National Association of Social Workers

International Adoptions Undergo Change

Social Workers Urged to Learn Upcoming Laws

The goal of the Hague Convention is to set a higher standard of quality and care.

By Paul R. Pace, News Staff

Illustration: John Michael Yanson

The practice of international adoption is about to undergo a major change in coming months, and social workers involved in the specialty are being encouraged to educate themselves about new federal regulations that are expected to be implemented in 2007.

Several years in the making, the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption will revolutionize international adoptions in the U.S., said Catherine Barry, deputy assistant secretary for consul affairs at the U.S. Department of State. While the State Department already oversees standards for immigration through its visa process, the Hague Convention will make the majority of international adoptions in the U.S. a federally regulated practice. Currently, 68 countries have joined the Convention. They include China, India, Colombia and the Philippines.

Countries not currently signed on to the agreement will still be able to deal in international adoptions in the U.S. However, many of those countries are investigating joining the pact, according to Barry.

The goal of the Convention is to set a higher standard of quality and care concerning international adoptions. Its key principles include: ensuring that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interest of children; and preventing the abduction, exploitation, sale or trafficking of children.

Barry said the agreement will also benefit the prospective adoptive parents by having federal standards and practices in place including costs and procedures to ensure quality.

"In the future, [prospective parents] will have a better idea of their financial obligations, such as knowing how much a home study will cost and translation fees and so forth," said Barry.

International adoptions have grown in the past decade. According to the State Department, the number of international adoptions has more than doubled in that time period. For fiscal year 2004-05, U.S. citizens adopted 22,739 orphans from around the world. Of those, 58 percent came from Convention-ratified countries.

The Convention will help U.S. citizens interested in international adoption by dealing with countries who agree to the same rules, policies, procedures and accreditations in the adoption process. In some countries, there is no governmental oversight concerning international adoptions, which can lead to corruption in the process and potential harm to the birth mothers and their children. The problem can become a question of who is best to trust when dealing with international adoptions.

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From October 2006 NASW News. © 2006 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.