Philippines Program – New Requirements Reported by Australian Central Authority

According to an August 2012 statement by the Australian Central Authority, the Philippine Central Authority, ICAB, has announced the following changes in the adoption process effective August 1, 2012:

Philippines Program – New Requirements – August 2012

Key Points:
The Intercountry Adoption Board of the Philippines (ICAB) has introduced new requirements of interest to prospective adoptive parents (PAPs). The requirements are relevant to:

• PAPs who have an approved file in the Philippines, and
• intercountry relative adoptions

PAPs who have an approved file in the Philippines
Until now, if experiencing a change of circumstances, PAPs could request that their approved file be placed ‘on-hold’ indefinitely (subject to their State or Territory guidelines). Relevant circumstances include medical reasons, birth of a biological child, or financial issues.
Due to an increasing number of requests from PAPs to put their approved files ‘on-hold’, ICAB have advised all partner countries of the following:

• PAPs who request to put their approved file ‘on-hold’ due to a change in circumstances may now do so for a maximum of six months at a time.
• Before the six month period ends, the relevant State or Territory Central Authority must submit an update about the PAPs to ICAB.
• If an update is not provided within those six months, ICAB will remove the PAPs from the list of approved files.

PAPs should also be aware that ICAB’s ‘nurturance policy’ where they require a two year gap between placements of children, applies both adopted and biological children. In circumstances where PAPs have requested their file be placed on hold due to the birth of a biological child:

• An update about the PAPs from the relevant State or Territory Central Authority must be provided to ICAB within six months of the end of the nurturance period.
• If an update is not provided within those six months, ICAB will remove the PAPs from the list of approved files.

These changes apply to all PAPs from 1 August 2012, including those who already have an approved file in the Philippines.
If you have any queries about your file, you should contact your State or Territory Central Authority.
Intercountry relative adoptions
From 1 August 2012, ICAB requires that all intercountry relative adoption applications will now include a duly notarised undertaking stating that:

• all information provided to ICAB as part of the proposed adoption is complete and accurate, and
• there has been no immigration application previously filed or pending on behalf of the relevant child.

Both the PAPs and the child’s guardian are required to submit the undertaking. The PAPs’ undertaking must be submitted to ICAB by the PAPs’ State or Territory Central Authority. The child’s guardian is to submit their undertaking to ICAB directly. Each undertaking will then form part of the file to be considered by ICAB.
This new requirement applies to all intercountry relative adoption applications from 1 August 2012, including pending applications.
Please contact your State or Territory Central Authority if you have any questions about the new requirements.
A copy of the Australian Government’s Intercountry Relative and Known Child Adoptions Policy is available on the Attorney-General Department’s website.
http://www.ag.gov.au/Intercountryadoption/Whatsnew/Pages/default.aspx#New

It is noted that the US DOS, Office of Children's Issues has not updated their Philippine adoption information page since January 2011. The page still reflects a temporary moratorium on new applications despite the fact that ICAB lifted the moratorium in June 2012.

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Australian Central Authority Closes Ethiopian Program

Today, June 28, 2012, the Australian government  announced that its Ethiopian Adoption Program has been closed. Below is the notice published on the Attorney General's website:

Closure of Ethiopia Program - June 2012

Current as at – 28 June 2012
Key points:

• Australia has closed its intercountry adoption program with Ethiopia, following several years of issues with the Program, a suspension of all adoptions between 2009 and early 2010, as well as long waits and uncertainty for Australian prospective adoptive parents.
• The Australian Government has taken this difficult decision, in consultation with State and Territory Central Authorities.
• The best interests and rights of children are the most important consideration for intercountry adoption programs.
• The adoption environment in Ethiopia has become increasingly unpredictable, complex and uncertain, leaving many prospective Australian parents in limbo for years.
• The Government has concluded that this uncertainty, combined with obstacles to operating the Program in a sustainable and ethical way into the future, means the Program needs to be closed.
• The Australian Government has decided to close the Program at this time because it will not impact on any individual Ethiopian children as there are none currently referred to the Program.
• The Australian Government will continue to support Ethiopia in ensuring that the rights of Ethiopian children are protected.
• The Australian Government will also continue to support children adopted from Ethiopia and their families in maintaining their cultural links with Ethiopia.
• Prospective adoptive parents who have paid fees to the Program will have their fees refunded in full. State and Territory Central Authorities will provide advice in relation to whether fees paid to them can be refunded.

Program update
The Ethiopia Program has consistently been Australia’s most complex and challenging program. Information gathered during the April/May 2012 delegation visit confirmed the significant challenges facing the Program. 

Growing use of alternative forms of care for children in Ethiopia
Ethiopian children in need increasingly have alternative long-term care options made available to them in Ethiopia.
The Australian Government supports the Ethiopian Government’s efforts to pursue the best interests of their children by facilitating domestic adoptions, long-term foster care arrangements and assisting families in crisis.
Unfortunately for prospective adoptive parents outside Ethiopia, this means that it is likely that there will be fewer children referred for intercountry adoption. This makes the adoption environment challenging and unpredictable, resulting in lengthening waiting times and uncertainty in the adoption process.

Changes regarding children in need of adoption and increasing costs
Growing numbers of non-government adoption agencies operating in Ethiopia, and the closure of orphanages due to greater government scrutiny, has led to increased competition for referrals of Ethiopian children to intercountry adoption programs.
This environment makes it difficult for Australia’s Program to continue to operate in a sustainable and ethical manner.
Despite the best endeavours of the Program to manage its community development projects so that they meet both Ethiopian Government requirements and Australian Government standards, the changing environment will make this increasingly problematic in the future, placing additional strain on Program and Government resources.
The Australian Government is confident that, to date, the Program has operated in an ethical manner and it has no concerns in relation to children referred to the Program and adopted by Australian adoptive parents.
Rising costs for adoption program essentials (such as food and accommodation) mean that, if the program was to continue, prospective parents would also face increasing costs. 

Arrangements with Service Provider
The Program and its service provider, Wide Horizons for Children, have come to the view that the changing conditions in Ethiopia mean that the volume of intercountry adoptions initially anticipated at the commencement of the arrangement is unlikely to be achieved.
Wide Horizons for Children has also advised that, in light of these changing circumstances, it has decided to partially reallocate its resources and shift more focus from adoptions to its humanitarian activities in Ethiopia.
As a result, the Program and Wide Horizons for Children have agreed to end their arrangement. Given the other issues confronting the Program, Australia will not replace the role of Wide Horizons for Children within the Program.

Further information
For further information, please contact your State and Territory Central Authority.

http://www.ag.gov.au/Intercountryadoption/Whatsnew/Pages/default.aspx#CloseEthiopia

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Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

MEDIA: (Australia/Ethiopia) Families in the dark as adoption chief quits

Families in the dark as adoption chief quits
By Cassie White for News Online's Investigative Unit

The man who ran Australia's adoption program with Ethiopia for 20 years has stood down amidst ongoing serious allegations of corruption.
... Adoptive familes have welcomed the news Mr Gebeyehu will no longer be in charge, but have condemned what they say is the Federal Government's "secrecy" surrounding the real reason he stood aside.

Full story:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/08/2948000.htm?section=justin

***Apology issued by ABC Australia:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/08/2948000.htm

Updated Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:16am AEST

Editor's note
On 8 July 2010 the ABC published a story titled "Families in the Dark as Adoption Chief Quits" and on 16 March 2010 the ABC published a story titled "Australians Caught in Ethiopian Adoption Nightmare", which reported on matters concerning the Australian Ethiopian adoption program. The ABC has received a complaint from Ato Lakew Gebeyehu claiming these publications were defamatory of him. The ABC would like to make clear that it did not intend to infer that Mr Gebeyehu created false documents or that he otherwise engaged in corrupt or improper conduct or activities detrimental to children in his care or the performance of his functions, and retracts any such inference. The ABC apologises to Mr Gebeyehu and his family for any distress caused by any readers believing he was personally involved in those matters. The ABC also acknowledges that problems in the Australian-Ethiopian adoption program were reported by the parents of three Australian families but that other parents involved in the program have reported positive experiences with the program.

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

UDATE: Ethiopia - Australian Government Set to Reopen Program

Australian Government, Attorney-General's Office


Future of the Ethiopia–Australian Intercountry Adoption Program

The Attorney-General, the Hon Robert McClelland MP, has decided to lift the suspension of the Ethiopia–Australia intercountry adoption program. The program will recommence accepting new referrals of children in need of intercountry adoption and matching these children with prospective adoptive parents as at 6 April 2010.

The Ethiopia–Australia program was suspended in November 2009 due to concerns that Australia could no longer conduct intercountry adoptions in Ethiopia in a manner consistent with its obligations under the /Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption. /

In January 2010 an Australian delegation travelled to Ethiopia to discuss the current suspension with the Ethiopian Government and to investigate options for the future of the program. The delegation obtained additional information about the requirement for Australia to
provide development assistance and how this might be done in a manner consistent with the Hague Convention. The visit also provided the Department with an enhanced understanding of the practical challenges facing the program.

Information gathered during the delegation visit was incorporated into the Department’s formal review of the program, which has been underway since June 2009. The Department received over 400 submissions about the program, which were also considered in the review process.

The Attorney-General has decided to lift the interim suspension on 6 April 2010, subject to progressing appropriate safeguards which will ensure the program’s Hague compliance and ongoing integrity. These changes include:

* undertaking additional background checks of children referred to
the program
* establishing relationships with a limited number of specific
orphanages in which the Department has trust and confidence
* commencing the process of entering into formal,
government-regulated agreements to provide broad development
assistance and community sponsorship programs, for projects
unrelated to intercountry adoption (similar development assistance
funds form part of the fees paid for other programs in a Hague
compliant manner), and
* setting a formal, fixed, transparent child maintenance fee for
payment to orphanages for the reasonable costs of caring for a
child (similar fees are charged in a Hague-compliant manner in
some of Australia’s other intercountry adoption programs).

In addition, the Department will be working to finalise a new memorandum of understanding with the Ethiopian Government and a new Service Agreement with an Australian representative.

These changes, which have been identified as necessary for the program’s continuation, will also require a restructuring of fees to reflect actual costs and the need to provide development assistance.

The continuation of the program’s suspension until 6 April 2010 will be necessary to ensure adequate safeguards are put in place.The executive summary of the review is available from the link below. The full document is classified and will not be made public.

http://www.ema.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Intercountry_AdoptionWhats_New#future






Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Australia continues suspension of Ethiopia adoptions until early 2010

December 28, 2009
"The Australian Government has suspended all child adoptions from Ethiopia over fears that it could be breaking human rights laws against child trafficking"
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/28/2781307.htm

More information can be found at the Australian Government Attorney-General Department's website:

http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/IntercountryAdoption_WhatsNew_WhatNew#visit
"Ethiopia-Australia Program–
Possible delegation visit to Ethiopia–18 December 2009

As the Department’s review of the Ethiopia program has progressed, it has become apparent that a further visit to Ethiopia may be necessary to investigate some of the issues identified in the review. The Department is hoping to visit Ethiopia in early 2010 (dates to be confirmed). A report of the delegation will be made available on the Department’s website.

The delegation hopes to hold discussions with representatives from the Ethiopian Government as well as our representatives in Ethiopia. The delegation will also visit Koala House and some orphanages associated with the program.

The Department has previously committed to completing its review of the Ethiopia-Australia program by the end of 2009. The review of the program is now expected to be completed in early 2010, after the visit. A decision about the future of the program will be made as soon as possible following completion of the review. The Department is conscious of the importance of completing the review quickly, in order to limit uncertainty for families affected by the suspension.

The suspension will continue pending finalisation of the review. As before, activity during the suspension will be restricted to those children already referred to the program. No new children will be accepted by the program during the suspension."

PEAR looks forward to a timely report from the delegation.









Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/