Joint Council on International Children’s Services Convenes Coalition on Intercountry Adoption
to Discuss Guidelines and Response to Russian Tragedies

Alexandria, VA – September 2, 2005 – In response to the recent alleged incidents of abuse involving Russian adopted children, Joint Council on international Children’s Services (JCICS) convened a meeting on August 24th in Washington DC to discuss the matter with other experts in the child welfare field.
Nearly thirty licensed, non-profit U.S. adoption agencies were in attendance as well as representatives from the National Council For Adoption (NCFA), Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoptions (FRUA), ATTACh and Adoption Exchange Association. The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) will also be involved in this effort going forward. Guest speakers at the meeting included representatives from Childhelp USA (Virginia) and the National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence.


The intent of the meeting was to collaborate with other NGOs and adoption agencies to create a coalition task force to examine cases of abuse and determine what additional safe guards can be put into effect to maximize the protection of children. “We are starting a dialog to proactively examine how we can best continue to serve the needs of adopted children” states Meghan Hendy, Executive Director of JCICS.
“ This will be an on-going effort where we study what we are doing well and what could be improved on. Many agencies are doing excellent work preparing and supporting families, but we need to share those resources and tools so everyone can benefit.”


Topics that will continue to be addressed include screening of prospective adoptive parents, preplacement education and preparation, and post-adoption support. The coalition recommends that adoption agencies examine their post-placement reporting schedule and if necessary, reinforce contact with adoptive families especially within the first three months of arrival into the United States. Adoptive families should be encouraged to join support groups with other adoptive families and contact their agencies at the first sign of difficulty. Adoption agencies employ trained social workers to assist families in the transition process and families need to be encouraged to utilize this expertise.


While a singular death is unacceptable, the estimated number of Russian adopted children who have died as a result of physical abuse in the U.S. represents .03% of the Russian adopted population. The majority of adoptive children are thriving in permanent, loving and safe homes and their heritage and country of birth are celebrated throughout the year.


JCICS is concerned about the devastating effects for the estimated 700,000 orphaned children in Russia if the Russian Duma passes legislation eliminating intercountry adoptions or calls for a bilateral agreement, as proposed by Duma member Yekaterina Lakhova and Federation Council committee member Valentina Petrenko. Many studies have shown that children growing up in institutional settings in any country face a higher occurrence of poverty, prostitution, drugs and crime.


The Coalition shares the commitment of the Russian government to strive for best practices in child welfare and welcomes dialog and collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Hendy concluded, “It is our hope that international adoption will continue to be a positive option for children in need of permanent families.”


About JCICS Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) is one of the oldest and largest membership associations of licensed, non-profit international adoption agencies, child advocacy groups, parent support groups and medical clinics in the world. JCICS advocates on behalf of children in need of permanency and promotes ethical practices in intercountry adoption. For more information please visit


www.jcics.org.

 

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