Gladney Taiwan Adoption: August 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Welcome Home Ming-Zong!

On August 18th, after nearly 2 years of waiting for the courts to process the case, Ming-Zong joined his forever family including- proud parents Mike and Erin, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins! Congratulations Mike and Erin and a BIG WELCOME HOME to Ming-Zong!

Ming-Zong with parents Erin and Mike
at the top of Taipei 101!

Welcome Baby Kai!

Gladney would like to congratulate proud parents Ryan and Amy on the addition of baby Kai! Kai joined the family on August 23, 2011 through the New Hope SWF program!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Welcome Baby Jonathan!

Chris and Karen are thrilled to have their 11 month old son Jonathan in their arms! Jonathan joined the family on Thursday August 18th!!!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Save the Date - Visitors from Shanghai!

We thought that our Taiwan families in the Dallas/Ft. Worth and NYC areas would be interested in attending the events discussed below as they will be a great way to meet other adoptive families in your area!

Gladney Center for Adoption is honored to host 5 officials from Shanghai next month! Representatives from the Shanghai Children’s Home (SCH) and local government will be travelling to the US to meet with agencies and families to learn more about the adoption process from the other side of the globe.

Gladney will hold two events, one in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area on Wednesday, Sept. 14th and another in NYC on Monday, Sept. 19th to welcome our visitors. The officials are also excited to mingle with families who have adopted from China, as well as families that are interested in adopting through Gladney’s Shanghai Children’s Home partnership program.

Director Gongzhan Wu and Asia Program Caseworker Lindsay Hatcher meet children from SCH’s foster care program.

Gongzhan and Lindsay outside of SCH with one of the social workers.

Additional information about the two events will be provided within the next week. We look forward to having many adoptive families join us in welcoming these special visitors.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE May 2012

The child welfare laws of Taiwan are undergoing significant revisions. New legislation, “Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act,” was passed in November 2011. The legislation has an implementation date of June 1, 2012 and addresses various aspects of child welfare including adoption services.

Expected changes include:
Only government-licensed child welfare organizations will be able to provide adoption services. Child Welfare organizations will be subject to increased requirements and standards in terms of initial licensing and renewals, as well as ongoing agency procedures and services.

Judges will be authorized to require that adoptive parents receive parent training, physical and mental health assessments, alcohol and drug screenings, and/or criminal background clearances.

Domestic placement will be considered a priority, with international adoption becoming an option after efforts have been made to place the child with a local family. All adoptable children will be listed on a country-wide database. After being posted on the database, a child is eligible to be considered for international adoption.