Joint Council on the Adoption Tax Credit

Good news! Check it out!
http://betheanswerforchildren.wordpress.com/
:+)
Di

Addendum VS Update

Okay, so your address changed, or your job, or you switched to SN, or your referred child is a boy and you initially requested a girl, what do you do when changes occur and you're trying to maintain your I600A/I-171H status?
You do a Homestudy Addendum.
A homestudy addendum is different from a homestudy update.
HOMESTUDY UPDATE:

1. Costs a lot of money (the same as you usually pay for a homestudy because each time your file a new I600A that's what you have to get, a HS UPDATE.)
2. Requires you collect all that stuff again, physicals, etc. for the Social Worker
3. Requires that you refile your I600A, even if the I-171H attached to it is still valid, which includes paying all the fees to USCIS that may apply to such a filing, and switching to I800A if you're out of I600A renewals
4. And is titled UPDATE

You don't want to do a HS Update when all you need is to report changes. You do that with a:

HOMESTUDY ADDENDUM:

(which...)

1. Is an add-on to your most recent homestudy
2. Costs a lot less (for us it was a $150 addendum VS a $600 Update)
3. Does not require you to collect anything (no forms, fingerprints, letters, etc.)
4. Does not require you to refile anything with USCIS. You simply hand it in and they process it (send it to your consulate office, which, for China adoptions, is Guangzhou, China) for free.
5. And is titled ADDENDUM

Make sure you know which one you need because your HS agency will give you what you ask for (because it's more $ for them), but they fully understand the difference and should be able to do both an UPDATE and the ADDENDUM. Make sure that your HS agency titles the addendum as ADDDENDUM or you will have trouble with USCIS.

Try to hand in your addendum at least a month before you leave the US on your adoption trip.

Make sure to impress upon USCIS that they need to forward this update on to your consulate office.

Also, if you request a child 2-4 years old (for example) and you accept a referral of a child who is just 4 at the time of referral, you will need an addendum to state that you can handle a child from 2-5 years old, or USCIS will not let you travel. Nit-picky to the end!

Good luck, and post any questions to the comments.

:+)

Di

Joint Council Haiti Call to Action

Sometimes it is more than one can bear. Living in abject poverty. Living in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Living with no mother, no father. And now this.
Yesterday, while the good people of Haiti were literally digging themselves out of the rubble, Joint Council and the members of our Haiti Caucus humbly met with a sense of despair, urgency, concern and resolve. Our phones rang off the hook with offers of help, with questions about the children and orphanages. Emails came in with more questions and more offers of help and financial assistance.
How To Help
While Joint Council always accepts and appreciates contributions, we are asking all those who wish to make a contribution to please make that donation to those organizations who provide direct services to the children of Haiti.
Below is a list of those Joint Council Member Organizations who have active and substantial programs in Haiti and who have the ability to make your donation provide direct assistance in Haiti.
As you have seen on the news, most of Haiti has been impacted by the earthquake including orphanages, schools and medical clinics that serve orphaned children. The organizations listed below are able and willing to provide temporary assistance and to rebuild for long-term service to orphans and vulnerable families. We again urge everyone to make a contribution of any size. If you do choose to make a contribution to Joint Council, please know that your donation will be used to fund our efforts to coordinate emergency relief efforts.
Adoptions
Our hearts go out to the children and families of Haiti and to those American families who are adopting. We understand your concern and fear during this time of uncertainty. And here is were Joint Council can help.While Joint Council does not provide direct services such as housing, clean water and nutrition during emergencies, we can help in other ways. We are preparing a database of adoptive families and the children whom they are adopting with a goal of providing you with the status and location of the children. More information will be published on this effort in the coming days.
Joint Council is also working with the U.S. government to determine the impact of the devastation on the adoption process. Given that the coming days will be rightly focused on rescue efforts, it will take days if not weeks to fully assess the impact on adoptions and develop a plan to move forward with specific cases. Information on the adoption process will be published within the next few weeks.
Adoption During Emergencies
All credible organizations recognize and agree that new adoption cases, including new referrals, are not appropriate in a time of crisis or national emergency. Initiating new adoptions at this time could open the door to corruption and abuse of children. Every effort must be made to identify and find family members for children who are separated or displaced as a result of the earthquake.
Joint Council understands the natural tendency to offer a loving family for children who may be newly orphaned, however we urge all adoption service providers and potential adoptive families to refrain from inquiring or attempting to start a new adoption.
All of us at Joint Council and our Member Organizations are working diligently and ask for your support of the children and families of Haiti.
Joint Council Member Organizations:
Adoption-Link
Adoption-Link is providing emergency relief through their Haitian partnerships with The Foundation Enfant Jesus and also the Village of Vision.
Adoption-Link works with the Foundation Enfant Jesus in Haiti with a focus on finding families for children with HIV through their Chance by Choice program. Their program with The Foundation Infant Jesus finds families for children including family preservation through strong community development programs.
Heather Breems, MSW International Supervisor/Haiti Program Coordinator Adoption-Link
1113 South Blvd.
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 524-1433

Bethany Christian Services
BCS is partnering with Haitian local and national organizations in order to assist with earthquake relief.
In Haiti, BCS currently provides child sponsorship programs, and is piloting a program to teach women a trade, allowing them to provide for their families, hopefully with the result that the family remains intact.
Carolina Adoption Services
Carolina Adoption Services is focusing their emergency relief on housing, food and water for the children who have lost their orphanage.
Carolina Adoption Services currently works in Tabarre, approximately 10 miles outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Carolina Adoption Services reports that the staff and children of the orphanage are unharmed, but that damage was sustained to the buildings themselves.
Susan Fox – saw@carolinaadoption.org or 336-275-9660
Celebrate Children International
Celebrate Children is providing humanitarian relief and mission trips including medical teams and rebuilding projects.
Celebrate Children International provides adoption services, humanitarian aid and medical services to families, children and orphans in Haiti.
Sue Hedberg sue@celebratechidlren.org Angela Vance angela@celebratechildren.org Tammy Grega tammy@celebratechildren.org 407 977 2810407 625 9192
Holt International Children’s Services
Holt International Children’s Services is working to ensure the safety and health of the children who live in Holt villages and are opening their doors to children in the surrounding area who have no homes to go to. Holt is using everything the have to make sure children are safe.
Holt International has been providing services to orphaned children and at-risk families since 2004. Holt currently operates the Holt Fontana Village orphanage which cares for children who have been orphaned or abandoned.
Bruce Dahl, bruced@holtinternational.org - 541-687-2202
Kentucky Adoption Services
Kentucky Adoption Services is providing medical assistance, food and clean water. Their team of 10 physicians will transport 2 plane loads of food and water. Donations for food and water are urgently needed. Their emergency relief efforts are in partnership with BRESMA Orphanage and Child Care Center.

Thanks so much~
Rebecca Harris
Joint Council Director of Programs and Services
Join Joint Council today: www.jcics.org

Guatemala News!

Joint Council on International Children's Services can confirm
that the U.S. Department of State has submitted a letter of interest to the
Guatemalan government regarding participation in the pilot program announced by
the Central Authority of Guatemala. Check out our website for the full details.
www.jcics.org

Please Join Joint Council

Chad Roscoe is a fan of

Joint Council on International Children's Services

Create your Fan Badge

Right now they are in the Chase Giving Challenge, and they need your help.
No money needed.
Let me repeat that.
No money needed.
Just your Vote:

Please give them a vote. It only takes a minute. First you have to become a fan of Chase, then you have to go back and vote. If you don't see your photo on the page, you haven't voted. It's tricky, but free! And you will help a lot of orphans. At this Tiny-Tim-time-of year, we all want to do that.

Should You Update Your HS?

There are good and not-so-good parts to the adoption online community. There is just a wealth of free, kind, fast information to be had.... Good! There is also a wealth of opinions, less good, especially when people give opinions about things that are not opinion-based, but rather are factual.
This week there is a lot of talk about if you need to update your HS when it's past its expiration date but your I-171H is still valid. The answer is NO.
The answer is no, ad it doesn't matter if other people say, "Oooo, I would do it if I were you!"
Updating your HS is no small thing. It takes considerable time, record gathering, and money.
The truth is that once USCIS has approved your HS it stays approved. The only reasons it would need to be redone (even if it is "expired") would be:

1. You have had a major life change (address, children added, job loss, etc.)
2. Your I-171H has expired.

You'll notice that HS is expired is not on that list.

Now, there is one state that does things differently, and I think it is Illinois or Maryland, but I am not sure, so check with your local USCIS office for the official word.

However, you can also find the official word here:

Full URL:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=13f1741b78c73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=13f1741b78c73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Tiny URL:http://tinyurl.com/HSUPDATE

If you are still uncertain:

#1. Call your local USCIS

#2. Demand that your agency do their job and find out for you.

#3 read this on USCIS' website:

Validity of the Home Study

1. The home study must be submitted within one year of the filing date of the I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition.

2. The home study, or most recent update to the home study, must not be more than 6 months old at the time it is submitted to USCIS.

3. If an update is submitted, a full copy of the original home study must accompany the update.

4. Once a home study is submitted, it will not have to be updated unless there is a significant change (including but not limited to) residence, marital status, criminal history, financial resources, and/or the addition of one or more children or other dependents to the family prior to the orphan's immigration into the United States.

Full URL (May need to copy and paste) :

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=13f1741b78c73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=13f1741b78c73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Tiny URL:

http://tinyurl.com/HSUPDATE

IF YOUR AGENCY is telling you to do this, or your SW, ask WHY? And make them show you something in writing that says you need to do it.

Sometimes you have to go hunt down the facts for yourself.

Save your money, the headache, and your time :)

Best~

Di

Be the Photo!

Joint Council is having a photo contest. Could you be this year's winner?
Who May Enter?
The photo contest is open to all persons interested in child welfare issues related to finding children safe, loving, and permanent homes. Examples of some persons who may want to enter the contest are parents or employees of Child Welfare Organizations.
You have until the last minute of December to enter and win!
Here are all the details: http://www.jcics.org/photocontest.htm
Good luck!
:)
Dianne

Joint Council Update: Change of Address to File I600A

I am so sorry to report that you can no longer go to your "neighborhood" USCIS office to file your I600 or I600A.
Looks like they have changed things again.
Here's the Tiny URL address: http://tinyurl.com/NewUSCISOFFICEAGAIN
and here is the full URL:
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=0179ac5df6b24210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=8d5e901bf9873210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD
And here is the Joint Council memo:

Following please find updated information regarding USCIS filing procedures. This information is published through the efforts of the Hague Working Group of which Joint Council is a member. We extend our appreciation to Bill Rosen of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and Stephanie D’Amico of La Vida International for their leadership in crafting the following. We hope you find this update informative and useful.

UPDATE: USCIS Filing Procedures

USCIS has recently made some changes to filing procedures affecting applications for adoption-based immigrant approvals (Forms I-600A, I-600, I-800A, I-800). Two separate procedures have been changed or established:
a) a new lockbox has been established in Lewisville Texas for the filing of I-600A & I-600 Forms;
and b) the previous lockbox facility in Chicago, Illinois that was established for the filing of I-800A & I-800 Forms has now been changed to a new lockbox also in Lewisville Texas.
You will note that the 2 lockboxes in Lewisville are not the same for Hague vs. non-Hague cases.

In a typical international adoption, the filing of the immigration forms generally involves more than just one initial application, rather multiple filings over the course of the entire adoption. As such, the lockbox facility is used for certain, but not all filings.
USCIS has published instructions for the filing of forms and it has also issued a public announcement; and both are available on the USCIS web site at http://www.uscis.gov/ under the topics of “adoption” and/or “forms”.
However, since adoption cases are often complicated and involve multiple filings over time, we are providing some general pointers that hopefully can guide you appropriately. We hope that this information is helpful to you and provides a better understanding for the circumstances that you frequently encounter.
Disclaimer: The following information does not represent an official notice from the USCIS. The information is not guaranteed to be fully accurate, is subject to change and/or not a complete portrayal of every specific filing associated with an international adoption case.
For purposes of presentation, we have initially organized the information by Hague vs. Non-Hague cases; and then further organized by the location of the filing. At the end of the information, the mailing locations for both lockbox facilities are also provided.
I. Non-Hague cases (I-600A and I-600)
A. I-600A filings required to be sent to the Lockbox
1. The initial I-600A application along with payment of fee and supporting documentation;
B. I-600A filings required to be sent to the USCIS Field Office
1. Where the initial I-600A application has previously been sent without a home study and the home study is being filed to supplement the I-600A application within 12 months of the date of initial filing;
2. Request For Evidence (RFE) requests associated with an I-600A application;
3. Where a family’s circumstances change and additional information is required to amend a current approved I-600A (which is usually in the form of an updated or amended home study);
4. Where a family requests a change to the country they are approved to adopt from (either with payment of a fee or where a fee is not required) and additional information is required to amend a current approved I-600A;
5. Applications that are timely filed to extend the existing I-600A approval (either with payment of a fee or where a fee is not required);
6. All grandfathering requests and associated filings (with or without payment of a fee);
C. General Summary of I-600A Filing Procedures
a. Only the initial I-600A application is sent to the Texas lockbox; all subsequent filings (including RFE’s, changes in circumstances, changes in countries, extensions), whether the subsequent filing includes payment of a fee or not, are filed with the regional USCIS office responsible for adjudicating the case.
D. I-600 filings required to be sent to the Lockbox
1. I-600 forms requiring payment of a fee (where an I-600A has not been filed and approved); unless the family is residing abroad (in which case, an option exists and is described below);
E. I-600 filings allowed to be sent to optional locations
1. I-600 forms requiring payment of a fee where the family is residing abroad may either be filed with the lockbox in TX or with the appropriate U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office abroad that has jurisdiction to accept the petitions from the Potential Adoptive Parent(s) based on their current residence;
2. I-600 forms not requiring payment of a fee may either be filed with the lockbox in TX or with the appropriate U.S. Embassy, U.S. Consulate, or USCIS office abroad that has jurisdiction to accept the petitions as long as the Potential Adoptive Parent(s) have an approved I-600A and are physically present in the country where they are filing;
II. Hague Cases (I-800A and I-800)
A. I-800A filings required to be sent to the Lockbox
1. The initial I-800A application along with payment of fee and supporting documentation;
(Dianne's note: I don't see any #2 here. Original goes from #1-#3, skipping #2)
3. Where a family’s circumstances change and additional information is required (which is usually in the form of an updated or amended home study), or if a family decides to change the country they are approved to adopt from, then a Supplement 3 is submitted along with a fee of $340;
4. Applications that are timely filed to extend the current I-800A approval are also filed using a Supplement 3. The first extension is allowed without any fee, and all subsequent extensions require a fee. With or without fee, all Supplement 3 requests are sent to the lockbox;
B. I-800A filings required to be sent directly to the NBC
a. RFE requests associated with an I-800A application;
C. General summary of I-800A filing procedures
a. The initial I-800A application and all subsequent Supplement 3 forms (including changes in circumstances, changes in countries, extensions - whether the subsequent filing includes payment of a fee or not) are sent to the Texas lockbox. Only RFE requests are sent directly to the NBC.
D. I-800 filings required to be sent to the lockbox
1. All I-800 filings are made to the Texas lockbox.
III. Lockbox information
A. I-600A and I-600 Addresses
Regular Mail:
USCIS
P.O. Box 299027
Lewisville, TX 75029

Express Mail and Courier
USCIS
ATTN: Adoption
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

B. I-800A and I-800 Addresses
Regular mail
USCIS
P.O. Box 299008
Lewisville, TX 75029

Express Mail and Courier
USCIS
ATTN: Hague
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

Looks like they gave us exactly one month's notice.
This part sounds like you can still take your renewals to your local office: "However, applicants may continue to file extensions of approved Forms I-600A at their local USCIS field office. More information is available on the revised form instructions."
I think those are being processed locally.
People starting new adoptions with non-Hague countries are still allowed to use the I600A, so I guess that is what the local offices will do in addition to processing renewals. (But I'm not sure!)
So, you may want to check that with a call first.
Hang in there and hang tough parents-2B!
xo~
Di

Joint Council Update on CCAA: Director General Lu Is Leaving

(Sorry folks! I forgot to post this here! This is just 2-3 days old)
Joint Council UpdateProgram International Relations Initiative
Date October 29, 2009
Regarding China - CCAA
Joint Council has learned that after 8-years as Director General of the ChinaCenter of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), Mr. Lu Ying has been appointed to a positionwithin the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Joint Council extends its considerableappreciation to Director General Lu for his years of dedicated service to thechildren of China and his leadership in ensuring that Chinese orphans live in apermanent family.
Please join us in wishing Director General Lu much goodfortune in his new position and the best that life has to offer.
A new Director General will soon take on the responsibilities of leading theCCAA. As more info rmation becomes available, we will publish it as appropriate.
At this time, no significant policy changes are expected from theCCAA.
Joint Council again thanks Director General Lu for his continued commitment to children and families.
Best wishes,
Tom

Posted with permission by Joint Council
(Being first to have the "scoop," just another reason they are so important to us all! Join them on Facebook or at http://www.jcics.org/bta%20about%201.htm so you can get the updates too!)
:)
Di

Be the Answer Day!!!!!

Today is "Be the Answer" Day.
Please give even a dollar to Joint Council today, and help them win a large cash prize!
Joint Council's Be The Answer (BTA) Campaign has entered America's Giving Challenge through Facebook's Causes application, which gives them a chance to win $50,000!
Not a Facebook member? Don't worry; you don't have to be a member of Facebook to donate through the application!
Joint Council's ability to advocate has been heavily impacted by the poor economy, so they really need your help!
The great thing about this challenge is that it doesn't matter how much you give, but instead how much you do to encourage friends and family to get involved in Joint Council's Be The Answer.
They need you.
They would like to make Tuesday, October 27th Be The Answer Day!
Let's flood the system and try to win them one of the daily prizes!
With your help, we can do it!
With your help, Joint Council can help so many more children!
So meet them on Facebook and take the Be The Answer Challenge! http://apps.facebook.com/causes/325489/75339612?m=1a240be5
Thanks so much!
xo~
Di

Are you sure you're Hague? Is your HS okay?

Welcome to October, 2009. CCAA skipped referrals in September, but we're all hoping for a big batch in October.
All right, two new wrinkles to report on.
#1 Are you Hague?
If your agency is not a Hague-approved agency, whether you are I600A or not, China is demanding you be with a Hague agency by 12/01/09. Most people who this affects have already been told this by their agency. One thing to watch, is your agency an agency that shares a China license? My agency is. So, waaay back when, my agency got one of the first Hague approvals. Great! Only, my agency was sharing another agency's China license, and that agency was not Hague-approved. In the eyes of the CCAA, I was with a non-Hague-approved agency (which is why it was so important to me to keep the I600A going).
Flash-forward, the agency that CCAA thinks I'm with is now Hague-approved, so I am okay, but how about you? Who is your licensing agency, the agency you signed with, or another agency? Check on this by asking questions if you're not sure.
The good news? When this agency switch would have been necessary due to the I600A problem, China did not approve the agency-switch, so your dossier would have lost its LID. Now, since this is China's idea, the switch is allowed, so no loss of LID.
The bad news? You will have to pay a fee, if you switch agencies, to the new agency (and the fee can be in the thousands), and you may not get to choose your "new" agency, depending on what the CCAA and your agency have agreed to.
If you're in this position I am sorry. I certainly think everyone's agency owed it to their clients to get their Hague-acts together.

#2 For all international adoptions, not just China:
Lucky us, the US Consulates have decided they can make rules too. They have decided that they will no longer (as of 9/09?) accept addendums.
Explanation: it used to be that when you received your referral, from any country, if something had changed (e.g. you moved, had a child, or were referred a 3 year old and you had asked for a 4 year old, or etc.), you simply had your SW write an addendum to your HS, and you took this addendum with you, on the plane, in your hot little hand, to the consulate in whatever country you were adopting from, and they added this info. to your file when getting your "go-home" paperwork together.
Now the consulates decided they don't want this responsibility anymore. Case in point, a friend was referred a child one month older than she had put in her HS is currently not being allowed to travel because of that 1 month difference in age, and she cannot take an addendum with her on her trip to fix this. So, for her, so far, no trip. Horrible! And her congressional rep. is involved to try to get this done pronto. Keep your fingers crossed for her.
So, what do you do for you, to make sure you don't have this problem?
You still get your SW to do an addendum to your HS, but then you take it to your USCIS office, or, heaven forbid, you have to mail it to the I800A clearing office, the National Benefits Center (NBC), and the receiving office, either USCIS or NBC, has to make sure they send it to the consulate of your choice. And you have to make sure (how do you make sure? who knows?) that they did that and that the consulate has received it so that they will allow you to go get your child.
My advice: if you have a HS renewal coming up anyway, and don't expect to travel before your renewal is done, then, at your next HS renewal just get your HS altered (don't do an addendum) to increase your age-range and SNs and put both genders, etc., in other words, make it ready for any referral you may get or may see and wish to accept. Talk with your SW about this and find out how much they feel comfortable widening this for you too. They may be fine putting down 6 months to 5 years, but they may not want to put down any special need you can possibly think of "just in case." So, make it as broad as you can within reason.
If you expect to travel on your current HS (no renewal needed for 6 months or so, for example, and you expect to travel this fall), call your SW now, and do an addendum. We just had to do one because we put in our HS the ages we were originally hoping our child would be in 2005, because we thought those ages were guidelines for the country granting the adoption, not for our gov't. In other words we thought we were using the HS to tell China our preference. We did not know that we were in actuality saying to the USA that we could only "handle" a child 6 months old or AYAP.
I have to say it seems a bit nutty to me. For Pete's-sake, does our gov't think we adopt children who don't age? Of course a parent can handle a child older than their request, or a boy vs a girl. It's ridiculous.
In any case, in international adoption the ridiculous is often what's required, which is why it is good to come to terms with that, and the truth of constant change, early in your process, so that these things become less upsetting.
So, to review, if you have so much time before you travel that you will have to do an I600A or I800A renewal, don't waste time/$ on an addendum, instead broaden your child "stats" on your HS at your next scheduled renewal.
If you don't think you have time, do an addendum now, written to take in any "trait/stat" your child could have that you may not be expecting but are comfortable accepting. Make sure to ask your SW for an addendum, not a renewal, as the cost difference is huge, and the paperwork goes from gathering no docs for an addendum, to repeating the whole paperchase for the renewal. Ours just cost us $150, and was done in email, and as soon as I get the little sucker in print I'm gonna take it to my local USCIS office, and I'll let you know how that goes.
One last thing:
If you expect to travel within a month of the expiration of your fingerprints, the Consulate may refuse to give you travel approval/a consulate appointment unless you renew before you go. We expect to travel in December (given the miracle of all the planets lining up just so to allow this), and our FPs expire in January, so when I take my addendum in, I am also going to ask very nicely for another fingerprint appointment too. I'll let you know what that involved and what it cost me.
:+P
Okay, not so bad considering some of the hurtles we all have had, eh?
Hope this helps! Keep your chin up; and keep adopting! Those kids need you!
xo~
Di

PS, speaking of FPs, did I tell you our funny FP story? Waaaay back in 2005 we went for our very first FP appointment. It's important to note that we live in a very immigrant-rich area, so when we walked into the FP office, it was mobbed; there had to be 40 people of various ages and backgrounds and hoping for green cards or citizenship, waiting for FPs. Dave, wide-eyed, said to the receptionist, "Wow, all these people are adopting from China too?" Out of the mouths of babes.... ;+D We were all so naive when we started, weren't we? 4 years'll rub the naive right off ya! LOL!

CDC Revises Its TB Rules! THIS IS HUGE!!! Thank You Joint Council!

Joint Council is pleased to inform you that following a joint advocacy effort by many the CDC has chosen to revise its 2007 Tuberculosis Technical Instructions.
Please visit http://www.jcics.org/Build%20Families%20Not%20Barriers.htm for the Addendum: Instructions for Applicants 10 Years of Age or Younger of the 2007 TB Technical Instructions. Note that those are only the revised instructions for applicants 10 years and younger so please refer to the full set of instructions at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/panel.htm for more general information.
Joint Council would like to thank the many organizations and individuals who worked to ensure that the issues regarding the 2007 Tuberculosis Technical Instructions were resolved. Our appreciation and thanks includes but is certainly not limited to:
Dr. Jeffery Starke
The Worldwide Orphans Foundation led by Dr. Jane Aronson
Dr. Dana Johnson, University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic
Members of U.S. Congress
National Council for Adoption
Center for Adoption Policy
EACH
The signers of Joint Council's Build Families, Not Barriers petition
U.S. Department of State
Department of Homeland Security
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The Scruggs Family
The Grace Children’s Foundation

And we, adoptive parents, thank Joint Council for all their hard work!
They have been the answer for us, again!
Will you be the answer for them? http://www.jcics.org/bta%20about%201.htm

Be the Answer

You are needed. Click to find out how to help.

Webinars & Haitian Initiative

Check out Joint Council's new Webinars for October, and don't forget to see my previous blog post (below) about the Haitian Initiative! Those children need you to sign! Click here to sign.

Webinars:
Thursday, October 1

Fostering Attachment

presented by Lynn Wetterberg

Tuesday, October 6

When International Adoptions Mean Parenting Across Racial Lines

presented by Beth Hall

Tuesday, November 3

Parenting Adopted Adolescents

presented by Dr. Greg Keck

Thursday, November 5

Brothers and Sisters in Adoption

presented by Arleta James

Tuesday, December 1

Importance of Life Books and Talking with Adopted Children About Adoption

presented by Carrie Kitze

Thursday, December 3

Developing Cultural Competence in Adopted Children

presented by Patricia Irwin Johnston

(this session will be 90 minutes)

All webinars are from 7 pm - 8 pm EST and cost $10/family.
Register here.

Please Support the Haitian Initiative

Please sign the new Joint Council petition to ask the US Government to help the Government of France and UNICEF bring about needed reforms for the children of Haiti who are not able to be with their birth parents.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/haitian-children-families-initiative.html
Thanks!
Di

Harper Is Coming Home!

If you have been following the Scruggs' blog, you know that they have been dealing with the new CDC TB rule with their little girl, Harper. http://jayscruggs.livejournal.com
This week the situation made it to NPR (National Public Radio): http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=8-24-2009
click that link and choose the August 24th show to hear the story.
There are a lot of other families adopting from China and other countries too who are not as lucky as the Scruggs. Please sign the petitions to help:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/families-for-orphans.html
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/build-families-not-barriers.html
We can hit 10,000 with your help! If you've signed please ask your spouse, your friends, your co-workers, your church family, and anybody you know to help!
Thanks so much!

UPDATE: You Are Doing It!!!!

I am so thrilled to report that the FFO (Families for Orphans Act) has topped 4 thousand signatures.

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I was really gratified today when I looked at the signatures and saw that so many adoptive parents I knew had signed on yesterday! Even the non-internet folks in my family have gotten themselves to the library and signed on.

It also had 14 new members of congress agree to sponsor it last week! I like it when we tell congress what their agenda is going to be instead of the other way around; don't you? Let's keep it going please. It would be so wonderful to have one central place to go to for help, orphan advocacy, and information.

I know we can hit 10 thousand with your help. You did it before, and you can do it again!

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/families-for-orphans.html

The TB petition has topped 4500!

Take that CDC!!!

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/build-families-not-barriers.html

Keep those signatures coming!

How wonderful this is.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you for your time and support.

xo, and o, o, o!!!

Di

Adoptive Parents Webinars

Here's a schedule of classes presented this fall by Joint Council:
Tuesday, September 1st
Medical Special Needs Children
presented by Todd Ochs
Thursday, September 3rd
Understanding and Managing Loss in Adoption
presented by Dr. David Brodzinsky

Thursday, October 1
Fostering Attachment
presented by Lynn Wetterberg

Tuesday, October 6
When International Adoptions Mean Parenting Across Racial Lines
presented by Beth Hall

Tuesday, November 3
Parenting Adopted Adolescents
presented by Dr. Greg Keck

Thursday, November 5
Brothers and Sisters in Adoption
presented by Arleta James

All webinars are from 7 pm - 8 pm EST and cost $10/family.

http://www.jcics.org/webinar.htm to sign up!
:)

Courage

This post is dedicated to Jay and Candace, who, if you're "in" the Chinese-Adoption-Blogosphere, you know about because they are trying to bring their daughter home from China and fighting the good fight against the CDC to do so.
They put this quotation from To Kill a Mockingbird on their blog:
"Courage is when you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway, and you see it through no matter what....." Atticus Finch
I spent an hour on the phone with the CDC this morning trying to add my voice to theirs for help, and it was mostly fruitless, but I didn't stop, because it's important to try and do what you can.
Last year, when Dave and I found out the we couldn't file an I600A anymore and because of that we would lose our adoption, people told us it was a useless fight. My senator, the senator from my mom's state, many people on the web in the adoption community all told us it was a waste of time, but we weren't going to give it up because we weren't going to give up Sophie.
And, little by little, you joined us, just a single signature here and there, one at a time.
And it began to look like maybe we might get enough to make some noise, but certainly not in time to help us, but we kept trying, because you don't enter into something like that for yourself alone, but with the knowledge of how it could affect so many others, and if you have the chance, if you have the platform and the opportunity to reach one person who can make a difference for one other person, you owe it to the world to take the time to do that.
And so we kept plugging away, posting more posts, and fielding the arguments and the naysayers, because it was important to make a difference if we could.
And you, you wonderful people in the adoption community and our friends, you kept signing on, one at a time.
And little by little, over time, it was not Dave and I who made the difference, but all of you, with your signatures, with your phone calls, with your effort, with the gift of your time.
You can make the same difference now. People will tell you that it's a waste of your time, and that it cannot be changed, and that congress is too busy or too jaded to care, but you can show courage, Atticus Finch courage, and do it anyway.
Please sign on to these petitions today, and help more children come home to the USA, and help more children all over the world live their lives in families, adoptive or bio-related families, rather than institutions.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/families-for-orphans.html
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/build-families-not-barriers.html
Thank you for your courage.
xx~
Di

Petition

Jount Council really needs your signature on a petition before you go home for the weekend.
Remember, they are the ones who helped us get our 1600 petition passed, and Joint Council means a joint council of government, parents, and agencies. Won't you please help? Won't you be a part of the council?
Thanks so much!
Di
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/families-for-orphans.html