National Council For Adoption – NCFA






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NCFA Calls Upon the CDC to Exempt Internationally Adopted Children from the Technical Instructions on Tuberculosis Adoptive parents James Scruggs and Candace Litchford from Northern Virginia were forced to leave behind their new legally adopted daughter, Harper, in China for ongoing TB testing due to new regulations recently imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These new regulations hold adopted children to a more stringent standard than those applied to biological children born to American parents in another country, or even to tourists from these same countries visiting the United States. While NCFA applauds the CDC in its effort to prohibit the spread of infectious diseases into our country, there is no medical argument that the CDC’s new TB regulations should be applied to children who are adopted from another country. The medical community is in general agreement that children with the TB virus are rarely, if ever, contagious. Furthermore, given the fact that adoptive parents of children infected with the TB virus would seek immediate medical attention upon return to the United States, NCFA calls upon the CDC to exempt internationally adopted children from its new regulation. Please refer to the following links for more information, as well as NCFA’s position on exempting children adopted in other countries from the CDC’s new regulation. Adoption Advocate No. 16, entitled “NCFA Position Statement on the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) 2007 Technical Instructions on Tuberculosis (TB) as They Relate to Internationally Adopted Children” NCFA August 17 letter to CDC Director Thomas Frieden August 10 Associated Press (AP) story – New TB Policy Could Disrupt Overseas Adoptions Scruggs family blog: http://jayscruggs.livejournal.com San Jose Mercury News Editorial: http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_13040044 Interview with Dr. Starke in the Washington Examiner http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7928-International-Adoption-Examiner~y2009m8d14-Interview-with-pediatric-tuberculosis-expert-Dr-Jeffrey-Starke Bill Introduced to Address Global Lack of Parents for Epidemic Numbers of Children June 29, 2009 (Washington, DC) -- The Families for Orphans Coalition announces support today for The Families for Orphans Act, introduced in the House on Friday (HR 3070). The Families for Orphans Act (FFOA) will place a new emphasis on the need to improve US policy for supporting healthy development of children globally. AIDS, war and poverty are causing an explosion in the number of children worldwide who are growing up without parents in orphanages and long term foster care. Spearheaded by Representatives Diane Watson (D-CA) and John Boozman (R-AR), The Families for Orphans Act will empower the US government to proactively address a global gap in the most basic of human rights – a permanent family for every child. If enacted, The Families for Orphans Act would establish the Office of Orphan Policy, Diplomacy and Development within the Department of State and provide diplomatic authority to help the 30 million children orphaned worldwide and the 100 million plus vulnerable children who have lost one parent or are at risk of losing parental care. The new office would be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to support diplomacy and policy focusing on the preservation of families and the provision of permanent families and legal, permanent relationships for orphans. This function is currently not a part of the US government’s diplomatic portfolio. Research has shown that families are essential to the healthy development of children, and those unfortunate children who grow up without the support of a permanent family often face homelessness, suicide, incomplete education, teen pregnancy and emotional disorders. “The human cost for children growing up without parents is steep,” said Terry Baugh, President of Kidsave, and a member of the Coalition. “Children lose one month of development for every three months in an orphanage. With this handicap it is not hard to understand why these children are unprepared for independent living when turned out of institutions starting as young as 8-years-old. As a result an estimated 50% turn to crime and prostitution, over one-third experience a period of homelessness and most are highly vulnerable to human trafficking and to adults recruiting terrorists and child soldiers.” The Bucharest Early Intervention Study appears to support Baugh’s assessment. The Study, conducted over five years by notable researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of Maryland, Tulane, the University of Virginia and the University of Minnesota reported that children living outside of family care suffered decreased brain activity (including lower IQ’s), poor growth and a variety of emotional delays. “An investment in permanent family care for children is an investment in the health of the global economy,” said Thomas Difilipo, President of the Joint Council of International Children’s Services, a member of the Coalition. “Cost benefit data shows that effective, high-quality interventions to improve parenting skills and reduce child maltreatment save between $2 and $8 for every dollar spent. In a global economic crisis it only makes sense that every country – and every community -- would begin to invest in permanent family care.” The new office will elevate the plight of children, giving the US a clear, dedicated, diplomatic authority to represent the interests of orphaned children. The office will advise the Secretary of State and President in all matters related to global family preservation and permanent parental care for orphans, as well as developing global strategy, including the coordination of all foreign policy and assistance related to global family preservation. The new office will also conduct research designed to better understand the size of the population of children living without parental care and global efforts to support these children. Oversight of three grant programs directly related to preserving families and providing permanent parental care for families is an additional function of this new office. “The Families for Orphans Act emphasizes that activities that keep a child in the country of birth through family preservation, domestic adoption, legal guardianship and kinship care, are always the preferred child welfare methods. However, when these are not timely options, a family through international adoption is clearly in the best interests of those children languishing in orphanages or living in temporary foster care,” said Chuck Johnson, Coalition member and Chief Operating Officer for the National Council For Adoption. The Families for Orphans Coalition was established in 2008 to support both domestic and foreign efforts that ensure every child lives, grows and thrives in a safe, permanent and loving family. For more information, please click here. To download the full press release, please click here. Bill Introduced to Provide Citizenship Rights to Internationally Adoption Children of American Families June 29, 2009 (Washington, DC) -- The Families for Orphans Coalition announces its support for the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act (FACE Act) which was introduced last week in the Senate and House of Representatives. The FACE Act will allow American families to bring their internationally adopted children home as American citizens instead of as immigrants. The bill is spearheaded by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and James Inhofe (R-OK) and Representatives Diane Watson (D-CA) and John Boozman (R-AR). The FACE Act simplifies the acquisition of citizenship for internationally adopted children and removes these children of American citizens from the immigration process. The Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act addresses needed changes to the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) which was enacted to provide automatic U.S. citizenship to internationally adopted children of American citizens. As it stands now, the internationally adopted child of a U.S. citizen receives U.S. citizenship once the child enters the U.S. to reside permanently. If enacted, the FACE Act would allow such children to acquire U.S. citizenship at the time their adoptions are finalized in the country of the child’s birth. The child would then enter the U.S. as a U.S. citizen with citizenship documentation in hand. “Passage of the FACE Act will eliminate the need for an immigration visa for internationally adopted children and instead will treat these children as children of American citizens, not immigrants subject to immigration regulations,” said McLane Layton, President of Equality for Adopted Children (EACH) and a member of the Families for Orphans Coalition. “Additionally, the FACE Act classifies internationally adopted children as “citizens from birth” just like children born of Americans overseas, thus providing them with equal rights of citizenship, including the right to run for President of the United States.” “Under current law, the type of immigration visa an adopted child is given to enter the United States determines whether the child receives U.S. citizenship upon entry. Those children who do not receive U.S. citizenship upon entry and whose parents overlook the bureaucratic steps necessary to secure citizenship for their children are often later denied scholarships, passports, and the right to serve in the U.S. military. Most tragically, some young adults who have lived in the United States with loving, American families their entire lives have been deported to their birth countries - places they have no knowledge or memory of – for committing minor juvenile offenses. Half the children adopted internationally each year currently enter the States on the visa that places them at risk,” said Chuck Johnson, a Coalition member and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the National Council for Adoption. “The Face Act will resolve these issues and provide U.S. citizenship to all internationally adopted children of American citizens.” The FACE Act also provides older orphans the ability to be adopted – children who were overlooked in the Hague Treaty on Intercountry adoption. “Prior to the Hague’s passage, children age 16 to 18 whose younger siblings had been adopted by an American were able to be adopted by the same American family,” said Terry Baugh, President of Kidsave. “The Hague eliminated all adoption opportunities for children 16 and over. The FACE Act will fix this oversight and expand the opportunity of a permanent family to all children up to age 18.” The Families for Orphans Coalition was established in 2008 to support both domestic and foreign efforts that ensure every child lives, grows and thrives in a safe, permanent and loving family. To download the full press release, please click here. NCFA Webinar Registration Now Open Click on the link below to register now for participation in the National Council For Adoption's 3-part continuing education webinar series for adoption and related professionals: "Assessing and Preparing Foster and Adoptive Parents for the Journey Ahead," conducted by Jayne Schooler, renowned expert, educator and author in the adoption field. Click on this link or copy and paste the link into your web browser for registration: http://ncfaeducation.org/Webinars/r0.jsp Individual rates NCFA Member: $60 Non-member: $75 Group of 5 participants NCFA Member: $250 Non-member: $320 Group of 10 participants NCFA Member: $450 Non-member: $600 This 3-part webinar series will be held on three consecutive Wednesdays: July 15, July 22, and July 29, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. EDT. Please note the series consists of three separate and unique segments, NOT three optional dates for webinar participation. Each webinar will last approximately one- and- half hours. Participation in the entire series will provide 4.5 continuing education credits sponsored by the National Catholic School of Social Service. System Requirements for Participation: This webinar will be conducted entirely over the internet. All participants must be able to receive and play sound through their computers. Speakers or headphones can be used. PC Requirements Required: Windows© 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh © Requirements Required: Mac OS© X 10.4 (Tiger©) or newer To contact us, e-mail webinars@adoptioncouncil.org. NCFA Responds to Adoption Controversy The real news behind the headlines is not that Madonna has finally been approved by a Malawian court to adopt an abandoned and orphaned child after months of delays, but that there are some groups of so-called child welfare advocates who openly and without a hint of shame fought to deny a little girl a family by insisting that she live the rest of her childhood in the deprivation of Malawai’s orphanage system. An orphanage is no place to live, and in fact, many children in orphanages never survive childhood. Those children fortunate enough to survive the disease, squalor, and loveless conditions of an orphanage emerge, as adults, completely unprepared for the challenges of life. Many become victims again to homelessness, the sex trade, and crime. The anti-intercountry adoption crowd argues that a child belongs in his country, surrounded by his or whole culture, while at the same time asking that more money be given so they may provide the child with minimal institutional care. But common sense dictates that a starving, dead, or traumatized individual has no opportunity to enjoy the benefits of his or her culture. Given that fewer than 50,000 children find families through intercountry adoption each year, it is obvious that intercountry adoption is not the solution for the majority of the millions of orphaned children around the world. Thus, best practices dictate that every effort be made to preserve families and encourage domestic adoption worldwide. For thousands of children, however, intercountry adoption is a solution, and self-described child welfare advocates who argue otherwise are guilty of furthering their ideology at the expense of the very children they claim to represent. To read Adoption Advocate No. 11: A Case for Ethical Intercountry Adoption please click here. *NCFA Celebrates National Foster Care Month with Launch of Families For All* PSA Campaign** Alexandria, VA – The National Council For Adoption (NCFA) is celebrating May as National Foster Care month with the launch of a new Families For All public service announcement (PSA) featuring its National Adoption Spokesperson, country music recording artist Rodney Atkins. The Families For All 30-second PSA will begin appearing on television stations nationwide in May. Walmart, a contributor to NCFA’s Families For All program, also plans to air the PSA on its checkout counter television screens in more than 590 Walmart stores during the month of May. The Families For All PSA was designed to make Americans aware of children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted. Rodney Atkins, who was adopted as an infant, personally appeals to viewers to visit www.familiesforall.org to find out how they can help children in foster care. As he explains in the PSA: “There are more than 129,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted. That’s a lot of kids, but I’m sure there’s enough love in American to help them out.” “America is an adoption-friendly nation,” said Chuck Johnson, NCFA Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our research indicates that there are at least 10 million adults who would consider adoption to help children in need. We want to take advantage of National Foster Care month to inspire them to become mentors, respite care providers, foster parents or adoptive parents.” Foster care is intended to be a temporary situation to protect vulnerable children who are innocent victims of abuse and neglect, however the average length of stay is three years and three months. Last year NCFA was part of a coalition that played an instrumental role in the creation and passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. This legislation signed into law in October, 2008 greatly increased federal benefits and opportunities for children aging out of foster care. A record 26,517 youth aged out of foster care in 2006. NCFA is committed to serving the best interests of children and believes every child has a right to a loving, permanent family. Through research, education, and advocacy, NCFA provides adoption information to the general public, promotes ethical adoption practices, informs public policy and opinion leaders about adoption issues, and serves as a resource for women with unplanned pregnancies, adopted persons and their families, those seeking to adopt, and adoption professionals. # # # NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 12: A Statement on the Nation's Foster Care System In honor of National Foster Care Month, NCFA is pleased to release this latest edition of our Adoption Advocate, entitled "A Statement on the Nation's Foster Care System." This Adoption Advocate details the current state of America's foster care system and provides summaries of both NCFA's recent recommendations for reform and our ongoing efforts to raise awareness among the public on the need to care for children in foster care. Click here to read the latest Adoption Advocate. NCFA Endorses International Adoption Policy Statement The National Council For Adoption has joined a coalition of adoption advocates, headed by Dr. Elizabeth Bartholet, Professor of Law & Faculty Director of the Child Advocacy Program at Harvard Law School, in support of the recently published International Adoption Policy Statement and Supporting Report. Other endorsees are the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, the Center for Adoption Policy and the Harvard Law School Child Advocacy Program. NCFA is also a signatory on a press release issued by Dr. Bartholet on the recent controversy surrounding Madonna’s second adoption efforts in Malawi, which calls on judges and policymakers to review and consider the International Adoption Policy Statement before drafting policies and issuing rulings in intercountry adoption cases. NCFA has been a longtime supporter of intercountry adoption as a viable option for finding permanent homes for the millions of orphans worldwide, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or national origins. NCFA fully supports the Hague Convention’s policy that intercountry adoption best serves the interest of children who cannot remain in the care of their families of origin and for whom no in-country adoption placement can be made. For NCFA’s complete position and policy statement on intercountry adoption, please see the April, 2009 edition of the Adoption Advocate, entitled “A Case for Ethical Intercountry Adoption.” NCFA congratulates Rodney Atkins on the release of his third album, It's America! Donna Conway Appointed to Board of Directors of the National Council For Adoption Alexandria, VA – Donna Conway of Wilton, Connecticut has been appointed to the Directors of the National Council For Adoption (NCFA). The announcement was made by Board Chairman Stan Swim, noting Ms. Conway’s professional experience and outstanding record of volunteerism and community service. “We are pleased to have Ms. Conway join us as we seek to continue our efforts to promote the wellbeing of children, birthparents, and adoptive families by advocating for the positive option of adoption. An adoptive parent, she brings valuable experience to our board,” Swim said. NCFA, a non-profit organization, has been a champion of adoption since its founding in 1980. Whether as an advocate for state laws that promote sound adoption policy, a resource for federal officials and policymakers about appropriate federal adoption initiatives and reform, a diplomat for sound international adoption policy, or a source of adoption facts and education, NCFA is devoted to serving the best interests of children through adoption. “I am honored to be invited to join the board of the National Council For Adoption,” Ms. Conway said. “NCFA is a leading adoption advocate, and as an adoptive parent, I fully appreciate the many challenges of adoption, as well as the many wonderful opportunities that come with helping children find a permanent home. As a board member, my goal is to spread the positive word about adoption and the great work being done by NCFA.” Upon learning of China’s newly imposed one-child rule that would leave millions of children without permanent home, Ms. Conway made the decision to adopt. She and her husband, Jonathan, initiated adoption proceedings in 2000. With their two sons, David and Scott, Ms. Conway traveled to China in 2001 where they finalized the adoption of a one-year-old daughter, Lelah, now nine. Ms. Conway has been active as a volunteer in a number of organizations. She held a several positions with the League of Women Voters in Hamden, Ct. and in Wilton, Ct., where she served as president. She also was a member and secretary of the Wilton Library Association Board of Directors. She received a B.S. in Industrial Management/Computer Science, Purdue University, in 1981. Prior to becoming a “stay-at-home” mother, she gained managerial experience in a variety of positions. She worked for GIGA Information Group, NY, NY, Ernst & Whiney, Chicago, and for state and local political campaigns in Greenwich. While in Greenwich, she opened her own business, Donna Inc, providing temporary assistance for clients needing computer work, filing, and accounting. During these years, Ms. Conway also spent several years working and traveling in Europe, Africa, Greece, and other countries. Donna Conway will become the 16th member of the NCFA Board of Directors, joining Stan Swim, Chairman (Salt Lake City, UT), Bill Balcquiere (Grand Rapids, MI), Heidi Bruegel Cox ( Ft. Worth, TX), Lou Davidson (Washington, DC) Ted Kim (Washington, DC), Larisa Mason ( Oakmont, PA), Kimberly Newman ( Washington, DC), Fred Riley (Salt Lake City, UT), Jim Savley (Mount Juliet, TN), Wayne Sharp (Vienna, VA), Louis Stern ( Highland Beach, FL), Pamela Stevenson (Gladwyne, PA), Delia Stroud (Kennett Square, PA), and Jim Wright (Vienna VA). National Adoption Spokesperson Rodney Atkins Speaks Out for Children in Foster Care If you tune into your favorite country music radio station, you are likely to hear NCFA’s National Adoption Spokesperson Rodney Atkins’ new public service announcement (PSA) supporting children in foster care. NCFA and Rodney launched the new PSA campaign to make the public aware of the needs of the nearly half-million children living in foster care, of which 129,000 are eligible for adoption right now. The PSA campaign is part of a broader public awareness initiative entitled Families For All, funded in part by Wal-Mart. Rodney also conducted personal interviews with more than 25 leading country music stations in major markets to talk about the release of his new song “America,” and to direct listeners to the www.familiesforall.org website to find out more about what they can do to help children in foster care. Thank you, Rodney, for all your help and support for children in need! Click here to learn more about what you can do to help children waiting for a loving, permanent family. National Council For Adoption Recommends Caution on Certain Special Needs Adoptions from Vietnam National Council For Adoption (NCFA) regrets that the United States and Vietnamese governments could not sign a new agreement regarding intercountry adoptions before September 1, 2008. Although we recognize that the United States held legitimate concerns with the adoption process in Vietnam, this halt in adoptions will result in many hundreds of Vietnamese orphans being denied loving, stable families in the United States. Although Vietnamese law allows for the processing of the adoption of children with special needs without a working agreement, NCFA is advocating extreme caution on the part of international adoption agencies and families matched with a Vietnamese child with special needs after the last agreement between the United States and Vietnamese governments expired on September 1, 2008. Read more. President Bush Signs Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (HR 6893) into Law President George W. Bush signed the bipartisan *Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008* (HR 6893) into law on Tuesday, October 7. This bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Representative Jerry Weller (R-IL). Senator Baucus (D-MT), Senator Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) championed the bill in the Senate. The *Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008* is the most significant legislation relating to adoption and foster care since the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Read more. Congressional Letter to Department of State Urges Interim Agreement with Vietnam to Avoid Disruption of International Adoptions by Americans 149 members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 7 urging her to negotiate an interim Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Vietnam that allows adoptions from Vietnam by Americans to continue while addressing concerns regarding the adoption system in Vietnam. The signers agreed that “systematic reform and more effective safeguards are needed to prevent abuses” in the Vietnamese adoption process, and urged the State Department to “work with the Vietnamese Government to implement proactive measures designed to guard against abuse.” Furthermore, however, the letter stated that “signing an interim agreement with Vietnam is consistent with your goal of moving toward a Hague-compliant system” in Vietnam, and that “it is not in the best interest of children to remain institutionalized or homeless during the period of transition” to a Hague-compliant system. NCFA applauds these Members of Congress for addressing the need to prevent the imminent disruption of adoptions from Vietnam. NCFA joins them to continue to urge that the State Department work expeditiously on behalf of Vietnamese orphans. (Click here to see full text of letter.) Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) Gathers Support for Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Support Act and Pursues Co-Sponsorship Introduced on May 20, 2008, Senator Charles Grassley’s Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Support Act proposes a number of positive legislative changes that would benefit the 510,000 children in foster care. If enacted, this bill would extend through 2013 the Adoption Incentive Program, whereby the federal government allocates financial rewards to states that have increased the number of children adopted from their foster care system. It would also increase adoption incentive payments by establishing 2007 as the program’s new “base year” against which future performance would be measured. The bill would make all children with special needs adopted from foster care eligible for federal adoption assistance payments by exempting them from current income eligibility requirements. The bill would also establish relative guardianship as a permanency option for those children for whom courts have ruled that neither reunification nor adoption are viable permanency options, and allow states to receive federal reimbursement for assistance payments made to relative guardians. Finally, the bill would allow the federal government to allocate unobligated funds from the Adoption Incentive Program to states that increase the number of children exiting foster care through relative guardianship. Click here to read Senator Grassley’s appeal to his colleagues for co-sponsorship, which contains further information on the Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Support Act and its supporters.		• NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 16: NCFA Position Statement on the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) 2007 Technical Instructions on Tuberculosis (TB) as They Relate to Internationally Adopted Children • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 15: NCFA Supports the Families For Orphans Act (FFOA) and the Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act (FACE) • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 14: On the Benefits of a National Putative Father Registry • 2010 National Adoption Conference • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 13: Six Views on Intercountry Adoption • NCFA Celebrates National Foster Care Month • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 12: A Statement on the Nation's Foster Care System • 2009 Stay at Home Gala • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate No. 11: A Case for Ethical Intercountry Adoption • Donna Downing Conway Appointed to NCFA Board of Directors • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate Volume No. 10: Mutual Consent: Balancing the Birthparent's Right to Privacy with the Adopted Person's Desire to Know • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate Volume No. 9: The Adoption Option: A Call for Complete and Inclusive Sex, Reproductive Health and Family Life Education Curricula • National Adoption Spokesperson Rodney Atkins Speaks Out for Children in Foster Care • NCFA releases Adoption Advocate Volume No. 8: Making Improvements to the Adoption Tax Credit Permanent for Children and Families • Thomas C. Atwood Resigns from the National Council For Adoption •NCFA releases report on foreign-born adopted non-citizens • 2008 National Adoption Conference • NCFA Teams with Wal-Mart and Rodney Atkins to Inspire Better Care for Children in Foster Care • Senator Grassley Announces Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Support Act • NCFA Inducts Five Adoption Heroes into Adoption Hall of Fame • 3/10/08 - NCFA Launches National PSA Campaign To Educate Public About Adoption NEWS ARCHIVE