Missing Post-Placement Reports. The State Department identifies them as one of the major “barriers and threats to the viability of intercountry adoption”. What are they? Who has to submit them? Why are they so important? Why do some families fail to submit them? What can be done? And whose responsibility is it?
Post-adoption reporting, also known as Post-Placement Reports, are required by many – but not all – countries that place children for international adoption. The specific requirements vary country to country and can even vary based on when the adoption was completed. Some require extremely detailed reports done by a professional Social Worker. Others only ask for a general update. Some countries require updates more than once a year in the early years after adoption; others expect to be updated yearly until the child is an adult.
Consider three examples from recently prominent sending countries:
| Ethiopia | Ukraine | China |
|---|---|---|
| Submit reports every 6 months for 5 yrs following adoption, then annually until child is 18. | Submit reports annually first 3 yrs; once every 3 yrs thereafter until child is 18. | Adoptions completed after Jan 2015: submit at 6 months, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, and 5 yrs after adoption registration. |
| Adoptive parents may send self-reports directly to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, DC | Adoptive parents can find the post-adoption report form at the Ukrainian Embassy’s website. | First 3 reports must be prepared by the social workers who prepared the home study. Last 3 reports may be written by the families themselves. |
Adoptive families agree to such requirements when they adopt but over the years the commitment can begin to feel onerous and overly burdensome. Some agencies have a streamlined system, simplifying the process as much as possible for families. But what if an agency fails to support or remind parents about the reports? Or worse, if the agency goes out of business altogether? When the requirements include translation and other professional services, it quickly becomes more than the average family can do on their own. It’s no wonder submission of post-adoption reports is often a problem.
Why then do many countries require post adoption reporting? And why are some foreign governments so concerned when reports are missing? Quite simply, it comes down to the welfare of the children they have placed, and beyond that to their own reputations. Sadly there have been cases of children who were abused or even killed at the hands of their adoptive parents. These tragic stories make international news and rightly concern the countries that allowed the adoptions in the first place. In other cases, children have been illegally “re-homed” (also known as “unregulated custody transfers”) to families who would not pass a basic home study. And in a few instances children were sent back to their birth country by adoptive parents who were either unprepared for the realities of parenting a child from trauma or trying to reunite a child who was fraudulently taken from their birth family. Post-placement reporting lets foreign countries know that the child is safe with their adoptive family and being appropriately cared for. Such assurances go a long way toward building the good will needed to keep a program open through the ups and downs of diplomatic relationships.
Post-placement reports serve an important purpose but can be complicated and difficult to submit. So what is to be done? In their annual report, The Office of Children’s Issues said it “continues to emphasize the importance of timely compliance” and “appreciates efforts by ASPs [agencies] to encourage adoptive parents to file required reports and deeply appreciates the ASPs who have stepped forward to handle post-adoption reporting requirements for families whose ASPs are no longer operating.”
Some agencies are looking for more than deep appreciation. They want help. In a recent article in the Federalist, Lucy Armistead of All Blessings International said, “We’re spinning our wheels just trying to get families to self-report, and the State Department does nothing to help. They need to encourage countries to have reasonable post-adoption reporting and engage with providers on how to solve the problem.” She goes on to say, “If another agency closes down and they’ve got a post-adoption commitment, I’m not going to take it anymore. I just can’t afford to do it.”
Could the State Department do more to negotiate more reasonable post-adoption reporting requirements? Should they? And who should bear the burden and expenses of submitting reports? Some families will manage on their own, but translation and other requirements can make it much too cumbersome. This is not a simple problem with a simple solution. It’s going to require all the parties involved to set aside their agendas and talking points and focus on the heart of the matter: Looking out for the best interests of children and families.
What do you think? If you are an adoptive parent, we want to hear from you! Please click this link and fill out our very simple and anonymous five question survey about what post-placement reporting your family has done. And if you have thoughts or ideas about how to make the post-placement process better or easier, please leave a comment!
No responses yet