News
August 19, 2010 ICANZ Accepting Early Registrations for Russian Adoption Programme
ICANZ will accept early registrations for Russian adoption, but only from those who have already completed the Adoption Education and Preparation course with CYF, had their police/medical clearance and are very confident of gaining CYF approval once CYF commence homestudies for Russia. This may apply to those who have been approved before, or those who were approved when CYF ceased homestudies, or approved for another country. The onus is on the applicant to decide whether to register early, or wait for official written CYF approval as adoptive parents and homestudy before registering with ICANZ.
For those who choose to register early, once CYF commences homestudies, and completes your homestudy, ICANZ will prioritise your application. Registering early with ICANZ does not change any priorities CYF may develop in completing homestudies for applicants.
Before your homestudy is completed ICANZ will send you instructions on the document you need to gather for the application to Russia, and keep you up to date with progress on the Russian programme.
If you wish to consider early registration, please contact ICANZ for further discussion about your personal situation. We will then email you an information pack and early registration form.
Minor details of the process may change following the New Zealand Central Authority (CYF) impending visit to Russia.
27 July, 2010 ICANZ Permit for Russian Adoption
View the ICANZ Permit Certificate for Russia
July 2010 ICANZ Receives Russian Permit
ICANZ is pleased to announce that the Russian Minister of Education and Science has granted an Order to issue a permit for ICANZ to operate in the Russian Federation, to assist New Zealanders who wish to adopt children from Russian orphanages. Russian adoptions are monitored by the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.
ICANZ families have adopted over 670 children from Russian orphanages since 1992. Adopted Russian children are registered with the Russian Embassy in Wellington and have dual New Zealand-Russian Citizenship.
The next step before applicants can apply to adopt children from Russian orphanages is for the New Zealand Central Authority (CYF) and ICANZ to visit Russia to discuss and agree an intercountry adoption process which is consistent with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. An approach is currently being made to the Russian authorities to establish a timeframe for meetings.
Once a process had been agreed with Russia, New Zealanders who wish to apply to adopt children from Russian orphanages must undergo an adoption education and preparation course, be assessed and approved by a Child, Youth and Family social worker (including police vetting, medical checks, referee reports, social worker interviews) and complete a homestudy assessment report.
Read our newsletter, this Dominion Post article or this news article from Stuff.
July 2010 Philippines Special Needs Definition ChangedDue to an increase in the number of "regular" applications for adoption of children up to 8 years old for the Philippine Intercountry adoption programme, the age of a "special needs" or hard to place child for Special Home Finding has now been set to 9 years old and above. Children below 9 years old who do not belong to a sibling group and who do not have any medical issues are now considered "regular" children. For more information go to Waiting Programmes
June 2010 ICANZ holds its fifth conference, "Footsteps on the Journey"
At Queen's Birthday weekend over 150 people attended our conference at Waipuna in Auckland. With something for everyone, from adoptive parents, adoptees, and those about to adopt to professionals working with children, our conference was a time to learn new skills, connect with others like us and have some fun.
An impressive line-up of speakers, including well known USA based author and speaker Jayne Schooler and her husband David, Debbie Jeffrey from Sydney and several eloquent and expert New Zealand speakers, entertained and informed us over the two days.
An added and welcome dimension this time was to include a programme for adoptees. Our adopted children, aged up to 26 years old and adopted from several different nations, attended and contributed in many ways to the event. Complimenting our own young people, and adding so much to our two days, was Matt Purcell, Australian based musician and speaker who was adopted from South Korea. Matt brought to us a wisdom beyond his years and connected with us all on so many levels.
Thanks to all of our speakers and to those who made this conference a huge success!
To find out more about "Footsteps on the Journey", subscribe to the ICANZ Magazine
May 2010 First Chinese Adult Adoptee Worldwide Reunion
An invitation is extended to all adult Hong Kong and Chinese adoptees worldwide to attend the first Chinese adoptee reunion
Website: http://www.caawr.com/
Registration Deadline: 31 July, 2010
March 2010 The Benefits of International Adoption
In this Newsweek story, the writer argues that in the end, what matters most is not where a child is from, but whether or not that child is well loved and well cared for by a responsible family - regardless of race or nationality.
March 2010 Adoption Research Projects
Here's how you can help with two research projects
March 2010 ICANZ Newsletter
Find out more about our June Conference "Footprints on the Journey" and our latest research project that adoptees can help with in this newsletter
January 2010 Thai Adoptions
Please note that the citeria for adoptions via ICANZ are posted on this website. As of 20 January 2010 ICANZ will not accept ANY applications for this programme where the criteria are not met. No exceptions will be made. This does not affect any applications already lodged and accepted by ICANZ. If you are in doubt please contact ICANZ for clarity before completing a homestudy.
Some of the cirteria for the ICANZ programme do not apply to the CYF programme. You can contact your CYF social worker about their programme.
October 2009 New Requirements for Prospective Adoptive Parents for the Philippines
Find out more here
October 2009 Philippines Policy on Search and Reunion
In view of the increasing number of requests from young adoptees and from adoptive parents who would like to search and meet the birth family of their adoptive child, the Philippines Inter Country Adoption Board (ICAB) has recently issued a policy on the matter.
"Since emotional maturity of the adoptee should be a major consideration in the search and reunion process, the appropriate age for an adoptee to initiate the search and reunion shall be the age of majority applicable under the laws of the Receiving Countries. Thus, only an adult adoptee either 18 or 21 years old will be permitted to pursue their intention to search and meet with their birth family. The requests for search and reunion from adoptive parents will only be considered if there is a written consent from the adult adoptees."
23 July 2009 Russia - Update
Read here about our progress in Russia and find out how you can help us restart the Russian Adoption programme
22 July 2009 India - ICANZ To Accept Applications for Adoption
As from the 3rd of August, 2009, ICANZ can assist parents who wish to adopt from India. Applicants must be approved as an adoptive parent by CYF. Read more here.
25 April 2009 Philippines - Moratorium on Accepting New Applicants for Young Children
Due to the large number of unmatched approved adoption applications of Prospective Adoptive Parents wanting to adopt children within the age range of 0-24 months old with or without medical/developmental concerns coupled with the limited number of children of such category, effective May 1, 2009, ICAB has set a moratorium on accepting new applicants wanting to adopt from the above mentioned category.
ICAB shall resume accepting new applications for the aforementioned categories only after it has processed at least 50% of the existing families in the current list. Starting May 1, 2009, only the families who want to adopt a child over 24 months old would be considered by ICAB.
ICANZ will continue to accept applications for children over 24 months. There is a special need for families applying to adopt children aged 5-10 years, or sibling groups of 3 children where some are of school age, or children with medical conditions, so these adoptions are prioritised.
12 March 2009 Phillipines - Adoption Process Shorter and Simpler
In the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed a law making the process of adopting a child shorter and simpler. The time period before a child is considered abandoned has now been shortened from six months to three. Read the full on-line news article here.
March 2009 Russia - ICANZ moves it's Russian office to Moscow.
Details of our progress in Russia, plus updates on our progammes in Lithuania, India, the Philippines and Thailand are in this newsletter.
December 2008 Lithuania - Welcome Home to our Second Family From Lithuania
The Davis family welcomes their three sons home from Lithuania. Read the New Zealand Herald news report, the TVNZ news report or watch this TVNZ video of our second family home from this country.
November 2008 India and Thailand - ICANZ Visit
ICANZ staff visited the Central Authorities and orphanages in India and Thailand. Despite India’s recent economic boom, there are still millions of destitute and orphaned children in India. Extreme poverty and the stigma of unmarried motherhood are still widespread. As ICANZ is authorised by the Indian Central Authority to work with adoptions in India, we recently went on a two week fact finding mission to New Delhi, Kolkata, Orissa and Chennai. We visited a variety of orphanages, caring for children ranging in age from newborn babies to teenagers. We also talked at length with authorities about the needs of their institutionalised children and India’s adoption laws and procedures.
Every effort is made to find adoptive Indian parents for children in the orphanages. Infants with no health issues are usually placed locally. Adoptive parents from overseas are needed for those aged five and up and children with medical needs. These may include problems such as cataracts, psoriasis (a skin disorder), cleft palate, club foot and heart defects. Extensive records are kept on each child, detailing their physical, intellectual and emotional development.
The orphanages we saw are relatively clean but spartan and struggle to provide children with the resources they need. Children often receive education within the orphanage or may be sent to nearby schools. Some of them learn a little English. Older children may also receive vocational training such as screen printing and computer skills. Nearly all children in Indian orphanages are girls. There is a strong cultural bias towards boys in Indian society. Sons are preferred to carry on the family name and look after parents in their old age. India’s dowry system (where a bride’s family pays cash to the groom) is now illegal but is still widely practiced in rural areas and among the poor, girls are often considered a financial burden. For this reason, it’s estimated that millions of girls have been aborted or killed as newborns in recent decades. Initiatives to deter this are underway, with hospitals and orphanages putting cradles or cots outside to encourage women to leave their babies rather than abort or commit infanticide.
The orphanages we visited are all administered by non profit organisations. Many also run medical clinics and rehabilitation and care programmes for others struggling in Indian society, such as destitute women, widows and the elderly.
All adoptive applicants will need to have completed the CYF homestudy process. The process in India permits the social worker in India to match a child to you based on the age/type of child you are approved for by CYF in your homestudy. The Hague Convention forbids prospective adoptive parents contacting orphanages directly.
If you are interested in adoption from India, or in supporting Indian children and families in desperate need, contact ICANZ for information on adoption or aid programmes.
For more information, see this Newsletter
October 2008 Philippines - ICANZ Meets with Central Authorities Members
ICANZ staff and board members met with two members of ICAB (the Inter Country Adoption Board of the Philippines) - Sr Socorro Evidente, from the Hospicio de San Jose and the ICAB Board, and Dr Aida Muncada, a Psychiatrist on the ICAB Board to discuss the needs of children in the Philippines.
14 September 2008 Russian Adoptee News Story
At this on-line news article you'll read about Natalia Banks, daughter of Auckland mayor John Banks. Natalia was adopted at the age of eight from an orphanage in St Petersburg along with younger brothers Sergei and Alex. Natalia will soon graduate as a nurse and her goal is to help children in need.
August 2008 ICANZ News
This newletter contains the latest news about the Russian programme, with updates about adoption programmes from other countries, travelling back to Russia and the annual ICANZ report and AGM details.
23 July 2008 Russia - The Russian Director of Education Speaks About Adoption
Read a translation of an interview with the Russian Director of Education, Additional Education and Social Protection of Children, Ministry of Education and Science, Mrs Alina Levitskaya about Russian international adoptions.
April 7 2008 Easter at the Russian Embassy, Washington, USA
A traditional Easter reception for families with adopted children from Russia was held in the US Russian embassy, Washington.
Corr. ITAR-TASS Andrei Shitov.
Fourteen year-old American Alex Griffith is collecting money to open a playground in one of the Krasnoyarsk children's hospitals. He was born in Siberia, but the memories of that are not gone, even though his American adoptive parents took him to the United States when he was 11 months old. They, in fact, actively encourage the charitable idea of their son.
Alex is one of the more than 3 thousand children from Russia and several other countries, who found a new home in the United States, thanks to the public organization "The Cradle of Hope." On Saturday, it arranged with the Russian Embassy in Washington a traditional Easter reception for families who truly can be considered US-Russian. Some have raised up to three adopted children.
The event was, for the organization and its permanent head Linda Perilstein, a jubilee - 15th, by accounts. Nearly 400 people from all over America came to it to chat with friends, share experiences, to remind children of their Russian roots. In the embassy they not only waited for the traditional feast, but also a concert by the students and teachers of the Russian school.
The issue of the "drain" of Russian children, leaving with foreign adoptive families, in recent years, is often debated in our country in the most critical tones. Against this backdrop, the American "Cradle of Hope" and its activities serve as a clear indication that with the rarest of exceptions, these kids gain new families in the most sincere love and care, not to mention the health care that they, in many cases, need.
Translated from an article in the medical section of the ITAR-TASS news agency, the primary government-run news outlet in Russia.
22 January 2008 Russia - Chairman Mirinov in Auckland
Mayor John Banks spoke to the Chairman of the Russian Parliament, Sergey Mironov about adoption. ICANZ Director Wendy Hawke also had an opportunity at the meeting to speak to Mr Mironov about the success of ICANZ's Russian adoption programme and the positive outcomes for Russian children adopted by New Zealanders.
“The funerals of the great climber/alpinist did cause some changes in the busy working schedule of our delegation, but added some warm feelings to it. In particular, during the meeting with New Zealand businessmen, where they spoke about Edmund Hillary, they unexpectedly began speaking about children. It appeared that the Mayor of Auckland, John Banks, adopted three (!) children (sister and two brothers) from St. Petersburg in 1994. All three of them (Natalia, Sergey and Alexander) are grown-up, however, these years haven’t made them less Russian. They keep in touch with their older sister and their grandmother, who live in Russia, they learn their native language and read books in Russian.
Their adoptive father John Banks said: If they decide to return to their native country when they grow up, I won’t interfere with this desire. I love Russia and I am happy that my children are your children.
Sergey Mironov was impressed by this. Hardly can you find another mayor of a large city who adopted 3 children from Russia.
The speaker thanked John Banks for his wise and generous life position. In response he said that president Putin has set a task to change the situation with orphans in Russia, as over a million children are not being brought up by their parents and are, literally, thrown into the street.
Sergey Mironov believes that there should be a norm of monthly subsidy to be paid to adoptive parents and custodians and this should be the amount proportionate to the sum that the government is now paying for child’s maintenance in the orphanage. Unfortunately, this sum is several times lower now.” Russian Press, Jan 2008