April 9, 2011
Ethiopian Adoptions Stakeholders Conference Call Transcript
If I figure out why I am typing up a sad transcript of the call at 2 a.m. Saturday morning, with no reasonable explanation for my sudden obsession, I will let you know. It started out as an effort to verify that I got the quotes in my earlier post correct, and snowballed from there. Oops.
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Thank you so very much for your time and effort on this matter.....All of your posts have been extremely helpful!!
ReplyDeleteDo you know if this should have an effect on receiving referrals, or is this only effecting the timeline between referral and court?
Any information or thoughts you have would be extremely helpful....
Thanks so much,
Natalie
There's helpful... and then there's just crazy. I think transcribing this call at 2 a.m. crossed the line! Oh well. I embrace my personal issues. :)
ReplyDeleteSo with the caveat that all of this is just my limited understanding based on imperfect information...
None of these changes should have a direct impact on referrals, just the time between (a) referral and court and then again between (b) court and Embassy.
The MOWA slowdown will likely create delays at points (a) and (b), because in that "50" or "5" files that MOWA reviews each day, 1/2 are initial match applications prior to court (if MOWA approves, it generates a letter to the court that is required before the final Decree of Adoption may be entered) and 1/2 are post-Decree reviews (MOWA generates the ET birth certificate and passport that are required for the U.S. Embassy to issue the VISA).
If/when USCIS implements a pre-approval process, it will shorten the time in (b): as soon as MOWA issues the post-Decree ET docs, the Embassy will be able to issue the VISA because it will already have completed its investigation). This will look very much like the process in countries with Hague compliant programs. In Hague countries now, such as China, families only travel once for a slightly extended trip (2 - 3 weeks), to attend the legal hearing and then receive their VISA and return home. This gives me hope that the Ethiopia process will eventually mean just one trip -- leaving your child for a month or more after a few days of bonding is hard, heartbreaking, and simply not the best thing for children or families.
What I am particularly unsure about is whether an Embassy pre-approval process would delay (a). The ET court and MOWA might decide to delay court until the Embassy pre-approval is complete -- that would make a lot of sense, under the circumstances -- but that may mean a longer (a) process.
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ReplyDeleteAs for referrals themselves, neither the MOWA slowdown nor an Embassy pre-approval process will directly impact referrals (parent/child matches) HOWEVER... there may be an indirect impact, depending on how an agency processes referrals.
For example, some agencies either do not have transition homes at all, or wait until after a Decree of Adoption has been entered to bring children into their transition home. For these agencies, referrals will likely continue as usual.
Our agency, however, only does a referral after a child has been admitted to Hannah's Hope, which has a maximum capacity of around 50 children (including infants, toddlers, and older children). As a result, if all of the children at Hannah's Hope have been matched with families, no referrals go out until matched children go home, beds open up, and waiting children are admitted. Any changes that create delays between referral and homecoming will presumably have some impact on the number of children that Hannah's Hope can serve and the overall referral rate of our agency.
BUT... what do I know?! It's probably best if you go to the source and ask your case manager. The reality is that even they probably do not know how this will all shake out - time will tell. I AM hopeful that whatever delays are realized, they are very short-term, and that as soon as this fall, overall time between referral and homecoming is shorter than ever.
Fortunately, I have confidence that all of the stakeholders in ET adoption - from birth families to the ET government to the US government to agencies to adoptive parents - care for the children and sincerely want to do what is in their best interests. The cooperative spirit of the USCIS conference call was so refreshing! I am encouraged that everyone is working towards improving the ET adoption program so that it continues to be a sustainable model for other countries, putting the children's best interests first in both words and actions.
I'll be honest though, none of that would make me feel any better if we had a post-March or imminent referral. This is a TOUGH time to be in the final stages of an ET adoption. It IS all part of His bigger plan, and His plans for His children are perfect and good. My heart still breaks with yours though. Most of all, I pray for the sweet, precious childen like mine who need to be brought home quickly.
Thank you SO MUCH for this information! It helps me understand what is going on so much better! We are currently working on our dossier with AGCI and I have been so confused as to how this may affect us. I pray that by the end of the year, when we are approaching the top of the waitlist, that the time between referral and homecoming will be very short! Thank you again for this information, I have enjoyed following your blog, God bless!!!
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