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News

National U.S. and Canadian News  

On June 24, Russian Federation president Medvedev and U.S. president Obama issued a joint statement about intercountry adoption. Due to the recent ill-will generated by an adoptive mom’s decision to return her son to Russia unaccompanied, the two countries will soon ratify a legally binding bilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of intercountry adoption. U.S. and Russian experts are drafting the agreement. In late July, a U.S. interagency team met with its Russian counterpart in Moscow for the fourth round of discussions about the agreement. The U.S. Embassy in Russia issued a joint statement on July 26, 2010 about the most recent meeting.
 
In federal fiscal year 2009, the number of children adopted internationally by U.S. citizens dropped to a new low. In total, 12,753 children were adopted, 27 percent fewer than in 2008, and nearly half the number in 2004 (the peak year of international adoptions). China, Ethiopia, and Russia were the top three source countries, though many fewer children came from China and Russia than in prior years. Adoptions from Ethiopia, by contrast have more than tripled since 2006. Find a link to the 2009 statistics at http://www.adoption.state.gov/.

Published in the July 2010 issue of Pediatrics, a longitudinal study of 78 children raised from birth to age 17 in lesbian-headed families found that the youth were psychologically well adjusted. In fact, according to their mothers’ reports, the teens were more likely than their peers to be more competent in social and school environments, and less likely to have problems with aggression, rule-breaking, or social interactions. [“US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Psychological Adjustment of 17-Year-Old Adolescents,” Vol. 126, #1]
 
As states approach the date when they can opt to extend foster care to age 21, the Children’s Defense Fund has developed sample legislation to help local policy makers, administrators, and child advocates turn a state choice into the state law. Under provisions of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act that take effect October 1, states can access federal funds to extend foster care, adoption assistance, and guardianship assistance by amending their Title IV-E state plans. Click here to access sample legislation.
 
State and Provincial News

Delaware
Signed into law July 14, Senate Bill 113 allows youth ages 18 to 21 to access services after aging out of foster care, be represented by the Office of the Child Advocate or a Court Appointed Special Advocate, and have the Family Court determine if services are appropriate. Services, funded through the Chafee Independence Act and/or the Fostering Connections Act, can be related to financial matters, housing, medical concerns, employment, training, education, and other areas that promote self-sufficiency. The Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families will coordinate and offer services to youth who choose to participate.
 
Illinois
Under a new law signed May 21, adoptees in Illinois will have easier access to their original birth certificates. Those adopted before 1946 can immediately access birth records by filing a request with the vital records division of the Department of Public Health. Persons age 21 or older who were adopted after 1945 must wait until 2011 before they can file a request with the state adoption registry.
 
Manitoba
On July 19, federal officials formally unveiled a five-year $177 million initiative aimed at improving its approach to First Nations child welfare services. Under the plan, Manitoba First Nations child and family services agencies will be able to focus on preventing children from entering care. They will be able to hire more staff and offer services such as addiction treatment and parenting classes early on, before problems progress to the point at which children must be removed from their families.
 
Ohio
Based on positive outcomes from an 18-month, 10-county alternative response pilot project, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has elected to extend the project to 15 additional counties. Initial results presented in May showed that use of the approach did not compromise child safety, helped families to feel better about caseworkers and
services provided, and reduced both the likelihood of repeated abuse and entries into foster care. Click here to access the text of Rule Number 5101:9-14-03 filed on July 12, 2010.
 
Oregon
Effective July 1, a new state law requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to make sure children in foster care have a mental health assessment before taking anti-psychotic or psychiatric drugs. DHS must also conduct medication reviews for youth under age six who are on psychiatric medications and older children who are on more than two psychiatric drugs. To reduce inconsistencies when a child moves between placements, the consent to administer medications now lies with child welfare managers instead of individual foster parents.

 
North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)
970 Raymond Avenue, Suite 106
St. Paul, MN 55114
phone: 651-644-3036
fax: 651-644-9848
e-mail: info@nacac.org
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