, believes that the church should be “the safest place on earth for adoptive and foster families.” Unfortunately, it often is not. Read Michael’s two-part series on this important topic: The Safest Place on Earth – Part 1 and Part 2.

Check out Tapestry’s many other adoption resources.

Posted in Adoption Issues, Theology | Leave a comment

Helping Your Adopted Child

Helping Your Adopted Child: Understanding Your Child’s Unique Identity by Paul David Tripp

Publisher’s Description: Long before you decided to adopt, long before your child was born, God planned to put your adopted child into your home. Your child is an amazing gift from God, but nurturing an adopted child also brings unique challenges.

Understanding your adopted child from God’s perspective will allow you to address those challenges by faith and with hope. Learn from counselor and adoptive father Paul David Tripp how to help adopted children understand their identity and place in God’s world.

Posted in Adoption Issues, Book Recommendations, Education, Theology | 1 Comment

Transracial adoption: Is God’s leading enough?

In a post two days ago, Dorothy Bode wrote in answer to those who ask the question, “Am I making a terrible mistake by adopting transracially?”:

White parent\'s hand holding black child\'s handThe main thing I help them question is their motivations. “Is God building your family or are you trying to do it in spite of Him and in your own strength and wisdom” Outside of God, I think there are mistakes made in adoption plans. With him, I trust there are not.

The same basic question can be changed to cover many different adoption situations — it can apply to children who are older, disabled, in foster care, abused or neglected. If our answer to the question is “Yes, we are following God’s lead and planning in this,” then we can rest in Him because he makes no mistakes.

Although I typically concur with Dorothy’s insights with a hearty yea-and-amen, in this case I felt like saying, “Yes, but…” Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Education, Theology, Transracial Adoption | 2 Comments

How to fund an adoption: online education course on adoption financing

On June 2 (Monday) at 7 pm, Carolina Hope Director Laura Godwin is teaching an online education course entitled Funding an Adoption. This approximately hour-and-a-half-long course will be conducted by phone and internet, so you can participate from the comfort of your own home. The cost is $15.

The course will feature a pre-recorded interview with Jason Kovacs, Director of Ministry Development at The ABBA Fund, which provides “interest-free, covenant loans for adoption”.

More information and sign-up are at our course page (on our International Website).

Posted in Adoption Issues, Education, Financing Adoption | Leave a comment

Book recommendation: The Connected Child

The following is an informal book review by Claudia-Jacqueline Semar, M.Ed. She has granted us permission to reprint it here.

Ms. Semar is the Executive Director of International Child Foundation. She has worked in adoptions for more than 15 years, and as an adoptive mother, she has first-hand experience in the things she writes about.

Cover: The Connected ChildI’ve been reading a book called The Connected Child. It’s recommended often by families on the listservs. This is a bit that you may consider more relative to older children, but in fact it has deep significance for babies and toddlers, too.

Children who have been neglected or abused – and let’s redefine this as children who have had their needs ignored, their cries unanswered, their food inadequate, and children who have been repeatedly frightened by events in their environment, chaos and violence, even if it did not touch them physically – these children have established biochemical brain patterns. No amount of talk therapy rewires the brain. (As you may have discovered when trying to persuade your spouse to change his or her behaviors.) In children, this is a particular challenge, because the younger they are, the less their cognitive skills have developed. Reason is not a tool they have at their disposal. Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Book Recommendations, Education | 2 Comments

Attachment disorder and other scary things about adoption

Two days ago I blogged about A4everFamily.org, a website put together by adoptive families to provide information about bonding and attachment in adoption. The post elicited this comment:

after reading A4everFamily.org site I am scared. we are looking forward to adopting from an orphanage in Uganda (hopefully being able to pick up our child by early summer). what I’ve read here tonight is sobering.

In my experience, this is most people’s reaction to reading about difficulties faced by adoptive families, and it’s not a bad reaction – as a starting point.

To continue the discussion, Dorothy Bode wrote a wonderful reflection on the struggles and joys that she has experienced as an adoptive mother. (Dorothy’s post is accompanied by an adorable photo of one of her daughters: you shouldn’t miss it.)

I want to add a few more thoughts on preparing for adoption, specifically, on educating yourself about the risks and potential difficulties. First, it’s okay to be scared about adopting. I think most parents are frightened before giving birth to their first biological child (and sometimes the second and third!). Adding another person to your family will always come with risks, whether you’re adopting or giving birth: health risks, bonding risks — if you can think of a problem, it’s probably possible, because when we deal with other people, we can’t stay in complete control. (If you have to stay in complete control all the time, please don’t adopt.) Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Education | 3 Comments

Help for attachment issues in adoption

I was just alerted to this great website for adoptive families and prospective adoptive families that deals with a full range of adoption attachment issues, from “normal” bonding to severe attachment disorders: A4everFamily.org. Pass this on to any families you know that are pursuing an adoption. Being educated about what’s typical and what’s possible is a vital part of wisdom in adoption – and in anything else.

Posted in Adoption Issues, Education | 3 Comments

Readoption -vs- domestication: finalizing an international adoption in South Carolina

[Update, 10/11/2008: Carolina Hope now offers a live online education course to assist families domesticate an intercountry adoption in South Carolina. More details available at the course page.]

The following information is adapted from the post-adoption support files here at Carolina Hope. Note that this information is directly applicable only to SC residents who have adopted from overseas. The information provided here should not be construed as legal advice, for which you should see a qualified attorney.

Once you are home with your child, it is important to get a State-issued birth certificate for him or her. Here in South Carolina you have a choice between doing a domestication of the adoption — which you can do without an attorney — or readoption, which requires the help of an attorney. Both domestication and readoption will give you a South Carolina-issued birth certificate.

If you came home on an IR-3 visa, your child became a U.S. citizen as soon as your plane landed in the States. So why choose readoption rather than domestication? The main reason is that readoption terminates under South Carolina law any rights of your child’s birth parents over your child. Carolina Hope has had more than one incident in which an overseas orphanage was shut down, and the orders of adoption for children from that orphanage were nullified. While this is not common, it is a very serious thing, and readopting your child here in the U.S. will strongly affirm the legality of your child’s adoption and help prevent its being called into question. Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Adoption Law, International Adoption | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Department of State issues Guatemala adoption warning

On January 11 the U.S. Department of State issued a warning (dated January 9) about the status of Guatemala adoptions. (As mentioned in a previous post, Carolina Hope has put its Guatemala adoption program on hold pending new standardized procedures for adoptions in Guatemala. Of course, cases registered under the old system are still being processed.)

Particularly gratifying is the DOS’s commitment (see below) to all Guatemalan adoption cases that were registered under the old law. Here is the text of the statement in full:

Warning: Adoptions Initiated on or after December 31, 2007 in Guatemala

January 9, 2008

The Department of State advises potential adoptive parents and adoption service providers not to initiate new adoptions from Guatemala because of the great uncertainties surrounding implementation of Guatemala’s new adoption law.

We do not know when the Government of Guatemala will be prepared to process cases under the new system set forth in the new Guatemalan adoption law that went into force on December 31, 2007. Continue reading »

Posted in Adoption Issues, Adoption Law, Guatemala Adoption, International Adoption | 2 Comments

Who’s most worried about ‘race’ in our transracial adoptions?

This week I mail off the last letter and photo updates to the biological mother of my three- and four-year-old daughters. It is the end of a sweet season in my life. I have been writing letters and taking photos with Aris (not her real name) in mind for the past 4 years. She has received more mail from me than any of my own family members and this is the last time I have her name written on my calendar as a milestone in the girl’s lives.

One thing that stands out with Aris and the other birth parents we are linked with through our children, is that none of them has been overly concerned that we are White or about how we are going to teach our children Black culture. We hear fears about it from the larger adoption community, from strangers on the street, and through the media. But never has it been a prominent issue for the African American families (birth parents, grand parents, sisters and cousins) we have met during the adoptive process. When they choose to entrust us with their children they are each looking for something different, but never has it been our ability to raise those children as Black. Or maybe it has, and those birth parents have not chosen to place a child with us. In those situations we may never know the underlying reasons, but the issue was never brought up so I have nothing but speculation to work with.

I believe that the women who bore my 6 adopted blessings were looking for families to love and enjoy their children. They wanted adoptive parents who felt called to protect, treasure and accept their children. This was much more important to them than our ability to teach the children about being Black. I see the halo of birth parents that surround our family as a beautiful testimony of God’s drawing people from every tribe and tongue into fellowship. I am reminded often not to neglect or to overemphasize the color of our skin or the origin of our ancestors. But rather, to celebrate each of our unique identities in Christ staying far away from any idols we have built regarding racial identities.

Posted in Adoption Issues, Transracial Adoption | 2 Comments

City on a hill, part 2 … but what city do they see?

In an earlier post I wrote that we become a ‘city on the hill’ when we adopt trans-racially. Simply put, we look different from most families and we stand out almost anywhere in our culture. But I have encountered another way that people view our family that I never would have guessed in my naiveté. Hopefully, you can learn through my experience and have a good response prepared if you find yourself in the same situation. Laugh with me and walk though this moment in life … and please, feel free to share your ideas, I haven’t found a strong but loving response to this situation yet and would love to have one.

Our kids are intermingled by age; we birthed two, adopted two, birthed one and so on. The conversation that stumped me was when someone assumed with a very negative tone, that I had birthed them all. Let that sink in for a moment. … It would mean I had at least 4 different fathers for my children and I would be a beacon in an entirely different type of city than I had planned. Am I saying that a few people who meet us see our ‘city on the hill’ as similar to Sodom or Gomorrah?

Yes, that was it exactly. It drove me nuts trying to think it through the first time I ran into it. It hit on so many levels: my marriage, my faith, my morals, and my self-control. In my human state I was offended and wanted to ‘clarify’ things with that poor neighbor. Thankfully, God didn’t allow that and I have learned to pray through these strange moments when windows are opened into another world and I can see what sadness lurks there.

Posted in Adoption Issues, General, Transracial Adoption | 2 Comments