Philadelphia, PA Adoption Agency

July 7, 2017- DHS To Implement New Changes In State Subsidized Adoptions

The Department of Human Services in Iowa is set to implement new changes for families that receive state financial assistance to adopt children. The new changes under consideration might soon require families to document annual doctor visits. This suggested change has been brought on after the high-profile deaths of two teenage girls who were allegedly abused and neglected by their adoptive families. Having doctor’s reports is intended to create a new layer to the state’s welfare safety net. This policy change requiring adopted children to be seen by a physician and a dentist annually is expected to ensure that they are seen by someone in a position to recognize any signs of abuse or neglect. This move is being supported by both Republican and Democratic legislators so far.

June 7, 2017- Australia Changing Its Adoption Laws To Reflect The Modern Family

In Victoria, Australia, adoption laws are soon to change to allow single people the same rights to adopt children as married couples or those in a domestic partnership. Decades after the state’s Adoption Act was introduced, the government is finally preparing to shake up the legislation after recognizing that the Act does not reflect “the modern family.” This proposed re-write stems from a Law Reform Commission report recently tabled in Australian Parliament. The Law Reform Commission recommends widening the eligibility requirements for adoption in an effort to increase adoption. Single people, under the current laws, were allowed to adopt only under “special circumstances.” In America, agencies like Adoptions From The Heart do not discriminate in matters of adoption based on marital status.

May 2, 2017- Adoption Numbers Dropping In The US Put Would Be Adoptive Parents At Risk

Adoption for a number of would-be adoptive parents is looking more daunting as the overall number of U.S. adoptions has dropped significantly in recent years. Many face long waiting times and high fees, as well as competition to adopt an infant especially. It has been estimated that one million families are trying to adopt at any given time and some of the waiting families fall prey to scams. Read more about the scams some parents have endured here.

April 5, 2017- Nearly 30,000 People Adopted As Babies From Overseas Learn They Are Not U.S. Citizens

In the midst of President Trump’s tougher and stricter policies against undocumented immigrants, there is another group of uneasy people. Nearly 30,000 people who were adopted from overseas as toddlers or babies have been discovering that they are not actually U.S. citizens. The reason behind these late discoveries is due to the fact that when international adoption was still quite new, many parents wrongly believed that adoption and immigration were the same things. It was not until 2000 that it was clear that they were two separate processes. Now, many grown adoptees have learned of their true legal status accidentally when they were filing for a passport or government benefits. Read more about how this affects adoptees here.

March 2, 2017- Highlights Of New Adoption Report

A new report from the National Council for Adoption takes a look at American adoption trends in a report called Adoption: By the Numbers. The report looks at findings from the seventh edition of the National Adoption Data study. The report indicated that adoption numbers have declined overall since 2007 and the decline is attributed to a 75% decrease in the number of international adoptions. In 2015, international adoptions fell to 5,647. However, domestic adoptions have remained mostly steady and increased slightly from 18,078 in 2007 to 18,329 in 2014.

February 24, 2017- Loss Leads Family To Adopt Special Needs Children

A family that had already adopted one child, was in the process of adopting another child who ended up passing away during the adoption process. Their journey through grief led them to help special-needs children. The couple received a call in 2013 from an international adoption agency they had been working with about a little girl who had been born with cerebral palsy. Read more about their adoption journey here.

January 3, 2017- International Adoptions Of Chinese Children Are Declining

There has been a decline in the adoption of Chinese children by American families. The adoption rate has dropped by 70 percent in the last decade since the Chinese government has started working to promote domestic adoption. The decline is due to a shrinking number of abandoned children as well as the growth in domestic adoptions. Furthermore, it has been reported that fewer children are being abandoned in a lot of developing countries over the years because poverty has eased out worldwide, which was one of the main reasons for child abandonment. For more information about the decline go here.

December 7, 2016- More Ways To Support Adoption Are Needed

Over 2,500 Pennsylvania children are waiting to be adopted according to the state Department of Human Services. Within the foster care system, there are nearly 110,000 children in the United Staes awaiting adoption according to the director of communication for the National Adoption Center in Philadelphia. These numbers highlight the need to raise more awareness about adoption and different ways to make it a reality for both parents and children looking to adopt.

November, 9-2016- November Is National Adoption Awareness Month

Every year November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. The focus of this particular month is the adoption of children who are currently in foster care. According to the Department of Children and Family Services, there are more than 100,000 children across the nation who are in the foster care system awaiting permanent families. Furthermore, over 200,000 children age out of foster care every year without being placed in permanent homes.

October 19, 2016- Adoption Subsidy Bill Passes In PA

Legislation that would enable adoptive families to appeal state provided subsidy amounts by their county Children and Youth Services agency was passed in the House by a unanimous vote on October 17th.  The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Dan Moul, R-Adams. House Bill 1528 enables adoptive families  of children with a mental or physical handicap, serious emotional disturbance, an older child, siblings or different ethnicity to appeal to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Service for more adoption subsidies. The subsidy can cover maintenance, medical, surgical and psychological expenses, including other costs stemming from the adoption.

September 27, 2016- State House Committee Approves Adoption Bill

In Harrisburg, PA, three more bills for a legislation package that are meant to streamline and speed up adoption procedures in Pennsylvania have recently been approved. The Executive Director of the House Children and Youth Committee is responsible for advancing three bills that are part of an eight-bill package, meant to tighten up adoption procedures.  One of the bills in the package that has already passed the House and is waiting for further action in the Senate, is supposed to reduce the period of time a birth mother can revoke her consent. The new proposed time frame will be 14 days instead of 30 days.

August 15th, 2015 – New Bill Aims To Make Pennsylvania Adoption Easier

A new bill, House Bill 1526, is seeking to change adoption laws in Pennsylvania, limiting the amount of time that birth parents have to revoke their consent. To learn more about this bill, check out Fox News 43