December 2019

December 12, 2019. New Year's Wishes. This is Newscap's last post of 2019. In January, we look forward to working with the two new officials at Office of Children's Issues as well as reviewing the new draft regulations that we understand will shortly be released. We are following developments in Honduras, Kazakhstan and Guatemala, among other countries. On the domestic front, we await more information as to the implementation of Families First and the different ways in which states are expanding their programs to support family preservation. We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a joyful New Year.

December 11, 2019. DOS Updates China Information on Foreign Supervised Providers and Chinese Hosting Programs. The Department of States has issued a notice covering two topics of interest to the adoption community. On Foreign Supervised Providers DOS reports that: "When U.S. accredited or approved ASPs or their representatives work directly with a publicly administered orphanage in China in intercountry adoption cases, a foreign supervised provider agreement is not required. However, when U.S. accredited or approved ASPs or their representatives work directly with a privately administered orphanage in China in intercountry adoption cases, a foreign supervised provider agreement between the ASP and the orphanage is required." Concerning Chinese hosting programs, the view of Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption is that "hosting programs an international adoption service. CCCWA will initiate and oversee the program from planning through implementation. ASPs that have an interest in pursuing a hosting program need to contact CCCWA." More Information.

December 10, 2010. Court Awards British Couple Damages in Adoption Discrimination Suit. Sandeep and Reena Mander were awarded nearly £120,000 because they were discriminated against by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's adoption authority, Adopt Berkshire. The judge found that the defendants directly discriminated against Mr. and Mrs. Mander on the grounds of race." The couple, who are of Southeast Asian ethnicity, had applied to adopt a child of any ethnicity, were turned down on the grounds of their Indian ancestry and advised to adopt from India or Pakistan. As the Mander's lawyer Georgina Calvert-Lee, said : "Today's judgment is a victory for all British children who need loving adoptive homes, and for all the eligible, loving adoptive British families hoping to welcome them into their lives." Judge Melissa Clark, however, denied their claim for discrimination under article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which covers the right to found a family." More Information.

December 9, 2019. Not A Dry Eye in the Courtroom. A very heartwarming story has come to us from Michigan. When Michael Clark was adopted by his foster parents in Grand Rapids last month he invited his entire kindergarten class to the courtroom. The joy on his face and on his parents faces said it all. How wonderful to see such a wonderful beginning. To read the stories, please click here.

December 5, 2019. Resources on Language Acquisition and Speech Delays in Children Who are Adopted From Foster Care Internationally Adopted. We are linking today to a very helpful PDF on delayed language and speech acquisition in adopted children. As the authors, Ryan Hanlon and Emma Wise point out, the delays in speech acquisition are very prevalent. Therefore adoptive parents should be prepared for these delays and have methods of therapy and counseling prepared prior to traveling. Better communication makes for a smoother transition and bonding for newly adopted children. To read the PDF, please click here.

December 4, 2019. Kentucky Mother Accused of Selling Her Baby. Kentucky police have charged Maria Domingo-Perez with baby selling after school officials reported that a mother was transferring custody of her baby. The couple accused of buying the child for $2000, Catharina Jose Felipe, and Jose Manuel Pascual, were also arrested and charged. To access the story, please click here.