Russia Program Updates

TWO more families are scheduled to travel for court this month and THREE families are traveling for their first trip.  We also have TWO first trips scheduled for April.

CHI RUSSIA ADOPTION STATISTICS 2010

For a more complete breakdown of Children's Hope adoption statistics, please contact your adoption consultant if you did not receive this Program Update by email. 

FREE WEBINAR – ADOPTION LEARNING PARTNERS

Topic:  Parenting Children from Haiti and Other 'Hard Places'
Featuring:  Dr. Karyn Purvis 
Time:  Thurs.  Mar 25th, 7:00 - 8:00 PM C.T.
 
When a child has experienced significant trauma and deprivation, such as those who are coming into adoptive homes from Haiti, parenting can pose some unique challenges. ...

We have 3 families traveling for their first trip, and 3 families scheduled to travel for court in the month of March.

MARCH 8 – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

March 8 is the International Women’s Day in Russia, and it is considered a major holiday that celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women around the world. Although originally it was a Socialist political event, currently the holiday more closely resembles a combination of Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day in the US. ...

All families in the adoption process must complete 10 hours of parent education before they can receive a referral. This training must be Hague approved and the following two providers are recommended by Children’s Hope:

1.  Adoption Learning Partners (ALP)

ALP is a five part online series, 10 hours total, which includes the following mandatory sessions: total, which includes the following :

• Adopting The Older Child
• Finding The Missing Pieces: Helping Adopted Children Cope with Grief and Loss
• The Journey of Attachment
• Let's Talk Adoption: A Lifetime of Family Conversations
• Conspicuous Families: Race, Culture and Adoption.  ...

2.  Heart of the Matter - Because They Waited

Topics covered include:

• Promoting healthy brain development
• Sensory processing and sensory integration
• Parenting to a child's "real age" vs. chronological age
• Understanding the internal alarm
• Building attachment
• Race and Culture ...

“ADOPTING THE OLDER CHILD” COURSE ...

If you are nearing the end of your adoption journey and would like to stay involved by helping other families interested in international adoption, please contact Ginny.Burkart@ChildrensHope.net.

Our CHAPS program is over 300 families strong, and they share their adoption stories and experiences with others who are interested in international adoption.

We have 2 families traveling for their first trips in January, and 2 more scheduled for February.  We also have 10 court dates scheduled for the month of February!

FBI FORMS

According to most recent reports, the FBI is currently stating that it will take 10+ weeks to process their FBI forms. 

Due to this, it is highly recommended that you write “Urgent – For International Adoption” on your form and include a pre-paid envelope.  We hope that this will expedite the process...

So far we have 2 first trips scheduled in January and 2 more in February.  We also have 9 court dates scheduled for the month of February!

CHI RUSSIA ADOPTION STATISTICS 2009

For a more complete breakdown of Children's Hope adoption statistics, please contact your adoption consultant if you did not receive this Program Update by email. 

HOW DO FAMILIES GET A REFERRAL?

After you submit your basic registration documents to CHI, they are sent to Russia to be translated and submitted to a region. The region you are assigned to depends on a number of factors, including...

Dear friends,

So far we have 2 first trips scheduled in January and 2 more in February.  We also have 4 court dates scheduled for the month of February.

2009 STATISTICS

•  Out of the 67 completed adoptions in 2009, there were 45 (67%) boys and 22 (33%) girls... 

We would like to wish each and every one of you Blessed Holidays!  I hope that you will be able to spend time with family and friends during this time of the year and I wish you much happiness in 2010. 

NOTICE REGARDING I-600/I-600A FILING:  NEW ADDRESSES

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced new addresses for prospective adoptive parents to submit a Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative (Form I 600), and Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (Form I 600A).  This filing address change takes effect immediately. 

Applicants in the United States who are filing to adopt an orphan must submit Forms I 600, I 600A and all supporting documents and fees to the following addresses...

Unlike the United States, most organizations in Russia celebrate winter holidays for over two weeks.  The majority of individuals go on break before Christmas and extend their vacation well into January.  As a result, most of the government agencies, as well as private enterprises do not work during this time.  What this means for CHI Russia families is that there will be no travel for court or first trips after December 18^th.  This wait time will extend until offices re-open in Russia on January 11, 2009. 

In addition to this, Children’s Hope offices in the United States will be closed for 2 weeks during Christmas and New Years holidays to allow our staff to spend time... to allow our staff to spend time...

Some states have recently started to offer electronic apostilles which are printed on regular paper and verified online.  We ask that our families do not apostille their documents using this method, if alternate options are available, as it can become an issue when Russian authorities are reviewing your documents...

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...

In honor of Adoption Month, www.AdoptionLearningPartners.org is offering the Becoming Your Child's Best Advocate course for free!  This course is designed to help adoptive families identify the financial, medical, educational, legal, and social service resources available and understand how to best access them.  Click Here to learn more. course for free!  This course is designed to help adoptive families identify the financial, medical, educational, legal, and social service resources available and understand how to best access them.  to learn more.

Year-to-date, 64 adoptions were completed in the Russia program.  So far we also have 2 courts scheduled for November and 3 families traveling...

Dear Friends,

Year-to-date, 63 adoptions were completed in the Russia program!  So far we also have 1 more court scheduled for October and 3 families traveling for their first trips.

SIGNATURES—VERY IMPORTANT!

Family signatures:  when you are signing a dossier document, make sure that you are signing it with your name as shown on your passport.  This needs to be consistent throughout your dossier.

Notary signatures:  the notary needs to sign the document exactly as his or her name is shown on the notary seal.  Whether the seal says....     

HAGUE TRAINING

If you are choosing Adoption Learning Partners for your 10 hours of Hague training there is a correction as to which classes you will need to take. The following 5 courses are what are required to cover the 10 hours of training:

1. Adopting the Older Child
2. Medical Issues in International Adoption
3. The Journey of Attachment
4. With Eyes Wide Open:  A Preparation Guide to International Adoption
5. Conspicuous Families:  Race, Culture and Adoption

Please contact your Adoption consultant with any questions.

FINGERPRINTS AND CIS APPROVAL

Please remember to check your fingerprint and CIS approval expiration dates. As a reminder, please put these dates on a calendar, refrigerator or any other place where you will be sure to see them. ...

Year-to-date, 62 adoptions were completed in the Russia program!  So far we also have 1 court scheduled for October and 3 families traveling for their first trips in September.

UPDATING REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS

Question:  Why do I have to update my registration documents?  I am already registered in my region.

Answer:  There are two reasons that families need to keep their documents up to date.  The first one is that documents must be less than 12 months old at the time of court.  This means that the document must have been signed and notarized less than 12 months ago, and that the notary did not expire before the end of 12 months.  So, if your document was signed more than 12 months ago, OR if the notary has expired, then your document is out of date.  (cont.)

The Ministry of Education in Russia changed the formats for two of the documents required for registration. To simplify the process for international and domestic adoptions they now request all prospective adoptive parents to use the same forms. The new forms may be accessed on the Russia Program Document Registration website at http://docs.childrenshope.net. Please contact your adoption consultant if you have any questions about this change.

Year-to-date, 60 adoptions were completed in the Russia program!  We also have 2 more families scheduled for court and 1 family traveling for their first trip in September.adoptions were completed in the Russia program!  We also have 2 more families scheduled for court and family traveling for their first trip in September.

CHI RUSSIA ADOPTION STATISTICS 2009

For a more complete breakdown of Children's Hope adoption statistics, please contact your adoption consultant if you did not receive this Program Update by email.  

We recently received notice that the FBI will no longer...

Year-to-date, 49 adoptions were completed in the Russia program! So far, we also have 10 more courts scheduled for the month of August, and 4 families have been invited for their first trips.

...

With 48 adoptions completed in 2009, this year's mid-year statistics show very reasonable wait times for prospective families and many children finding their forever homes. More families are needed for Russia adoption. Contact us today and read here for details on families already home in 2009. Thank you!

Every country has its own customs, traditions, and cultural differences.  In Russia, one of those customs consists of parents bringing a small gift (flowers, cake, etc.) when they pick up their child from the maternity hospital.  This is also something that is customary when families travel to Russia in order to pick up their child from the orphanage.  By doing this, families show respect and appreciation to the people who took care of their child up to that point.