Creating Permanency Through Family
The 2008 Joint Council Business Meeting
Joint Council
&
The Network
July 12, 2008
Welcomes
Members of The Network
Colleagues representing France, Italy & Spain
Representative of the U.S. Department of State
Agenda
• Review of Joint Council Meetings in Ethiopia
• MOWA Capacity Grant
• Standards of Practice (SOP)
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Agency Assessment
Joint Council Meetings
• 17 Meetings – MOWA - 2– MOJ - 3– MOFA - 3– First Instance Court– U.S. Embassy – Consular Officers (France, Italy, Spain, U.S.)– The Network – 2– Child Welfare Agencies - 4
Reality
Perception is Reality
Education +
New Reality
New Perceptions
Change
Review of Meetings• Strong interest in capacity building at
MOWA & MOJ
• Significant concerns regarding “legal child-trafficking”
• Criticism by International NGOs
• Concerns over Cultural Insensitivities
• Complaints from Ethiopian Citizens
• Concerns regarding “Adoption” Agencies
• Concerns about the “numbers” of children being adopted
Child Welfare
Child Welfare NGO
vs.
Adoption Agency
Reality
• Child Welfare NGO– Provides a broad range of family & child
services• Family Preservation• Domestic Adoption
– Public Education
• Intercountry Adoption• Family & Community Development
– Provides child protections
Reality
• Child Welfare NGOs do not provide Humanitarian Aid
• Do provide Programs & Services
“Adoption Agency & Humanitarian Aid”
Vs.
Child Welfare NGO
Reality
• Adoption Agency– International Adoption– Humanitarian Aid
• Child Welfare NGO– Programs & Services
• Family Preservation• Community Health Care• Child Education• Domestic Adoption• Intercountry Adoption• Institutional Support
These can be collaborative efforts
Perception
• Adoption Agency– Viewed as providing only International
Adoption – Seen as “taking children for profit”– Negative impression on Government and
Public
• Child Welfare NGO– Viewed as serving families & children– Seen as protecting children– Positive impression on Government and
Public
MOWA Capacity Grant
• Collaborative effort between Joint Council and The Network
• $220,000 USD– ½ from Joint Council– ½ from The Network
• Partnership between the Child Welfare NGOs and the government
• Increase MOWA’s capacity to regulate Child Welfare NGOs and process adoptions
MOWA Capacity Grant
• Computers
• Desks
• Cabinets
• Staff Training
• Transportation
Standards of Practice
• Principles– Child Welfare NGOs must provide a broad
range of programs and services, not just intercountry adoption
– No incentives to “create” orphans– Legal, Ethical & Best Interest of the Child– Accountability– Transparency– Intercountry Adoption as the next to last
option (institutions are the last option)
SOP
• Documents to be filed with MOWA, Embassy, Joint Council– Policy Statements– Annual Budgets– Memorandums of Understanding
• With MOWA• With 3rd Party Child Care Centers
– Compensation Schedules– Fee Schedules
Intake Procedures
• Family Preservation– Birth Mother Counseling– Short term financial assistance– Medical assistance– Job training– Why is the parent relinquishing and what can
be done to prevent it?
SOP
• Birth Family Counseling
• Recent survey showed 6 out of 19 did not conduct birth mother counseling– No information provided to birth mother
informing her of the consequences of relinquishing her child(ren)
Cultural Sensitivity
• “Baby Hotels”– Use guest houses
• Public Travels– Children should not leave the care center unless
• At Guest House or• For Embassy appointments
• International Travel– 75 children each week– Limit group travel
• Public Discipline
Agency Assessment
• Committee of MOJ, MOWA, MOFA & MOLSA
• Assessing all “agencies”– Are they “adoption agencies” or “child welfare
NGOs”?– Are they protecting children?
• Procedures to support orphanages
• Procedures to place children domestically
Action Items
• Joint Council Country Representative
• SOP – Internal implementation– Filing of documents with Joint Council
• Use appropriate terminology
• Changes to adoptive family housing and travel
• (Assessments)
Questions & Answer Period
The Face of Joint Council