Russia Adoption Program Updates

Please remember to be respectful and answer questions thoughtfully when you are being interviewed by the Judge in Russia.  Everything you are saying is being recorded by the courts and some of your answers can have a negative impact on the Judges’ decision...

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR STORY!

Did something interesting happen to you while you were in Russia?  Was it a good trip?  How are things now that you’re at home?  If you haven’t traveled yet, have you found something that helps you ease your wait time?

UPDATE:  U.S. - RUSSIA ADOPTION AGREEMENT

Officials from the U.S. Department of State met with their Russian counterparts for the fourth time this month to discuss the pending agreement between the two countries.  The meeting was held in Moscow from July 21-23, and according to the US Department of State, this most recent round of negotiations were positive and productive and reflected the continuing commitment of both sides to the common goal of increasing safeguards for adoption between Russia and the United States. 

Although no official notice has been issued regarding a potential timeframe on when the agreement might be signed, ...

So far, 3 adoptions were completed in July!  We also have 2 more courts scheduled for the rest of this month.

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.   

US PASSPORTS

Please take a look at your passports and know when they expire. Your passport needs to be valid for six months after you travel to Russia. Should you need to renew your passport while you are still in the adoption process, don’t worry that all your documents with the previous passport number would no longer be valid. ...

 HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY!!! 

Our offices will be closed on Monday, July 5^th, for Independence Day, and will reopen on Tuesday, July 6^th.

3 families completed their adoption in June and we already have 3 courts scheduled for July!courts scheduled for July!

CIS APPROVAL:  KNOW YOUR EXPIRATION DATES!

The USCIS approval – also known as the I-171-H – is one of the most important documents in your dossier, since it is the document that allows you to bring your adopted child home to the U.S. 

When you receive your CIS approval, you will keep the original to bring with you on your second trip to Russia. For your dossier, you will make a photocopy of the original CIS approval. You will attach a cover sheet with a statement saying that you certify it is a true and exact copy of your CIS approval...

1 family completed their adoption in June and 2 more families are scheduled to complete this month.  In addition to this, we already have 3 courts scheduled for July! more families are scheduled to complete this month.  In addition to this, we already have courts scheduled for July!

US-RUSSIA AGREEMENT UPDATE

Although a number of different sources have stated that the talks between the two countries are near their end, it is still too early to know for certain when the final agreement between US and Russia will be signed. What we do know is that the two sides met for the third time last week, and by all accounts the talks were very positive...

So far, 5 families are scheduled to travel for court in June.

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.   

ADOPTING FROM RUSSIA WEBINAR

We will have an online webinar covering the basics of Russia adoption on Thursday, June 24^th at 1pm CDT. ....

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:

• Family Background
• Adoption Preference
• ...

2010 SUMMER REUNION

Children's Hope International will be hosting a reunion picnic in St Louis this summer on July 10, 2010. There will be multiple events and activities during this weekend and it is a great chance to come meet your staff and other adoptive families. Please see more details here:

http://adopt.childrenshope.net/reunion/reunion2010.php

Mark your calendars!

Russia and the U.S. issued a joint statement yesterday, on the progress of their talks related to intercountry adoption.  In addition, the U.S. Department of State has published a separate statement on intercountry adoption in Russia.  Both statements can be found in full below.

Both statements indicate that significant progress has been made and agreement on basic principles of an accord has been reached.  At this time it appears that the future agreement will most likely include the specific responsibilities of each government, ...

BEYOND CULTURE CAMP:  AN ADOPTIVE PARENT’S GUIDE TO PROMOTING HEALTHY IDENTITY FORMATION IN ADOPTION

Join Executive Director Adam Pertman for an in-depth look into The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute's groundbreaking research.  Then a panel of adult trans-racially adopted persons will share their personal perspectives, and answer questions submitted by parents in advance of the webinar. This will be a rich opportunity to get some ideas of what to do in your own family.

UPCOMING /RECORDED HEART OF THE MATTER WEBINARS WEBINARS

Understanding Trauma in Children
This course is for parents and agency staff and runs approximately 45 minutes. "Understanding Trauma in Children" discusses the difference between a potentially traumatic event and actual trauma.  The science and symptoms of trauma are presented in a user-friendly manner but most importantly, practical, concrete parenting tools are offered for helping a child resolve trauma. ...

LATEST UPDATE

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues has issued the following update on April 29^th:

There has been no official suspension in adoptions of Russian orphans by American parents. However, in some parts of Russia, we are aware that adoptions are being slowed down or delayed. The United States and Russia held their first round of talks on adoption issues in Moscow on April 29. The discussions focused on the U.S. and Russian concerns regarding protecting the welfare and rights of children being adopted internationally. ...

LATEST NEWS

The following announcement was issued by the US Department of State on April 20^th:

We have received no official notification that adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans have been suspended, but it is clear the recent controversy has slowed down adoptions in some parts of the country.

Volcanic ash prevented the U.S. delegation from traveling to Moscow over the April 17^th weekend.  The talks in Moscow between U.S. and Russian officials are now rescheduled for April 29 and 30.  The United States plans to emphasize the importance of this issue, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions.  ...

IMPORTANT:  LATEST NEWS

As we mentioned in our previous update, no official announcement suspending international adoptions between Russia and the US has been made. To confirm this, the Office of Children’s Issues at the US Department of State has issued the following notice earlier today:

...The Department of State is sending a high-level inter-agency team to Russia this weekend to meet with senior Russian officials, including officials from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Justice. The U.S. delegation will emphasize the importance of this issue to the United States, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions.  ...

FOUR families are traveling for their first trip in April, and so far we have ONE family traveling for their court date.family traveling for their court date.

2010 SUMMER REUNION

Children's Hope International will be hosting a reunion picnic in St Louis this summer on July 10, 2010. There will be multiple events and activities during this weekend and it is a great chance to come meet your staff and other adoptive families. Please see more details here:

http://adopt.childrenshope.net/reunion/reunion2010.php ...

FOUR families are traveling for their first trip in April. So far we also have ONE court date scheduled for next month.court date scheduled for next month.

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. 

“ADOPTING FROM RUSSIA” WEBINAR

We will have online webinars covering the basics of Russia adoption on Tuesday, March 30 at 1pm (CT), Thursday, April 29, at 7pm (CT), and Monday, May 17^th at 1pm CT)., Thursday, April 29, at 7pm (CT), and Monday, May 17 at 1pm CT).

If you know anyone who is interested in adopting from Russia please feel free to let them know about these events.  ...

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. 

A number of families have asked questions regarding the US Embassy visit which all families must undergo prior to returning to the US with their child.  This is something that takes place once the adoption process in the region is complete and the family returns to Moscow.  It is also the last step of your adoption that needs to be completed inside the country.  ...

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, Adopting The Older Child, Finding The Missing Pieces:  Helping Adopted Children Cope with Grief and Loss, The Journey of Attachment, ...

Children's Hope International's Russia Program waiting time statistics for 2008 were much shorter than anticipated for prospective parents adopting both boys and girls. This update is a summary for the spring Children's Hope e-news and includes current statistics, a recent family update and much more!

Year-to-date, 38 adoptions were completed in the Russia program! So far, we also have 9 courts scheduled for the month of June, and 5 families are invited for their first trips.

Russian passport offices are currently in the process of changing their procedures and processing times for children’s passports. It is our understanding that each region will come up with their own standard, and once we know how this will impact families traveling to each of these regions we will let you know. Currently, Tver…

Due to Russia’s requirement that all perspective parents are open to adopting a child that is up to 36 months of age, we want all of our families to be prepared as much as possible prior to completing the adoption. …

The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Adoption and Foster Care recently published an informative brochure on medical screening for internationally adopted children. This document details the steps adoptive parents should take after returning to the United States with their children.

Although families typically receive a 2 week notice prior to having to travel, there are times when you only have 1 week.  Please remember that you need to be flexible and ready to travel on short notice since we have no control over referral and court dates which are set by regional authorities in Russia.  ...

So far, 18 adoptions were completed in the Russia program this year.  We also have 8 more courts scheduled for the month of April, and 7 families are invited for their first trips!

CHI RUSSIA ADOPTION STATISTICS 2009
 
For a more complete breakdown of Children's Hope adoption statistics, please contact your adoption consultant...

1) Families that applied prior to January 1, 2008, have to pay the $1,000 Currency Adjustment Inflation Fee in order to “correct” the differences between Russian and US economies. This adjustment will be calculated in the final fees.

2) As of November 1, 2007, families are responsible...

All families with California documents (even if there is only one document from California, for example – birth certificate) will need to submit an explanation letter with their paperwork. Attached to the program update sent by email is the explanation letter we received from CA Secretary of State. (If you did not receive the program update by email, please contact your adoption consultant for a PDF of the explanation letter.) Families will need...

Eight adoptions were completed in the Russia program year-to-date, and 9 families went on their first trips during the month of February!  So far, we also have 3 more courts scheduled for March.

CHI RUSSIA ADOPTION STATISTICS 2009

For a more complete breakdown of Children's Hope adoption statistics,...

We recently received a list of Home Study providers that the Russian Ministry of Education and Science sent to all regional courts in Russia, advising them not to accept any documents from said agencies.

At this time, it is difficult to say exactly what this means, or what specific ramifications this will have on Russian adoptions. According to the letter issued by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the agencies on this list have not complied with their post-adoption commitments, and as a result they will not be able to submit any documents related to new adoptions. Furthermore,...

Recovery Rebate Credit:  Adoptions in 2008 qualify for $300 for each child added in the family under new recovery rebate credit.

The recovery rebate credit is a one-time benefit for people who didn't receive the full economic stimulus payment last year and whose circumstances may have changed, making them eligible now for some or the entire unpaid portion.

In the first three weeks of the year, CHI Russia program has completed 3 adoptions and 9 first trips!  So far, we also have 3 more courts and 6 first trips scheduled for the month of February.

Wait Times 2008 (calculated from the date the documents are submitted to CHI):

-          Average wait for boys under 36 months was 12 months to referral / 15.5 months to completion (range of 6 to 26 months)

-          Average wait for boys over 36 months was 7.2 months to referral / 12 months to completion (range of 7 to 20 months)

Children’s Hope International Received Hague Accreditation!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!

To date, CHI Russia program has completed 108 adoptions.  We also have 1 more court and 1 first trip scheduled for the rest of December.

Most Russia government agencies, as well as private enterprises do not work the week prior and several weeks post-Christmas. What this means for CHI Russia families is that there will be no travel for court after December 15th, and no 1st trips after December 20th. This will extend until everyone returns to work on January 12, 2009. 

In addition to this, Children’s Hope offices in St. Louis will be closed from December 20th, 2008 to January 5th, 2009 to allow our staff to spend time with their families during the holiday season. 

Join us in celebrating 108 adoptions completed for the CHI Russia Adoption Program, year-to-date. Congratulations to all of these families!

We are pleased to announce that CHI Russia program has completed 101 adoptions year-to-date!!!  We also have 3 more courts and 4 first trips scheduled for the rest of November.

November is the National Adoption Month, which acknowledges the compassion of adoptive and foster families, and seeks to raise awareness about adoption and foster care.

CHI RUSSIA ADOPTION STATISTICS 2008

We have 9 courts and 10 first trips scheduled for November.

Year-to-date we have completed 94 adoptions in the Russia program!

In the month of October we had 7 adoptions, and we currently have 8 more court dates and 10 first trips scheduled for November!

YAROSLAVL

The Yaroslavl region and our representative there should officially start responding to communication beginning next week. At that time we should also get the exact requirements and registration forms from the region. If you are assigned to that region, your adoption consultant in St. Louis will get in touch with you as soon as we have this information.

TVER We recently received news that any international adoption agency working in Tver region...

We are pleased to announce that in addition to receiving the program updates from your adoption consultant, you will now be able to view the latest Russia Program Update on the Russia Document Registration Site at http://docs.childrenshope.net. As always, the list of updates will also available on our main site at http://adopt.childrenshope.net/programs/russia/updates.

Yaroslavl region is located approximately 280 km (150 miles) northeast of Moscow. The representative in this region (Olga) has worked with international adoptions for many years. However, the agency that she previously worked for was not re-accredited, so she will be working with Children’s Hope International.  Some of the details are still being worked out, but here’s what we know about the adoption process in Yaroslavl so far:

According to the US Embassy in Moscow, 1,267 Russian children were adopted by US families in the last nine months. Since there are 32 accredited US adoption agencies working in Russia, this translates into an average of 40 adoptions per agency. However, Children’s Hope has finalized 87 adoptions from Russia in this same time period. That is more than twice as many as the average number of adoptions and 6.8% of all adoptions from Russia.

In September we had eight families finalize their adoption in court while 15 families traveled for their referrals during September. 

Please see the previous two Program Updates for news of our adoption consultants' new region specialty and a notice of a region's current lack in processing adoptions.

NEW REGION Children's Hope is happy to announce that we are opening the new region – Yaroslavl region.

Beginning October 1, 2008 all of our consultants in St. Louis will be specializing in a small number of regions instead of everyone working with families from across the regions. For the most part this will only affect new families; however some of the families that are currently assigned to a region will be assigned to a new consultant as well. If you are a family that is will be affected by this change, you will be notified by your consultants prior to this change taking place.

By now you should have received an email from us in regard to the changes that are occurring international adoption and at Children’s Hope International specifically. In summation, all international adoption agencies, including Children’s Hope International, are currently in the process of re-inventing themselves according to the new realities in international adoption. This is done with the purpose of ensuring that we continue to be able to provide adoption services in light of all the changes that are happening around us.

Missouri, Illinois, New Hampshire, Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Arkansas, Alabama, Virginia, California, New York and the District of Columbia.

Through Children's Hope in 2008, there are 46 Russian children who now have new loving homes with 34 families across the United States. There are already another eight families who are scheduled for court dates this month as well.

During the first four months of 2008, the Children's Hope Russia Team sent a total of 3,751 different documents to Russia for our families. Many of these documents were in duplicate or triplicate, so the actual amount of documents sent is quite a bit higher.

2008 Adoptions completed: 33 (23 boys and 10 girls)

Things are up and rolling in the Russia program, with over 100 families working on their registration packages and 13 families traveling in the first week of April alone, on either their first trip or second trips.

DOCUMENTS PREPARATION WEBSITE:
To aid families in the completion of their documents, Children's Hope is constantly upgrading our new internal website. Please periodically check the website for updates. http://docs.childrenshope.net

Children’s Hope is anxiously awaiting news on accreditation. We have not heard any concrete news about our accreditation, but all Children’s Hope families will be notified immediately upon its confirmation.

Children's Hope received news of eight international adoption agencies, seven based in the U.S. and one in France, receiving their accreditation in Russia on Wednesday, July 4. The Russian Ministry of Education has listed eight additional accreditations as of July 19. Although Children's Hope was not one of the first accredited, we welcome this information and are excited the accreditation process has finally begun! As the accreditation process proceeds, we will be notified of the timetable for the next batch of agencies to be accredited. New updates will be released as specific official information is received. For those new to Children’s Hope or to Russian accreditation, the article “American Attitudes Exposed: Russian Re-accreditation Reveals Delinquent Post-Placement Report Problem” in this month’s issue of Adoption Today (p. 8-9) provides clear and concise information and background on the re-accreditation process currently underway. Click here to read the article online.

Children's Hope received news that eight international adoption agencies, seven based in the U.S. and one in France, received their accreditation in Russia on Wednesday, July 4. Although Children's Hope was not one of the first accredited, we welcome this information and are excited the accreditation process has finally begun! As the accreditation process proceeds, we will be notified of the timetable for the next batch of agencies to be accredited. Over 115 agencies are registered as NGO's and are awaiting accreditation. New updates will be released as specific official information is received.

The Russia team continues to work with families waiting in the process while we await accreditation in Russia.

We have it on the best authority: the Ministry of Education continues to work on processing the accreditation and delays are due to paperwork issues alone. There are no rumors circulating about a moratorium or for Russian adoptions to discontinue. We believe the accreditation issue will be resolved within the next several months allowing us to work in all of our nine current regions. Children’s Hope will begin working in two new regions as well, Perm and Krasnoyarsk.