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N.C.
ENACTS INTERMEDIARY LAW TO ENABLE CONTACT, PROVIDE
INFORMATION
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley signed legislation (HB445) on July 23
enabling adopted persons age 21 and older, their direct descendants,
birthparents, and adoptive parents of minors to work with confidential
intermediaries to facilitate contact with each other, obtain
non-identifying health information, or receive identifying information
with the consent of all parties. The new law (Ch. SL 2007-262) allows
state-licensed child-placement agencies to act as intermediaries, and
permits birthparents and adoptive parents to sign consents for the
release of identifying information at the time of the adoption. The act
takes effect on Jan. 1, 2008, and covers requests from that date
forward. To read the law, go to: http://www.ncleg.net
RUSSIA
ACCREDITS 12 U.S. AGENCIES TO RESUME OVERSEAS ADOPTIONS
Five more U.S. adoption agencies have been accredited by the Russian
Ministry of Education and Science – bringing the total to 12,
with more expected in the near future, according to a notice posted
July 19 by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Intercountry adoptions from
Russia were suspended in April, when the approximately 50 U.S. agencies
working there had their accreditations expire as a result of a law
passed last November. The new law requires foreign adoption agencies to
become nongovernmental organizations, and four Russian governmental
ministries must approve their accreditation. In addition, an
agency’s accreditation can now be temporarily suspended for a
single late post-placement report. The changes are intended to ensure
tighter control and more transparency, as well as to improve
pre-adoption training and post-placement monitoring. To read the notice
on the U.S. Embassy page and list of agencies, go to: http://moscow.usembassy.gov;
To read a related news article, go to: http://www.chicagotribune.com
GAO
ADDRESSES DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF BLACK FOSTER CHILDREN
The Government Accountability Office issued a report to the House Ways
and Means Committee in July, “African American Children in
Foster Care.” This 81-page report analyzes the factors
contributing to the disproportionate number of African American
children in the child welfare system and suggests strategies for
addressing the problem. While blacks make up 15 percent of the overall
U.S. population, they constitute 34 percent of children in foster care.
The GAO, among its recommendations, suggests federal funding of
subsidized guardianships. To access the report, go to: http://waysandmeans.house.gov
BILL
LOWERING EDUCATION BARRIERS TO ADOPTED FOSTER TEENS PROGRESSES The U.S. Senate passed legislation
on July 20 that included an amendment to provide better access to
higher education for teens adopted from foster care. The
“Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement
Act” (FAFSA), co-sponsored by Senators Norm Coleman and Mary
Landrieu, was added to the Higher Education Access Act of 2007
(HR2669). The provision would change the federal financial aid
definition of “independent student” to include
foster care youth adopted after age 10; students’ financial
aid eligibility would be based solely on their ability to pay,
regardless of adoptive parents’ income. Currently, youth who
“age out” of the foster care system can qualify for
virtually all loans and grants, but since adoptive family income is
included in determining eligibility for those who have been adopted,
adopted teens have not qualified to receive the same loans and grants.
The higher education bill is awaiting reconciliation between the Senate
and House versions (the latter does not include the FAFSA amendment,
but does provide loan forgiveness for child welfare social workers). To
read the Senate version, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov
and search for HR2669 in the bill search field.
FLORIDA
SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS RIGHT OF PUTATIVE FATHER TO BE INFORMED The Florida
state Supreme Court issued an opinion on July 12 stating that an
unmarried father whose child is being considered for adoption cannot
have his parental rights terminated based solely on his failure to
register with the Florida Putative Father Registry, if he did not
receive appropriate notice about that requirement. A man is considered
a putative father if paternity has not been established and he is not
married to the mother or has not adopted the child. The court further
stipulated that adoption entities “must serve a known,
locatable, unmarried biological father with notice of the adoption
plan” advising him that he has 30 days after service in which
to file a claim of paternity with the Registry and, if he wants to
contest the adoption, to file an affidavit to the court. The case,
Heart of Adoptions, Inc. vs. J.A., was sent back to the lower court for
resolution; it involves a 30-year-old unmarried man who filed a
paternity claim the day after the birth of his son – but
never signed the Registry. To read the opinion, go to: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org
SENATORS
INTRODUCE BILLS TO PROVIDE PAID LEAVE FOR BIRTH OR ADOPTION
Senators Christopher Dodd and Ted Stevens have introduced measures to
provide paid family leave for birth or adoption. Sen. Dodd’s
bill (S1681), introduced in June, would apply to both public and
private sector employees and would permit eight weeks of paid leave to
women and men after the birth or adoption of a child; for care of a
critically ill child, spouse or parent; or for personal recovery from a
serious illness. Sen. Stevens provision (S80), introduced in January
and being considered in committee, would provide federal employees with
eight weeks of paid leave for the birth of a child and would require a
minimum of one week of paid leave for fathers and adoptive parents. To
read the bills, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov
and search for S1681 and S80 in the bill search field.
Research
REPORT
IDENTIFIES RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR FOSTER CARE ALUMNI
A study of 564 adults who were previously in foster care and diagnosed
with a physical or mental impairment identified factors associated with
resilience as reflected in self-esteem and mental health measures;
those factors included living with foster parents perceived as helpful,
receiving mental health services, and greater stability in foster
placements. “An Evaluation of Recovery Factors for Foster
Care Alumni with Physical or Psychiatric Impairments: Predictors of
Psychological Outcomes,” by Tina Anctil, Laurie McCubbin,
Kirk O’Brien and Peter Pecora, will be published in the
August issue of Children and Youth Services Review (Volume 29, Issue
8). Risk factors for overall mental health included experiencing sexual
abuse and receiving independent living services (an unexpected
finding). To access a free abstract, go to: http://www.sciencedirect.com
SWEDISH
STUDY FINDS MORE INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTEES IN RESIDENTIAL CARE
Researchers found that Swedish children adopted from other countries
outside Europe were over four times more likely to be placed
in residential care after age 10 than their non-adopted peers.
“Intercountry Adoptees in Out-of-Home Care: A National Cohort
Study,” by Anna Elmund, Frank Lindblad, Bo Vinnerljung and
Anders Hjern, was published in the March issue of Acta Paediatrica
(Volume 96, Issue 3); it examined 16,522 intercountry adoptees born
outside of Europe and over one million other Swedish children. Other
factors associated with greater odds of residential care were a
child’s having been adopted from Latin America, Africa or the
Middle East; being older at the time of adoption; being adopted by a
single parent; and the adoptive mother being older than 35 at the time
of adoption. Adoptees from Asian countries and those under age 10 were
not at a higher risk of being placed into residential care. To access a
summary, go to: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com
SURVEY:
FEW WANT TO GIVE THEIR FROZEN EMBRYOS TO INFERTILITY PATIENTS
A national survey of more than 1,000 U.S. infertility patients
– all of whom had embryos that were being stored –
found that 60 percent were somewhat to very likely to donate the
embryos for stem cell research, while 62 percent said they were
somewhat to very likely to donate them for research related to human
diseases. Only 22 percent said they were somewhat to very likely to
donate their embryos to another infertile couple.
“Willingness to Donate Frozen Embryos for Stem Cell
Research,” by Anne Lyerly and Ruth Faden, was published in
the July 6 issue of Science Magazine (Volume 317, No. 5834). The full
text of this article can be viewed at: http://www.sciencemag.org
RESEARCH
LINKS HIGH-TECH REPRODUCTION TO PARENTAL OVERINVOLVEMENT
Researchers in England compared 21 families of preschoolers formed
through embryo donation with 28 adoptive families and 30 in vitro
fertilization families, finding that parents of children conceived
through embryo donation evidenced increased emotional overinvolvement
with their children, defensive responding, and secrecy within the
family. “Parenting and Child Development in Families with a
Child Conceived through Embryo Donation,” by Fiona MacCallum,
Susan Golombok and Peter Brinsden, was published in the June issue of
the Journal of Family Psychology (Volume, 21, Issue 2). The authors
conclude that parents through embryo donation fall in the range of
moderate rather than pathological over-involvement, which they suggest
is linked with high-tech reproductive procedures. The study did not
find significant differences on measures of marital quality or
children’s socioemotional adjustment. For a free abstract, go
to: http://content.apa.org
AUSTRALIAN
STUDY FINDS SECRECY HAS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON ADOPTEES
An Australian study investigated the impact that openness or secrecy in
family communication about adoption had on 144 adopted adults. It found
that those who experienced greater secrecy felt less close to their
adoptive parents, perceived their parents as less caring and more
controlling, and experienced more loneliness within the family.
“Secrecy within Adoptive Families and Its Impact on Adult
Adoptees,” by Nola Passmore, Judy Feeney and Alex Foulstone
was published in a newsletter, Family Relationships Quarterly (Number
5, 2007). Adoptees who found out about their adoptions later in life
often felt a sense of betrayal and, for some, the trust issues
transferred into relationships outside the family. To access the
article, go to: http://www.aifs.gov.au
EVALUATORS
SEE BENEFITS FOR FAMILIES IN SIBLING VISITATION PROGRAM
A case study evaluation of the Sibling Kinnections Program, developed
by the Center for Family Connections in Massachusetts, demonstrated the
benefits for children and their respective birth, foster and adoptive
parents in the use of clinical work to support visitation.
“Sibling Kinnections: A Clinical Visitation
Program,” by Joyce Pavao, Melissa St. John, Rebecca Cannole,
Tara Fischer, Anthony Maluccio and Suzanne Peining, was published in
the March/April issue of Child Welfare (Volume 86, Issue 2). The model
intervention provided the use of clinician-facilitated sibling visits
and concurrent meetings with the parents of the sibs being raised
apart. To access an abstract, go to: http://www.cwla.org
News
PROPOSED
GUIDELINES AIM TO STREAMLINE ADOPTION PROCESS IN INDIA
India’s Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) has proposed
changes in its guidelines to improve safeguards for children and reduce
the waiting time for adoptions, according to a July 12 article in The
Times of India, “Couples May Have to Wait Less for
Adoption.” The proposed changes, which have been submitted to
the Ministry of State for Women and Child Development, would require
compulsory registration of all child-care institutions and make HIV
testing mandatory for all children admitted to an adoption agency. The
guidelines also would require all foreign adoption agencies to work
directly with CARA instead of with Indian placing agencies. The
adoption fee for intercountry adoptions would be kept at a maximum of
US $3,500 and foreign agencies would be required to inform CARA of any
additional money paid to an Indian entity. The proposed rules
would also reduce waiting times to three months and, in overseas
placements, the children would receive automatic citizenship in their
adoptive parents’ home nations. To read the article, go to: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
NEW
KOREAN FAMILY LAW PROVIDES MORE RIGHTS FOR WOMEN AND ADOPTEES
The South Korean Supreme Court has issued the final details of its new
family registration law, which will replace the traditional patriarchal
“hoju” system, according to a June 4 Korea Herald
article by Shin Hae-in, “New Law Takes on Patriarchal Family
System.” The new statute will take effect on Jan. 1, 2008,
and will radically change how South Koreans have legally defined a
family. The current system gives mothers fewer parental rights
– which contributed, in part, to the problem of legal orphans
and the availability of children for overseas adoptions. Under the new
law, a child born outside of marriage can be registered under the
mother’s family name and not only under the
father’s. The changed system would also allow children to
claim a stepfather’s surname without agreement from the
biological father. The new registration system also secures equal legal
rights for adopted persons, on condition that the biological parents
agree. Under the current system, adopted children and stepchildren have
no rights to inheritance or certain rituals to honor deceased parents.
To read the article, go to: http://www2.kwdi.re.kr
NPR
SERIES EXAMINES KEY ISSUES RELATING TO ADOPTION IN AMERICA
National Public Radio aired a series of stories in July, entitled
“Adoption in America,” that focused on a range of
key issues relating to the subject. The segments included conversations
with Judy Stigger, director of International Adoptions at The Cradle
agency in Illinois, and her biracial son, Aaron; David and Desiree
Smolin, who adopted two adolescent sisters from India and later found
out that the girls were stolen from their birthmother; Susan Keum Cox,
who was adopted from South Korea in 1956; and A.M. Homes, author of The
Mistress’s Daughter, who discusses being found by her
birthmother. To access the series, go to: http://www.npr.org
Resources
NACAC OFFERS RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE
POST-ADOPTION SERVICES
The North American Council on Adoptable Children released a report in
July, "Post-Adoption Services: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of
Children Adopted from Foster Care," by Madelyn Freundlich (a Senior
Research Fellow of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute). The paper
discusses the mental health needs of children adopted from foster care
and identifies specific post-adoption service programs, explores the
limitations of current funding sources, and makes recommendations for
improving post-adoption services. The paper can be downloaded at: http://www.nacac.org
ADOPTUSKIDS ISSUES GUIDE ON BUYING
INTERSTATE ADOPTION SERVICES
AdoptUSKids has issued a 59-page booklet designed to help public and
private agency personnel who want to purchase interjurisdictional
adoption services from other states. “Dollars and Sense: A
Guide to Achieving Adoptions through Public-Private
Contracting,” which became available in June, also includes
guidelines for purchasing, contracting, and monitoring services. To
access this report, go to: http://www.adoptuskids.org
MISSOURI BOOKLET ANSWERS COMMON QUESTIONS
ABOUT ADOPTION PROCESS
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office released a 26-page
booklet in July that explains various types of adoption and how the
process works. The new booklet, entitled “Welcome
Home,” is designed for use by prospective adoptive parents
and addresses common questions about differences in the range of
adoption types, typical fees, requirements, and the rights of
birthparents. For a news release and link to the publication, go to: http://www.ago.mo.gov
TELLING STORIES DESCRIBED AS BROADLY
BENEFICIAL IN FOSTER CARE WORK
“Fostering Stories: Why Caseworkers, Foster Parents, and
Foster Children Should Read Stories about Being in Foster
Care,” by Amy Baker, discusses the therapeutic uses of true
and fictional narratives from the perspectives of both foster children
and foster parents; it also reviews eight specific works. The article,
published in the March issue of The American Journal of Family Therapy
(Volume 35, Issue 2), identifies six common themes: the
child’s fear of developing attachments; bad behavior that
results from good intentions; internal conflict over betraying the
original family; the powerful role of siblings; foster
parents’ difficulty in dealing constructively with
birthparents; and frustrations created by the child welfare system
itself. To access an abstract, go to: http://www.informaworld.com
REPORT CARD ON CHILD’S RIGHT TO
COUNSEL FINDS MOST STATES FALL SHORT
First Star, an organization advocating for laws that improve the lives
of maltreated children, has published a 126-page report analyzing
statutes and court rules in all 50 states to determine the extent to
which they meet the federal requirement to provide trained counsel to
all children involved in the child welfare system. “A Child's
Right to Counsel: First Star's National Report Card on Legal
Representation for Children” was released in April 2007
– and found most states don’t do very well. When
assessed on six specific criteria, five states received a grade of
“A,” 15 received an “F” and, in
all, 32 states received a “C” or worse. To access
the report, go to: http://www.firststar.org
Institute Updates
CHANGING COMPLEXION OF ADOPTION REFLECTED IN
THREE GENERATIONS
In a July 22 Courier Journal (Kentucky) article by Katya Cengal,
“Family Tree: Three Generations of Adoptees Embody
Revolutionary Changes in Attitude,” Adoption Institute
Executive Director Adam Pertman discusses the profound changes that
have taken place in adoption in the United States, particularly the
shift from the process being marked by shame to one of greater
openness. To read the article, go to: http://www.courier-journal.com
EXPECTATIONS FOR PUTATIVE FATHER REGISTRIES
CALLED `TRICKY AT BEST’
In a July 25 Daily Press (Virginia) article by Lisa Finneran,
“Had Sex? State Wants to Know,” Pertman comments on
Virginia’s Putative Father Registry, which went into effect
July 1. He says that the requirement for all men to register to secure
parental rights is controversial, while the expectation for people to
register every time they have sex can be “tricky at
best.” To read the article, go to: http://www.dailypress.com;
to read the Institute white paper on the rights and well-being of birth
parents, go to: http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/research/
REGISTER
NOW FOR THE NATIONAL ETHICS CONFERENCE AND GET A DISCOUNT
The Adoption Institute, which sponsored the first-ever ethics
conference in the field in 1999, is partnering with Ethica, Inc. to
hold a second major national ethics conference in suburban Washington,
D.C. Registration is now available for the event, "Adoption Ethics and
Accountability: Doing it Right Makes a Lifetime of Difference," which
will take place Oct. 15 and 16 at the Marriot Crystal Gateway in
Arlington, Va. An early registration discount and CEU credits are
available. Attendees – together with over 60 of the most
prominent adoption practitioners, researchers, policy makers, advocates
and triad members in the field – will examine and discuss
ethical issues in all types of adoption, with the objective of
publishing recommendations for improving ethical policy and practice.
Visit the conference website, http://www.ethicsconference.net
to register and to read the full program itinerary and list of
confirmed speakers. If you have questions, please e-mail Adoption
Institute Project Administrator Mari Cochran at mcochran@adoptioninstitute.org
or call 617-680-0808.
INSTITUTE
SUPPORTERS RAISE FUNDS IN NON-TRADITIONAL WAYS
While we will continue to raise funds through the more traditional
methods of grant applications, benefit events and mailings, we are
grateful to our supporters who have gone
“outside-the-box” – and onto the
sidewalks and through the waves – to support our work. On
July 22, Adoption Institute Board Member Matt Donaldson, son of Evan B.
Donaldson, once again completed the Iron Man triathlon, held in Lake
Placid, NY. Sponsors supported Matt’s efforts by donating
$100 a mile for as many miles as they wished, up to the entire 26 mile
marathon running, 2.4 miles of swimming and 112 miles of bicycling. And
one need not be an athlete – or even a grown-up! –
to help our work. David, son of Institute supporters Jackie Kaplan and
Ann Perkins, raised over $80 running a lemonade stand with his cousin
Eve, and told his parents he wanted all of it to go to support our
important work. We give our heartfelt thanks to Matt, David and Eve!
YOU’RE
INVITED TO A PARTY – SUMMER AND FALL EVENTS TO ENABLE OUR
WORK
There’s still nothing like a good party. On August 18, the
Institute will be hosting an event – just for fun
–at a beautiful home in the Massachusetts Berkshires town of
Monterey. Guests will meet Executive Director Adam Pertman and talk
with others interested in adoption in an informal (and scenic) setting.
If you will be in the Berkshires this August (or want to be), wish to
attend or know of others who would like to join us, please contact our
Director of External Relations, Laura James, by e-mailing ljames@adoptioninstitute.org.
Other fall events include a
major fundraiser in Los
Angeles on October 25 and a Boston Benefit Concert on
November 9. The benefit concert,
“Rockin’ for Our Kids,” is in celebration
of National Adoption Month and will be held at the Spring Valley
Country Club in Sharon, MA. The concert will include cocktails, dinner
and a silent auction as well as live entertainment. To see the
invitation and/or purchase tickets using our secure PayPal site, go to:
http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/events/rockinkids_2007.php;
or you can print and mail this response card to secure tickets, here: http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/events/rockinticketpurchaseform.pdf.
And you may not have your 2008
calendar yet, but it’s never too soon to save the date for
our 2008 Taste of Spring
on May 14, 2008. Our fourth annual food and wine benefit
will be as fun and entertaining as ever!
If you are interested in
hosting an event in your area, please contact Laura James at ljames@adoptioninstitute.org.
And if parties are not "your thing," we welcome direct support of our
work – as well as new and creative ways to support us as
described above! Some of our current projects available for support
include:
•
TRANSCULTURAL ADOPTION & IDENTITY
• RIGHTS & WELL-BEING OF
BIRTHPARENTS
• EXPANDING RESOURCES FOR
CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE
• ADOPTION AGENCY PRACTICES WITH
GAYS AND LESBIANS
• ADOPTIVE PARENT PREPARATION
PROJECT
• RESTORING RIGHTS TO ACCESS
BIRTH RECORDS
• SAFE HAVENS: ARE THE LAWS
WORKING?
• EDUCATE THE EDUCATORS AND
EDUCATE THE MEDIA PROGRAMS
Since its establishment in 1996,
the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute has been a pre-eminent,
independent voice for improving adoption for everyone it touches -
particularly children - through innovative programs, educational
initiatives, research and analysis, and advocacy for better practices,
policies and laws. Our award-winning web site, www.adoptioninstitute.org,
is a popular and reliable source for accurate adoption information.
Support Our Work
The Adoption Institute was
established in 1996 with a one-time grant. To continue our work, we
depend on new and renewable sources of funding. We need the financial
support of people like you whose lives have been touched by adoption
and who care about the future of vulnerable children everywhere. Please
send a generous contribution to the Adoption Institute’s
annual fund today. To donate, please call 212-925-4089 or go online to:
http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/about/support.php,
or print and complete this form http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/donate/donatereply.pdf,
and fax it to 775-796-6592, or mail it with your check or credit card
information to:
The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
120 East 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
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