Put Children And Families First! Stand Up to The Adoption Agency PR Machine!
The State Department is set to enforce regulations for adoption agencies that have been on the books for years – regulations that will protect children and families from exploitation and heartache. The adoption agency PR machines are on overdrive trying to convince adoptive parents that a minor increase in agency accrediting fees that will have a major impact on the integrity of adoptions is a bad thing. THIS IS NOT TRUE. For once the little guy has been heard! Why are the agencies up in arms? They say it will cost them additional money – but that is only true if they have not been working in an ethical and transparent manner all along.
In truth, the only new cost is a $500 per family fee – that agencies will not pay but pass along to their client families – which will be used by the Accrediting Entity to pay for the staffing required to implement proper monitoring and oversight of agencies at every step of the process. That is only a 1.4% increase in costs to pay for protections that may prevent the trafficking of children and the loss of thousands of dollars in fees when adoptions go awry.
According to the October 2016 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoptions Narrative from the Office of Children’s Issues, “Some countries have suspended intercountry adoption programs because of concerns about ASP [Adoption Service Providers] conduct. In discussions about resumption of adoption activities in these countries, many countries express concern about their ability to monitor ASP activities. More and more countries that continue to allow adoptions enact restrictive policies in response to perceived weaknesses in the system for accrediting and monitoring ASPs.” In fact, the lax enforcement of regulations in the past resulted in a number of countries closing down their programs. Between 2006 and 2016 adoptions to the US went down a whopping 75%. Rather than reducing the numbers of future adoptions, the truth is the improvements to monitoring and oversight could lead to MORE children finding families!
Parents and advocates of ethical adoptions are gratified to know that our government is working hard to improve protections and enforce existing regulations. It has been a long time in coming. It is well past time to eliminate the corruption that has plagued adoptions and put in place protections that will pave the way for more children who need homes to find families!
We ask you not to stand in the way of protecting children and families. Do not give in to pressure to waste time and tax payer dollars on hearings that only serve the purpose of maintaining the status quo. Stand up to special interests and tell the State Department to keep up the good work!
In truth, the only new cost is a $500 per family fee – that agencies will not pay but pass along to their client families – which will be used by the Accrediting Entity to pay for the staffing required to implement proper monitoring and oversight of agencies at every step of the process. That is only a 1.4% increase in costs to pay for protections that may prevent the trafficking of children and the loss of thousands of dollars in fees when adoptions go awry.
According to the October 2016 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoptions Narrative from the Office of Children’s Issues, “Some countries have suspended intercountry adoption programs because of concerns about ASP [Adoption Service Providers] conduct. In discussions about resumption of adoption activities in these countries, many countries express concern about their ability to monitor ASP activities. More and more countries that continue to allow adoptions enact restrictive policies in response to perceived weaknesses in the system for accrediting and monitoring ASPs.” In fact, the lax enforcement of regulations in the past resulted in a number of countries closing down their programs. Between 2006 and 2016 adoptions to the US went down a whopping 75%. Rather than reducing the numbers of future adoptions, the truth is the improvements to monitoring and oversight could lead to MORE children finding families!
Parents and advocates of ethical adoptions are gratified to know that our government is working hard to improve protections and enforce existing regulations. It has been a long time in coming. It is well past time to eliminate the corruption that has plagued adoptions and put in place protections that will pave the way for more children who need homes to find families!
We ask you not to stand in the way of protecting children and families. Do not give in to pressure to waste time and tax payer dollars on hearings that only serve the purpose of maintaining the status quo. Stand up to special interests and tell the State Department to keep up the good work!
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