ICAB has posted statistics on their web site.
http://www.skyinet.net/~icaba/page54.html
The number is actually 249 regular Intercountry adoptions for 2004 not 196 while relative adoptions was 132. Independent placement was 23. The total for 2004 was 496.
Now while this is better news, I don't see anyway to determine performance because there is no number for denials. If there were, we could apply basic math to get a sense of how many applications carried over from a backlog. Maybe someone better at analysis can come up with a way based on the matching stats? It gives me a headache right now.
Just for fun... (Gosh not much fun in the process is there?) I compared the approximate total number of adoptions from China per capita and the total number of adoptions from the Philippines and came up with the same approximate number per capita, 1 child under the Intercountry process for every 150,000 people. Kinda throws some assumption out the window.
In addition, notice there is a number for Foster Adoptions I had thoughts of pursing this as a process and now I am curious to know what country(s) this is possible. My first guess is maybe it is Australia because I read there was a problem recognizing adoptions when couples married and adopt the spouse’s children. There is some sort of custody that takes place because they have weird rules. Clues…. anyone?
You know…. Maybe ICAB actually reads stuff on the internet.
Johnny