On Thursday, February 28, 2019, Congressman Langevin (D-R) and the Congressional Caucus for Foster Youth held a briefing on “Unregulated Custody Transfers of Adopted Youth: Understanding and Preventing “Rehoming.” Panelists included Maureen Flatley, Former Ambassador Susan S. Jacobs, Department of State, Nhi Nguyen, Government Accountability Office (GAO), Trish Maskew, Department of State, Julie Rosicky, International Social Services, and Joy Alessi, Adoptee.
Flatley, who moderated the briefing, stated that adoption is seen as a state issue when it should be an intrastate issue. She said that there must be a federal response to the issue. Jacobs said the “rehoming” of children needs to stop. She discussed the importance of protecting children, strengthening home studies, and studying the families who are adopting. She also said that there are more protocols when adopting a dog from a shelter then there are on adopting a child.
The topic received some national recognition after a 2013 Reuters report that analyzed posts over the internet over a five-year period. The posts involved making children available online from one family to another. The vast majority of children subjected to such postings were adopted from overseas. The State Department oversees accreditation requirements for agencies and other parties that facilitate international adoptions. Child welfare agencies focus on the adoption of children from foster care. The adoption requirements are more rigorous regarding these child welfare adoptions including minimum training and home studies of perspective parents.
According to the GAO report,
“Many stakeholders we interviewed—including officials from selected states, child welfare and adoption organizations, and adoption agencies— expressed concern with the adequacy of the information provided to prospective parents on the behavioral and mental health conditions of a child adopted internationally. Access to accurate information is critical to ensuring that a family is aware of the type of ongoing support they may need for the child. However, officials from 11 of 19 child welfare and adoption organizations and 5 of 15 adoption agencies said families who adopt internationally often do not receive complete information on a child’s medical and behavioral needs before adopting. State Department officials explained that some low-income countries lack sufficient mental health care providers, making it difficult for international adoption agencies to ensure that children are accurately evaluated prior to adoption.”