PEAR: What We Do

What We Do

PEAR's major efforts center around advocacy for ethical adoption practices, education, and to provide assistance and support for anyone touched or affected by adoption.

Advocacy

PEAR provides analysis and feedback for legislative efforts and regulation of adoption practices globally. We support the Rights of the Child as defined by the UN Convention, and as such provide critiques, suggestions, and warnings of problematic practices to government and other regulatory bodies.

Education

We attempt to educate the adoption community through our blog about current trends and problematic issues that arise in various country programs or domestic placement practices. We strive to present new viewpoints that are child-centered and respectful of families.

PEAR members have access to a closed discussion group where all adoption issues can be discussed and viewpoints widened to what is currently happening in the adoption community.

Assistance and Support

One of PEAR's unique services is direct support at no charge to those who contact our organization for help and assistance. Most often we are contacted by PAP/APs in need of assistance, but we have also assisted adoptees and parents of origin. We provide advice and recommend appropriate resources when available. We can assist individuals in filing complaints to COA or direct them to appropriate government offices, but we cannot represent individuals or families. At a very minimum we attempt to support those impacted by adoption and refer problematic cases to appropriate offices or resources.

What We Do Not Do

-At times we receive requests for assistance with adoptions that appear to be unethical or possibly illegal. We do not encourage or support these types of adoptions, although we can help families navigate muddy waters and guide them toward better outcomes for the children involved.

-Recommend specific agencies.

-Work to create a greater free-flow of adoptions globally. It is our belief that adoptions and child welfare need more regulation and quality, rather than an increase without adequate oversight.

-Receive salaries or payment for our work. At this time we are an all-volunteer organization. PEAR uses funds received via donations or membership dues largely for operational costs or conference expenses as approved by the board of directors.

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

Suspension of Huminska's Anioly, Inc. lifted

Suspension of Huminska's Anioly, Inc. lifted

The Council on Accreditation (COA) has announced that effective April 13, 2012 it has terminated the suspension of the Hague accreditation of Huminska's Anioly, Inc. that was imposed effective March 6, 2012. Huminska's Anioly, Inc. completed its corrective action plan to COA’s satisfaction and COA has determined that Huminska's Anioly, Inc. is now in substantial compliance with applicable U.S. accreditation standards. Huminska's Anioly, Inc. may resume providing adoption services in Hague Adoption Convention cases as of April 13, 2012.

If you have further questions, please contact LaTina Woolen, the Accrediting Entity Liaison, who may be reached at (202) 663-3119 or at WoolenLA@state.gov in the Office of Children’s Issues.

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

DOS Adoption Notice Romania: New Adoption Law in Effect

Romania

April 10, 2012
Notice: Romania New Adoption Law in Effect

The Romanian Office for Adoptions announced that its new adoption law went into effect on April 7, 2012. The new law allows for intercountry adoptions of Romanian children by relatives of the fourth degree of kinship, the spouse of the child’s natural parent, and Romanian citizens who are habitually resident abroad.

Please be aware that the U.S. law implementing the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Convention), the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA), requires prospective adoptive parents to be U.S. citizens in order to be eligible to apply for intercountry adoption using U.S. procedures. This means that Romanian citizens legally residing in the United States will be able to adopt from Romania only if they or their spouses are also U.S. citizens.

Moreover, the U.S. Hague Adoption Convention accreditation regulations (22 CFR 96) provide that in each Convention adoption case, an accredited agency, a temporarily accredited agency, or an approved person will be identified and act as the primary provider. More information on the role of U.S. accredited ASPs and the role of U.S. accrediting entities is available on the Department’s adoption website, adoption.state.gov.

The Department of State has provided information to the Romanian Office for Adoption about the U.S. requirement for a primary provider to serve in each Convention adoption, explaining the critical monitoring and oversight role of U.S. accrediting entities in ensuring that ASPs remain in substantial compliance with the IAA and the Convention. We look forward to the opportunity to expand our cooperation with Romania as Convention partner countries.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=romania_1

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

DOS Adoption Notice Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Approval of New Hague Convention Adoption Process

Kazakhstan

April 5, 2012
Kazakhstan Approval of New Hague Convention Adoption Process

The Ministry of Education and Science, the Central Authority of Kazakhstan, has confirmed that the governmental decree approving its new policies to process intercountry adoptions and accredit adoption agencies in Kazakhstan goes into effect on Thursday, April 5, 2012.

The Government of Kazakhstan will begin accepting applications for accreditation from potential adoption service providers on April 9, 2012, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Information on the new accreditation process and the new adoption procedures will be available on the Central Authority's website shortly.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=kazakhstan_2

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

UPDATE on PEAR's Ethics Alert for China

A blog post was recently made public by Brian Stuy of Research China which addresses some of the issues contained in our Ethics Alert on China's Special Needs Adoptions http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2012/03/pear-ethics-alert-china-special-needs.html. We received similar stories and information from both adoptive families and adoption service providers before publishing our alert.

PEAR believes that prospective adoptive families and adoptive families have the right to information the potential ethical and legal issues surrounding their adoptions (see points 2, 3, and 11 of our Prospective Adoptive Parent Bill of Rights and point 1 of our Adoptive Parent Bill of Rights). It is not our intent to cause undue anxiety or cast judgments on adopting families, but it is extremely important that all adopting families have access to the information and realities involved in adoption before making choices to adopt.

We, therefore, highly recommend that prospective and adoptive parents read Brian Stuy's article with open minds and take this information with seriousness it deserves. It may not be what you want to read, but it is what you should read. The Dark Side of China's "Aging Out" Program http://research-china.blogspot.com/2012/04/dark-side-of-chinas-aging-out-orphan.html

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