[tatianaanikina]

I just printed some usefull information from the Russian Ministry of Education's web site. The Russian Ministry of Education stopped excepting adoption paperwork from any american adoption AGENCIES for 2 years (letter #8 from 09 April 2002). Until 09 April 2004 the adoption paperwork from an agencies will not be excepted.
www.ed.gov.ru/sch-edu/chil-s/accr03.doc

[Anita]

I can't help but wonder what your motives are?

In your profile you remark that you are "touched by adoption" by:

"I am helping prospective parents to adopt a child in Kazakhstan."

It is really not surprising Russia or other large countries would have more publicized problems, as they have thousands of children coming into the US every year.

The stories you have recently posted are sad, and a reality we all might have to face.

As I said, I just wonder your motives for all this helpful information against your competitors.

[tatianaanikina]

Originally posted by Anita
I can't help but wonder what your motives are?

In your profile you remark that you are "touched by adoption" by:

"I am helping prospective parents to adopt a child in Kazakhstan."

It is really not surprising Russia or other large countries would have more publicized problems, as they have thousands of children coming into the US every year.

The stories you have recently posted are sad, and a reality we all might have to face.

As I said, I just wonder your motives for all this helpful information against your competitors.

Anita, you don't need to wonder... My motives are very simple. My friend sent me tan interesting article and I posted it. It makes you think, ha? It is a very sad story but people should know the reality of life. Yes, I do help an adoptive parents with any kind of info or questions on independent adoption process and I do it for free on my own time! So, I don't have to compete with anybody! I do have a full time government job and I am in the process of adoption two children from Russia. Of course, independently!
Hope it helps!

[Anita]

I had told somebody days ago I was to emotional for this board and I have done it now.

I apologize for my comments.



I have been on a tough ride these past two weeks, and honestly this board has made me feel worse than better. It is no one's fault but my own.

I apologize again. The keyboard can be a dangerous thing.

[tatianaanikina]

It's OK, we all get too emotional sometimes.

[sak9645]

Your interpretation of the statement is wrong. You are implying that no adoptions through agencies will be processed and that everyone should use facilitators like you. That is an incorrect interpretation, and could confuse and upset families.

In fact, the rule that you quote pertains to the accreditation of agencies to do Russian adoptions. When that statement was made, Russia had decided not to accredit any more American agencies for a while, since it had already accredited about 50 and since it was working on annual reaccreditations of those agencies. This was a great disappointment to agencies that had not submitted paperwork to Russia for the first round of accreditations, but that hoped to do so for a second round. The "adoption paperwork" that you mentioned was NOT paperwork for families; it was the application for accreditation, documenting agencies' non-profit status, presence of a Russian office, etc. that was not being accepted.

The following American agencies are currently accredited in Russia, according to the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation:


1. Adopt-A-Child, Inc.

2. Children's Hope International

3. Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, Inc.

4. Frank Adoption Center

5. International Assistance Group, Inc.

6. European Adoption Consultants, Inc.

7. Commonwealth Adoption International, Inc.

8. ABC Adoption Services, Inc.

9. Adoption Alliance

10. Family and Children's Agency, Inc.

11. Life Adoption Services, Inc.

12. Small World Adoption Foundation, Inc.

13. World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP)

14. ACCEPT - An Adoption and Counseling Center

15. Adoptions Together, Inc.

16. Los Niños International Adoption Center

17. Maine Adoption Placement Service

18. The Gladney Center

19. Adoption Services Associates

20. Alaska International Adoptions Agency

21. Beacon House Adoption Services, Inc.

22. Catholic Social Services of the Diocese
of Charlotte, North Carolina, Inc.

23. Children's Home Society of Minnesota

24. Christian World Adoption

25. Creative Adoptions, Inc.

26. Dove Adoptions International, Inc.

27. Homestudies and Adoption Placement Services, Inc.

28. Nightlight Christian Adoptions

29. The World Child International Corporation

30. Adoption Associates, Inc.

31. Gift of Life Adoption Services, Inc.

32. Families Thru International Adoption

33. Florence Crittenton League

34. Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin
and Upper Michigan, Inc.

35. Orphans Overseas

36. The Open Door Adoption Agency, Inc.

37. The Adoption Resource Center, Inc.

38. Wide Horizons for Children, Inc.

39. Global Adoption Services, Inc.

40. Hand in Hand

41. Wyoming Children's Society

42. Alliance for Children, Inc.

43. Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc.

44. Adoption Center of Washington

45. Children of the World Adoption, Inc.

46. New Hope Christian Services

47. Crossroads Adoption Services

48. International Christian Adoptions, Inc.

49. Madison Adoption Associates

Back when the announcement was made, both accredited and non-accredited agencies were still working with American families and submitting their paperwork to Russia. However, the accredited agencies could directly represent families, while adoptions through non-accredited agencies were being processed as if they were independent.

Russia had said at the time that it was moving towards allowing only accredited agencies to work with American families, and towards banning both truly independent adoptions and adoptions through non-accredited agencies; however, it had not actually done this. In fact, if Russia had done this when it made the statement, the accredited agencies -- all licensed and non-profit -- would have been allowed to continue placing children, while facilitators like yourself would not have been allowed to conduct adoptions.


Sharon

[tatianaanikina]

Originally posted by sak9645
Your interpretation of the statement is wrong. You are implying that no adoptions through agencies will be processed and that everyone should use facilitators like you. That is an incorrect interpretation, and could confuse and upset families.

In fact, the rule that you quote pertains to the accreditation of agencies to do Russian adoptions. When that statement was made, Russia had decided not to accredit any more American agencies for a while, since it had already accredited about 50 and since it was working on annual reaccreditations of those agencies. This was a great disappointment to agencies that had not submitted paperwork to Russia for the first round of accreditations, but that hoped to do so for a second round. The "adoption paperwork" that you mentioned was NOT paperwork for families; it was the application for accreditation, documenting agencies' non-profit status, presence of a Russian office, etc. that was not being accepted.

The following American agencies are currently accredited in Russia, according to the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation:


1. Adopt-A-Child, Inc.

2. Children's Hope International

3. Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, Inc.

4. Frank Adoption Center

5. International Assistance Group, Inc.

6. European Adoption Consultants, Inc.

7. Commonwealth Adoption International, Inc.

8. ABC Adoption Services, Inc.

9. Adoption Alliance

10. Family and Children's Agency, Inc.

11. Life Adoption Services, Inc.

12. Small World Adoption Foundation, Inc.

13. World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP)

14. ACCEPT - An Adoption and Counseling Center

15. Adoptions Together, Inc.

16. Los Niños International Adoption Center

17. Maine Adoption Placement Service

18. The Gladney Center

19. Adoption Services Associates

20. Alaska International Adoptions Agency

21. Beacon House Adoption Services, Inc.

22. Catholic Social Services of the Diocese
of Charlotte, North Carolina, Inc.

23. Children's Home Society of Minnesota

24. Christian World Adoption

25. Creative Adoptions, Inc.

26. Dove Adoptions International, Inc.

27. Homestudies and Adoption Placement Services, Inc.

28. Nightlight Christian Adoptions

29. The World Child International Corporation

30. Adoption Associates, Inc.

31. Gift of Life Adoption Services, Inc.

32. Families Thru International Adoption

33. Florence Crittenton League

34. Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin
and Upper Michigan, Inc.

35. Orphans Overseas

36. The Open Door Adoption Agency, Inc.

37. The Adoption Resource Center, Inc.

38. Wide Horizons for Children, Inc.

39. Global Adoption Services, Inc.

40. Hand in Hand

41. Wyoming Children's Society

42. Alliance for Children, Inc.

43. Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc.

44. Adoption Center of Washington

45. Children of the World Adoption, Inc.

46. New Hope Christian Services

47. Crossroads Adoption Services

48. International Christian Adoptions, Inc.

49. Madison Adoption Associates

Back when the announcement was made, both accredited and non-accredited agencies were still working with American families and submitting their paperwork to Russia. However, the accredited agencies could directly represent families, while adoptions through non-accredited agencies were being processed as if they were independent.

Russia had said at the time that it was moving towards allowing only accredited agencies to work with American families, and towards banning both truly independent adoptions and adoptions through non-accredited agencies; however, it had not actually done this. In fact, if Russia had done this when it made the statement, the accredited agencies -- all licensed and non-profit -- would have been allowed to continue placing children, while facilitators like yourself would not have been allowed to conduct adoptions.


Sharon

Why do you think independent adoptions should not been allowed?

Because agencies will not have such a big profit? Because more parents will know that there is a less expensive way to adopt a child? Because more kids will find a loving home and parents will have more money to spent on family's needs? If I am Russian, or I am fluent in Russian, or I know person, who is fluent in Russian and can help me, why it should be illigal for me to fulfill all Russian and American requirements and adopt a child myself abroad??? Of course, then I will avoid an agency... Is that what's bothers you? I quess, it does!

Well, you wish that truly independent adoptions would be banned! But, there are smart people in Russian government too, as you know...

A lot of families could not pay $20,000-$30,000 for an adoption. I could not, at least without getting a loan and put my family in debt, even my pay check is pretty good, so as my husband's. I don't have an extra money to pay an agency , except for home study (since I found an agency in PA that will do it cheaper than a solcial worker). That is why I am adopting independently.

Sorry, I got a different opinion!

[sak9645]

I did not say that independent adoption should not be allowed.

What I said, quite clearly, was that the RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT initially told the American government that it was instituting accreditation because it was moving towards a time when only accredited agencies would be allowed to place children, and when independent and facilitated adoptions would not be allowed. The Russian government was considering ratification of Hague Convention #33 on international adoption, and this was one of the steps it was taking to prepare for ratification.

I made this point because a statement on the Russian Ministry's website was being misinterpreted by one poster, who is a facilitator. The statement's reference to adoption paperwork that would not be accepted for a period of two years was being interpreted as meaning that the Russian government was not accepting parents' applications to adopt, if they were sent by agencies. In fact, what the Ministry was saying was that the Russian government was not accepting any more agencies' applications to be accredited for a period of two years. Parents were still allowed to adopt from Russia through agencies, both accredited and non-accredited.

In fact, Russia never really carried through with its plans to eliminate independent and facilitator-assisted adoptions, or to create a system with no regional variation in adoption procedures. Many people have pursued adoption through non-accredited agencies and independently, as well as through accredited agencies, since the statement was published.

All that being said, I do worry about people who do independent or facilitator assisted adoptions, if they do not know a country's language, laws, and customs; if they do not have longstanding ties to reputable people in the country; if they do not fully understand the U.S. INS requirements; and if they have little knowledge of medical issues in adopted children. Having previously served as the head of an organization that advocates for ethical adoption, I have seen too many families who have wound up with broken hearts and empty pockets, because of failed independent adoptions in many countries, but especially in Eastern Europe.

I remember well a crisis call from an American family in Moscow. The parents had actually managed to adopt a child independently, and were very happy with the child. Unfortunately, they were not being allowed to bring the child to the U.S. because they had selected a child who did not qualify as an eligible orphan under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act; they were faced with the prospect of having to live overseas for two years with the child if they wanted to get a visa, since they could not be granted an adoption visa. The Russian people who had helped them facilitate the adoption were unaware of U.S. government requirements.

I had a similar call from a family who had been living in Brazil and who had adopted two children independently there, so this is not just a Russian issue. Newly transferred back to the U.S., the parents found that they could not get adoption visas for their children; the father was absolutely screaming on the phone. There was nothing I could do for these families, except to suggest that they talk to their Congressional representatives, to see if some sort of humanitarian parole might be arranged.

I also remember an article by Dr. Jerri Jenista. Dr. Jenista is one of the founders of the specialty of adoption medicine. She spoke against the "choose your own child" policies of some countries, and in favor of using American agency professionals who are well informed about the risks of international adoption and who use sound social work principles in matching a child with a parent who can meet his/her needs. She has spent years seeing families who were not given information on the medical risks and who chose beautiful children who just happened to have obvious signs of fetal alcohol syndrome, reactive attachment syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other fairly serious conditions.

Dr. Jenista pointed out that parents adopting independently often do not know what to look for when they meet a child, do not know how to read foreign medical reports (which often use terms that are not used by American doctors), do not understand the language well enough to know what an orphanage worker is saying -- and not saying, and so on. The average foreign facilitator does not know conditions in the U.S. well -- what can be cured, what can't, what resources exist in particular communities; does not often have social work training and cannot counsel families appropriately; and does not have any accountability if things go wrong and a new home must be found for a child.

While there are certainly disreputable American agencies, Dr. Jenista has spent years speaking before groups of American adoption agency professionals, educating them on the risks, warning them about the liability inherent in promising families healthy infants, urging them to think about issues such as disruption, and so on. I have heard her speak several times; she pulls no punches with agencies. Have many of the facilitators heard her speak or read her articles? Have many of them helped to find new homes for children when the adoptions they facilitated had to be dissolved?

In addition, I remember anguished calls and e-mails from families, asking what they could do because they were ripped off in the adoption process. Yes, some of these callers were talking about agencies. I talked to these callers about contacting licensing authorities, the Better Business Bureau, and so on. Some of these families talked about lawsuits; although this is a very expensive option, a lawsuit IS possible when an agency is licensed in this country.

Unfortunately, far more of the calls and e-mails were about foreign and U.S. facilitators. There were the facilitators that sent prospective parents on expensive trips overseas, promising to show them healthy infants -- and then telling them, upon their arrival, that only kids over 5 years of age would be available. There were the facilitators who led them to supposedly healthy children who were clearly near death or who had severe disabilities. There were the facilitators who did not tell a family that even the healthiest older child might be a challenge, and that a particular older child had been the victim of sexual and physical abuse and would likely require years of therapy. There were the facilitators who advertised themselves as lawyers, but who turned out to be disbarred or otherwise disgraced in their own country. And there were the facilitators who promised the same child to more than one set of parents, ultimately giving him/her to the parent who paid the most. Very little, unfortunately, could be done for most parents victimized in this way. Some of their stories can be read on the Internet; they do a great service to other families by telling their horror stories, but they don't get any compensation for their financial and personal loss.

Someone wrote that the U.S. agencies use "brokers or mafia reps" within Russia because they really DON'T know the Russian court system. I'm sure that some less experienced agencies have inadvertently hired people who are disreputable for in-country services; hopefully, they have learned a valuable lesson about choosing and supervising employees and contractors. However, I must say that the accredited agencies I know have appropriately trained and supervised people in country, and have lots of experience with the Russian court system in the specific areas where they work.

Don't get me wrong. Some independent adoptions work out fine. But they are high risk for people who do not have a sophisticated knowledge of international adoption, and that must be recognized. People who do not have that knowledge may be far better off using a licensed agency that has been checked out thoroughly. Yes, on paper the costs may be greater. However, the risk of coming home broke and without a baby is almost certainly less.

[v_kats]

sak9645, excellent remarks, thanks a lot for your post.

sedrak, from what I've heard, all accredited agencies are now required to open up offices in Moscow, which may not be very helpful for adoptive parents adopting from the regions, but definitely raises the agency's overhead costs and as a result, adoption fees.

We can argue all we want about advantages and disadvantages of using agencies (accredited or not) or going independently yet with a help from facilitator, but hope we can all agree that a fully "independent" adoption in Russia would be a nightmare. Being a native Russian speaker, I would never venture on an adoption "adventure" in either of the former Soviet republics without some insiders' help. But as sak9645 mentioned, sometimes it is useful to have some assistance on the U.S. side, as well, since facilitators down there do not know American laws, medical system, and the social environment awaiting the child.

[Bio-adop mom]

Amy,

I am looking into Dove Adoptions now. I spoke w/ Dr. Kennedy, the counselor, on the phone the other day and he is sending me a packet of info to arrive next week. He spoke highly of Eugene also. How old is the little boy you adopted?

Julie