DOS Adoption Notice Update for Brazil

Today the DOS published an update of a prior Adoption Notice released in February 2009. The update is very similar to the February 2009 notice with some important changes. We have highlighted in italics the new information provided in today’s update. Today’s Update: BrazilAdoption Notice U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEBureau of Consular AffairsOffice of Children’s Issues January 8, 2010 IMPORTANT INFORMATION …

PEAR releases first series of State Directories of Adoption Resources

Link to Directories updated May 14, 2010 Derived from the gaps identified from PEAR’s POSitive study and the recommendations from PEAR’s Mental Health Resource and Therapist Resource surveys, PEAR has created State Directories of Adoption Resources. These directories are designed for prospective adoptive parents, adoptive parents and service providers looking for local resources. This library can be found at http://www.pear-now.org/resources.html …

Voice of a Prospective Adoptive Parent: Ethiopia Adoption

On the same day, PEAR issued a cautionary statement about Ethiopia adoptions, a prospective adoptive parent shared her heart-breaking situation. The following is linked with the author’s permission:http://urbanfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/ The specifics of the referral process and investigation can be found at this post: http://urbanfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-adoption-status.html PEAR continues to recommend that prospective adoptive parents conduct extensive due diligence prior to signing a contract …

Australia continues suspension of Ethiopia adoptions until early 2010

December 28, 2009“The Australian Government has suspended all child adoptions from Ethiopia over fears that it could be breaking human rights laws against child trafficking”http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/28/2781307.htm More information can be found at the Australian Government Attorney-General Department’s website: http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/IntercountryAdoption_WhatsNew_WhatNew#visit“Ethiopia-Australia Program–Possible delegation visit to Ethiopia–18 December 2009 As the Department’s review of the Ethiopia program has progressed, it has become apparent that …

Scientific American December 18, 2009 article

PEAR would like to share an interpretation of a recently released study. We applaud all efforts to study foster and orphanage populations, but wish to caution the adoptive community on making conclusions without understanding the basis of the study, populations and methods used. Scientific American published a report called Orphanages Rival Foster Homes for Quality Child Care http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=orphanages-rival-homes on December …

HIV testing will not be required for obtaining visa for international adoptees

The US Department of State issued an adoption notice on December 22, 2009.http://adoption.state.gov/news/removal_of_HIV_from_list.html This Final CDC rule is effective January 4, 2010. The full text can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/laws_regs/fed_reg/remove-hiv/full-version-final-rule.html The CDC decision is based on the following “While HIV infection is a serious health condition, it is not a communicable disease that is a significant public health risk for …

China announcement — CCAA

The following Announcement was made by the CCAA on December 22, 2009: Date of Release: December 22, 2009   Source:CCAA To relevant government departments and adoption agencies in receiving countries,Since China began working with relevant countries in inter-country adoption, the cooperation has been smooth and tens of thousands of Chinese children have been adopted by foreign families. The majority of them …

DOS Adoption Alert – Cambodia

Adoption Notice: Cambodia The following email Alert was sent out by the DOS this morning: December 24, 2009 On December 3, 2009, a new law on intercountry adoption was signed by the King of the Government of Cambodia. The new law seeks to create a country-wide comprehen­sive child welfare system and an intercountry adoption process in compliance with the Hague …