Eye on Adoption Agency Programs-June 2012
Here are some developments from the past month.
Lifeline Children’s Services: They became licensed in Kansas in addition to Alabama to place domestically. See here.
Concerns to look for: from the article “Families agree to attend a one-day training program and also agree to correspond with the birth family through the agency. If the birth family desires, the agency will organize a meeting with the adoptive family.”
Children of All Nations (CAN) and International Family Services: join Tree of Life with adding new Moldova programs. Orphanage reform is on the rise and the quantity of children available has decreased.
Concerns to look for: with three new agencies in a historically low-placing country, watch for how referrals are being obtained and possible bait and switch.
HOPE Adoption & Family Services (MN): director retires but remains on as “consultant’ See here.
Hope Adoption Services (MO):Not to be confused with the entry just above (you would think they could come up with more original names, eh?) Official announcement that Small World Adoption has taken over here.
All God’s Children International(AGCI): They received Hague approval (see here ) and they now have added a pilot Uganda program (see here with the “Countless orphans need love” tagline 
)
Calvary International Adoptions: joins the crowded Honduras program list with a quick 1 year process. See here. Soon Honduras will have a US adoption agency on every corner!
Across the World Adoptions: They have a “no wait” Kazakhstan program promising girls and boys as young as one year old! See here.
Hawaii International Child: Now involved in the new frontier of Embryo Adoptions. See here.
Casey Family Services: CLOSING in 7 states to focus on giving grant money for foster care and adoptions! See a Maine story here and a Connecticut story here.
HELP SAVE CASEY FAMILY SERVICES
On 26 June, the board of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF)announced that Casey Family Services (CFS) will cease operations as of 31 December. This action will strand 400 children in Casey’s care in seven states. The AECF board has made clear that this decision is not forced by finances. This is a choice by the AECF board.
The children in CFS’s care are among the most vulnerable among us. They are all different, but they have one thing in common: they have all been failed by adults, often time after time. Now they are being failed by adults again.
The foster and adoptive parents of Casey children believe we adults – Casey parents, Casey Family Services staff and the Annie E. Casey Foundation – have collectively made a promise to care for the children who receive services from Casey. Having given that promise, we the Casey parents will do everything in our power to keep it, but we believe the Annie E. Casey Foundation has an obligation to keep its promises – both explicit and implicit – to the children it claims to serve.
We urge the board to revisit its decision to abruptly close Casey Family Services. We request that the Annie E. Casey Foundation keep the promise of care it has made to children who are already in Casey’s care. This is an obligation that will grow smaller every year, as Casey children come of age and move into the world on their own.
These children have been betrayed and traumatized by adults in the past. It should not happen again. We urge the members of the Annie E. Casey board of directors to revisit its decision to abruptly close Casey Family Services.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Casey-Family-Services/300971813333582
PLEASE LIKE AND SHARE!