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Legislation again passed by New York lawmakers would allow some people who have lost parental rights to contact their children in the future — even when kids have been adopted into other families.
Under the Preserving Family Bonds Act, S6720, such contact would have to be approved by a judge and determined to be in the child’s “best interest.”
Similar versions of the bill have been vetoed by two governors in recent years. Gov. Kathy…
A day after the United States of America announced financial and visa restrictions against two Ugandan judges, the Judiciary came out with at least seven new guidelines that they think will address concerns surrounding child adoption.
The new guidelines were issued yesterday by the Principal Judge, Justice Flavian Zeija, pursuant to Section 20 of the Judicature Act and in consultation with the acting Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo.
“The objective of the circular is to address the numerous concerns raised by key stakeholders on the manner in which some judicial officers have handled…
This radio segment from the program 'This American Life' tells the story of Shamyla, who grew up as the adoptive child of her aunt and uncle in the United States but whose biological parents in Pakistan wanted her back in their care. The family argued over this for years, Shamyla's adoptive mother saying "I'm not going to give her back. She's not a ball, I can't toss her back." When Shamyla was twelve years old while on a visit to Pakistan, her birth parents took her on a trip out to the countryside and did not return. Shamyla's adoption had been informal and, as such, her US parents had…
This statement from Lumos outlines the organization's recommendations to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development regarding the institutionalization of children. The statement includes some background information on the harmful effects of institutionalization on children and highlights the existing "commitment to ending the institutionalisation of children inside the EU." The statement includes three recommendations from Lumos:
1. Ensure that the EBRD does not fund institutions for children
2. Include children in institutions as a target group for the EBRD’s…
At a US House of Representatives Hearing on Migrant Family Separation Policy, Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. (Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University) gave testimony on the impacts of family separation on children, highlighting the "strong scientific consensus supported by decades of peer-reviewed research" that "sudden, forcible separation of children from their parents is deeply traumatic for both the child and the parent," triggering "a massive biological stress response." Shonkoff's testimony outlines two core scientific concepts:
- A strong…
This news article from the BBC is about a small orphan village south of Moscow, which has been experimenting with what the founders think may be a novel solution to support both foster children and the families who take them in.
Jo Boyden, professor of international development at Oxford University and director of its Young Lives study, has selected five books that challenge Western assumptions and beliefs about child-rearing and how children “should” be raised. The books call attention to the ways in which culture and context impact views on children and child-rearing, which in turn affects children’s development and the human beings they become. The piece features an interview with Boyden, who describes the books and the subjects they cover. The books focus on separation, attachment, loss, education, and much more…
Stuart, then five, and his cousin Juliet Tendo, seven, were taken to the US by a caring Baptist family who had been given a legal guardianship order in June 2009 after arriving in Uganda. The children were later adopted through a US court. They were given what were said to be legal death certificates for Juliet’s mother and Stuart’s father. It was only in summer 2011 that the Hodges learned that both were, in fact, still alive.
Article available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/uganda-child-adoption-market-confusion
A press release from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India recapped a series of new initiatives by the Ministry during 2015. The achievements relevant to children’s care are briefly described below and include the launch of the flagship programme Beti Bachao Beto Padhao for protection of the girl child; several initiatives to track, restore, and rehabilitate missing children; and adoption reforms and a new foster care system.
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme is aimed at preventing gender-biased sex selection and ensuring survival,…
This series of podcasts from Faith to Action Initiative features the audio from past Faith to Action webinars, including a webinar on The Continuum of Care. "The Continuum of Care" is the audio version of Webinar 2 for on-the-go learners. This podcast looks at the range of alternative care for children who have been separated from parental care and emphasizes family care. Alternative care includes: kinship care, foster care, adoption, and formal residential care such as temporary rehabilitative care and small group homes. Large-scale institutional care is not recommended. This podcast…