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September 2017 | News and updates Foundation Announces 2017 Top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces For the 11th year, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption surveyed the nation's employers in search of those with the best adoption benefits. The Foundation compares financial reimbursement and paid leave given to adoptive parents. This year, there is a new company topping the list. American Express ranked number one, moving up 30 spots on the list from 2016. The company offers U.S.-based, regular, full-time and part-time employees up to $35,000 to aid with the cost of an adoption (up to a maximum of two events per employee). The company also offers up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave to women and men welcoming a child through adoption. Click here to view the complete Top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace list . The Foundation also recognizes employers by size, industry, best leave and foster care benefits. The 2018 survey will open in January. The Wendy's Company was the...

NOTICE: Latvia – Post Adoption Reports This Alert Supersedes the Alert Issued on November 17, 2016 The Ministry of Welfare has informed the Department that they are still missing post-adoption reports from U.S. families who adopted children from Latvia. The Ministry has urged the Department to stress the importance of post-adoption report submission to adoption service providers and adoptive families. For this reason, the Department strongly urges you to comply with Latvia’s post-adoption requirements. Compliance with Latvia’s post-adoption reporting requirements would also contribute to an understanding of the positive impact that intercountry adoption has for children from Latvia who are living in the United States. Latvian law requires that two post-adoption reports be submitted: one after the first year following the adoption and one after the second year. Reports should be notarized and contain an Apostille certification. Two extra months are allowed for translation an...

Nobody enjoys filing paperwork or paying filing fees, and for families that have completed an international adoption, they often think they have had more than enough of both. Fortunately, most international adoptions now result in a certificate of citizenship (COC) being issued without any additional process or fees. That has not always been the case, and still is not always so, especially in cases where the child was issued an IR-4/HR-4 visa. In these situations, the child does not automatically become a U.S. citizen, and the placement requires finalization here in the United States. Obtaining a COC for any child adopted internationally is an important way to definitively establish and demonstrate citizenship. When the cost of COCs was significantly increasing last year, NCFA hosted a webinar led by McLane Layton and Christine Poarch. NCFA also made available a printable factsheet addressing FAQs about certificates of citizenship. These resources continue to be helpful ...

As many of you know, NCFA is committed to, and passionate about, research regarding adoption.  Some of that research is assembled and published by NCFA, including our Adoption: By the Numbers , where they report the most comprehensive statistics on adoption in the United States.   In addition to the research they conduct, they also promote the research done by others to further our understanding of adoption and issues related to adoption.  Toward that end, NCFA is sending along information about a research project being conducted regarding transracial adoption and foster care. A researcher at Florida State University is interested in connecting with parents who are fostering or have adopted transracially.  If you think this description is a good fit for your clients or network, please consider passing this information along to them. Parents who are currently fostering or have adopted transracially are needed for a research study.  Interested ...

Source: https://creatingafamily.org/ By Dawn Davenport Here are our top eight tips for smoothly integrating children adopted through kinship adoption into your family. Get Educated. Adoptive parenting is different from parenting kids from birth. Not worse, not better, but different. Parents who adopt a niece, nephew, or grandchild need the same preparation as other adoptive parents. We have a ton of resources at Adoption A-Z Resource Guide . Seek Expertise. You will need to find an adoption attorney or adoption agency to help you navigate through a kinship adoption. We have a great free multimedia guide to help you-Creating a Family’s Multimedia Guide on Choosing an Adoption Agency or Attorney . Make sure to ask whomever you hire how many kinship adoptions they do each year in your state. Keep the focus on the child and what is in the child’s best interest as you navigate the post adoption relationships in your family. This is sometimes easier said than done,...

Source: https://creatingafamily.org By Dawn Davenport In my experience there is one special need that scares prospective adoptive parents the most. The one where even parents who have a wide range of acceptance for special needs will often say “no”. The special need that is preventing thousands of children from being adopted. That special need is being the victim of sexual abuse. Yes, that special need is actually being the victim of abuse! Through no fault of their own these children have been sexually abused and are now being victimized again by the near universal fear of raising a child that has been sexually abused. Irony anyone? I have been told by countless social worker that if the child has a record of sexual abuse in their file or a record of showing the symptoms of having been sexually abused, the chances of finding an adoptive family becomes infinitely harder. This breaks my heart. Continue reading.