More children to be removed from biological parents and placed for adoption under 'urgent' new rules

It will be a legal requirement that family courts and councils prioritise the 'long-term stability and happiness' of children

Charlie Cooper Whitehall Correspondent @charliecooper8 Thursday 14 January 20163 comments

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan:'We have a responsibility to transform the lives of our most vulnerable children' Getty Images

More children will be removed from their biological parents and placed for adoption, under “urgent” new rules to be announced by ministers.

Child protection legislation should be enhanced

PODGORICA, 15 February, 2012 - Respect for human rights is a core value of the European Union and an essential part of the EU enlargement policy in the Western Balkans, said the Head of Operations at the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Nicola Bertolini. At a roundtable discussion on social and child protection, he stressed that Montenegro's children were future EU citizens and that the country should fully incorporate international child protection standards into domestic legislation.

The revision of the law on social and child protection represented, he said, an opportunity to introduce a new approach to child protection, including the creation of a legal basis for the development of alternatives to institutionalisation and for the prevention of segregation of children with special educational needs. “I am pleased to see that the draft law is much closer in line with international standards than the 2005 law currently in place. However, implementation of the draft law seems likely to cause many challenges. It does not fully reflect the recommendations and findings of experts engaged on, neither the development of the legal text, nor those of other experts engaged in the reform process. In addition, it will not now be possible to achieve some of the results expected from the Social Inclusion Project since some elements, which were key prerequisites, are missing from the law”.

The Head of Operations explained that the draft law did not facilitate the development of fostering, that there was no provision for reform of Centres for Social Welfare, nor provision for all children, regardless of citizenship, to have access to benefits. Also, mechanisms to encourage decentralisation of social services and in particular the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) are not in place.

The Head of the UNICEF Mission to Montenegro, Mr. Benjamin Perks, said that the Draft law was designed to create more efficient and effective, to address the problems faced by vulnerable groups, especially children, and to ensure their inclusion in mainstream society. “We have made much progress so far, but much more needs to be done. We hope that this law lays the conditions for our continued efforts”.

Gujral Trust in adoption row

Posted at: Jan 21 2016

‘Missing’ children put up for adoption in unusual haste; MP admits procedural lapses

Denying any malpractice, Trust president Naresh Gujral said the lapse seemed to have been that of the Child Welfare Committee, “which mentioned ‘missing’ child as ‘abandoned’.” “On finding a ‘missing child’, we need to inform police within 24 hours. However, we were following a wrong letter format. Instead of requesting police to locate biological parents, we were sending a letter pertaining to declaring child as legally free for adoption,” the Akali MP said. Gujral accepted procedural lapses by the Trust authorities. “We will try to rectify the lapses and assure that a foolproof adoption procedure is followed,” he added.

City-based Pushpa Gujral Nari Niketan Trust has been found to have given children listed as missing with the police up for adoption by allegedly misrepresenting facts to the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA).

Congo's government says it has drafted new adoption legislation and reviewed cases pending since the country halted international adoptions in 2013

Associated Press Jan. 19, 2016, at 12:55 p.m. + More

By SALEH MWANAMILONGO, Associated Press

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo has drafted new adoption legislation and reviewed cases pending since it halted international adoptions in 2013, the government said Tuesday.

Among the recommendations in the legislation, international adoptions will only be allowed if solutions in Congo are lacking, both in the family and public, said government spokesman Lambert Mende. The new law also states that those seeking to adopt must present themselves before a tribunal in Congo and adoptions will only be considered from countries with good diplomatic relations with Congo, he said.

Abandoned at 1, child finds home in Spain

TNN | Dec 26, 2015, 12.22 AM IST

NEW DELHI: A five-year-old boy, who was abandoned at Old Delhi railway station when he was barely a year old, has found a Spanish mother with a trial court observing that it would be in the boy's "best interest" if he is given in adoption to the Barcelona-based woman.

The court's order came on a petition of SOS Children's Village of India, a charitable society, seeking that the minor be given in adoption to 46-year-old Natalia Folch Molero and she be allowed to take the child to Spain.

Allowing the petition, the court noted that Molero had given an undertaking that she will look after the minor in the best possible manner and "to the best of her ability". However, while allowing the plea, the court imposed several conditions and directed her to execute a personal bond of Rs 10 lakh and she should take care of the minor, educate him and bring him to India before the court as and when required.

Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie keurt adoptie uit New York goed

15 januari 2016

Adopties van kinderen uit de Verenigde Staten en concreet de staat New York (VS) worden mogelijk. Het Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie (VCA) keurde de samenwerking tussen adoptiedienst ‘Het Kleine Mirakel’ en de staat New York goed.

“Het Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie heeft een grondig onderzoek gevoerd en afdoende waarborgen ingebouwd zodat adopties voldoen aan het Haags Adoptieverdrag en de Belgische regelgeving”, stelt Jo Vandeurzen, minister van Welzijn, Volksgezondheid en Gezin. “Dit is goed nieuws voor kandidaat-adoptieouders, onder meer ook voor koppels van hetzelfde geslacht. De wetgeving staat toe dat ook zij kinderen uit New York kunnen adopteren. Hiermee tonen we ook aan dat adoptie een toekomst heeft”.

In december 2014 werd door adoptiedienst ‘Het Kleine Mirakel’ een voorstel ingediend om een adoptiesamenwerking met de Verenigde Staten mogelijk te maken, meer bepaald in de staat New York. Het Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie heeft het onderzoek nu afgerond. Vorige week werd hierover nog een laatste keer overlegd met de Federale Centrale Autoriteit (FCA) inzake Adoptie, die een gunstig advies verleende.

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Change to adoption law and increased funding of ASF welcomed by Adoption UK

Published: 14.01.16

Adoption UK welcomes today’s announcement that the Government will change legislation so courts and local authorities always pursue adoption when it is in a child’s interest. Change to adoption law and increased funding of ASF welcomed by Adoption UK

A fundamental change to the law will make prioritising lifetime stability for vulnerable children with a loving family a legal requirement. The number of decisions for adoption have almost halved over the last two years.

Adoptie uit het buitenland afschaffen, is vluchten voor onze verantwoordelijkheid

Lorin Parys is Vlaams Parlementslid voor de N-VA.

05 januari 2016

LEES LATER

2 ©THINKSTOCK

image of Uganda's flagUganda

December 31, 2015

Alert: Recent Developments Related to Intercountry Adoption from Uganda

The Department has received information from prospective adoptive families currently in Uganda regarding reports that Ugandan government officials have visited prospective adoptive families and asked to review their dossiers. The Department is gathering more information about these reports and will post an update on our website as more information becomes available.

Any U.S. Citizen in Uganda who is concerned for his/her personal safety, should contact the Embassy’s 24/7 Duty Officer at +256 414 259 791 or, if calling from a local number, 0414 259 791. Additionally, in an emergency, U.S. citizens overseas may contact the Department of State’s Duty Officer at: 1-888-407-4747 (toll free) or if calling from outside of the United States: (202) 501-4444. Please note that these numbers are for emergency situations. If U.S. citizen prospective adoptive families in Uganda are contacted by Ugandan authorities, they may contact the U.S. Embassy at KampalaAdoptions@state.gov during regular business hours, or the Embassy Duty officer after hours.

Zeventien adoptiekinderen in juridisch vacuüm

Adopties uit Oeganda: ‘Alsof we ons schuldig maken aan kinderhandel’

02 januari 2016 | Veerle Beel

Waar is het misgelopen met de Vlaamse adopties in Oeganda? In een verhoorkamertje van het Belgische consulaat botsten de eerste Vlaamse adoptieouders al op een weerbarstige Belgische diplomate. ‘De Oegandese rechter steunde onze adoptie voluit, maar de Belgische diplomate beschuldigde ons van kinderhandel.’

Het is begin 2014 als Jan en Maaike naar Oeganda mogen vertrekken om hun twee adoptiekinderen op te halen. De ouders willen niet met hun echte naam in de krant om de privacy van hun kinderen te beschermen. Ze behoren tot de eerste drie Vlaamse gezinnen die in Oeganda adopteren, drie ‘proefdossiers’. In Oeganda geeft een rechter hen het wettelijk voogdijschap over de kinderen met het oog op een latere adoptie in België.