October 2008 Agency Update

Hi everyone,

In early October we were disappointed to learn that our February 16, 2006 dossier group would not be receiving referrals this month. It appears that the cutoff date for referrals sent in October was probably February 15, 2006. On the up side, we now know for sure that they will be receiving referrals in November! Watch the November program update for some congratulations!

JCICS Announces I-600A Call to Action

Today the Joint Council on International Children’s Services has announced a new Call to Action regarding the issues related to the I-600A. Basically they’re trying to get USCIS to follow the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 as it was written. This says that families that filed an I-600A prior to the Hague Convention going into force should be permitted to continue as a non-Hague case and NOT have to switch to the I-800A after their free extension expires. This will save some time and headaches for Welcome House families. It will save a lot of time, money, and heartaches for families working with agencies that did not receive their Hague accreditation. I have attached two documents related to this to this message. You can go to the “5 Ways to Help” page of their website for specific instructions for families and adoption advocates - http://www.jcics.org/5waystohelp.htm. USCIS needs to receive pressure from our Senators and Congressmen to do what is within their power to allow families that filed before April 1, 2008 to continue as non-Hague cases, as was intended by the law.

Waiting children

Thank you to all the families that contributed pages to our waiting child booklet. It was wonderful to see how much the children are flourishing in their new families! Janet Mintzer, our CEO, will be visiting the China Center of Adoption Affairs in October. She will take the booklet with her to give to the directors at CCAA. Stay tuned to the November “Welcome News” for more news from her visit.

Current status of referrals and dossier reviews

As of today, dossiers that were registered on or before February 15, 2006 have been matched with children and dossiers that were registered on or before February 28, 2007 have been reviewed.