[jbmomma]

Hi Folks! I'm sure you may have seen this on the web, but just thought I'd share. Yay!

Russian Parliament Passes Russia-US Adoption Law - ABC News

[Halcyon]

Ha! you beat me to it JK. I had been paying attn over the last month or so.

Now we have clarity and can move on.

[awmorris]

I found a better article (more details) here: Russian parliament ratifies Russia-US adoption agreement - The Washington Post

However, it leaves me with some questions:

>> All adoptions would have to be processed through adoption agencies registered in Russia.
I thought this was already a requirement. I was surprised to learn that they even allowed adoptions to occur through agencies that were not registered.

>> The agreement requires the agencies to monitor the child’s upbringing, schedule visits by a social worker and send reports to Russian authorities.
Again, I thought this was the case YEARS ago. That’s the point of the post-placement studies. I don’t see how this is different.

>> The deal makes sure that prospective American parents would have better information about the social and medical histories of Russian children.
And for a third time, I understood we had full access to the social and medical history of when we visited the orphanage. I don’t see how this agreement makes this any different.

Bottom line: I think I’m missing something. How does this agreement change anything that already was?

[rafiki]

Is this good, bad, or meh?

[locococo]

I found this to be helpful—the State Department's FAQ pdf. Scroll to the bottom and download the "Department of State's FAQs on the Agreement". It's pretty thorough:

Country Specific Alerts and Notices | Intercountry Adoption

Also, it's not about registered agencies vs. unregistered agencies, it's about agency vs. independent adoption. The treaty includes language that would exclude independent adoption.

Not all APs received full medical disclosure about referrals.

Regarding medical information, from the FAQ it "looks" like more medical information will be supplied. Along with that information APs "may" also bear additional training specific to their referral's SN, additional psychological testing, and a multiple step USCIS approval process adding an interim "pre-approval" step after child match but before finalization.

[srishti1775]

Does this have any impact on current adoptions that are in process?

[locococo]

srishti1775, the answer to that question is in flux. From what I've been reading the original draft did not include any retroactivity, however it seems it is an amendment that the Russians want added.

The furor over the recent Ranch for Kids incident has caused them to want the agreement to be retroactive to include the ability to come in and inspect adoptive families' homes, again retroactively.

My contact called the Russian embassy yesterday for more details which they gave to him because he is Russian American and speaks Russian.

The belief is that the Duma passed it quickly so it can go to the Federation Council to be handled in private. The business of the Duma is subject to scrutiny and reporting by the press where as the FC is a private body and activities are not public nor are they reported, at least not while in progress.

There is quite a discussion of this going on a FB group I am on. Someone was able to download the text of the treaty in Russian and begin translating it and many are very unhappy with it. If I can get something more specific I will post it.

[jbmomma]

Agencies are going to need to determine how this will impact their clients. You should contact your agency. I spoke with mine. They still need to determine exactly how this is going to affect their clients, but as I'm in the process, I was informed it may mean an additional post-adoption report. But check with your agency and see what they say.

[locococo]

I do now have a pdf of the English version of the agreement with Hillary Clinton's signature. If anyone would like to see it, please PM me.

Thanks!

[locococo]

Here is the link to download the pdf. Yesterday it wasn't working easily so I offered the pdf via PM but it seems to be working now.

http://asozd.duma.gov.ru/work/dz.nsf/ByID/75759B1D632868A0432579D400495820/$File/Соглашение%20об%20у

If you can't download it, I'll be happy to email it to you - terri at thinkcausality dot com

[locococo]

And if anyone is interested, here are some Russian news links talking about what's in the agreement or what may be added to the agreement.

1. Russian Families to Adopt US Kids
Ð*атификациÑ� двуÑ�тороннего Ñ�оглашениÑ� позволит роÑ�Ñ�иÑ�нам уÑ�ыновлÑ�Ñ‚ÑŒ детей из СШÐ� — Ð�Ñ�тахов, уÑ�ыновление - Ð*оÑ�балт

2. Number of Authorized Agencies in Russia to Be Cut in Half
Ð�гентÑ�тв, уÑ�траивающих детей-Ñ�ирот в американÑ�кие приемные Ñ�емьи, Ñ�танет меньше в разы — Ð�Ñ�тахов, уÑ�ыновление - Ð*оÑ�балт

3. Adoption Agreement to be Retroactive by 20 Years
ВлаÑ�ти Ñ�могут проверить положение вÑ�ех роÑ�Ñ�ийÑ�ких детей, уÑ�ыновленных в Ð�мерику — Ð�Ñ�тахов, уÑ�ыновление - Ð*оÑ�балт

This news source does not seem to have an English "toggle" so you need to use Google translate or open the links in a Chrome browser for English translation.

Also, I don't know how credible this news org is, perhaps k8c if more familiar with it.

[locococo]

And if anyone is interested, here are some Russian news links talking about what's in the agreement or what may be added to the agreement.

1. Russian Families to Adopt US Kids

2. Number of Authorized Agencies in Russia to Be Cut in Half

3. Adoption Agreement to be Retroactive by 20 Years

This news source does not seem to have an English "toggle" so you need to use Google translate or open the links in a Chrome browser for English translation.

Also, I don't know how credible this news org is, perhaps k8c is familiar with who they are.

[srishti1775]

This is what I got from my agency:

It won't mean anything to your case as you registered prior to this being signed. It hasn't entered into force yet either - there are still several other steps. The only way that it applies to cases already in progress is that if you were to disrupt your adoption after you got home, we would be required to report that to the Russian authorities (which we would have done anyway, so even with that there is no change). There is an FAQ on the U.S. State Department website if you are interested in reading more about it (adoption.state.gov).