Gladney Taiwan Adoption: Cultural Connections: Sister Cities

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Cultural Connections: Sister Cities – Suzhou, China and Portland, Oregon

Three summers ago our family took a Gladney China Heritage Tour. During our trip, we visited Suzhou, a historic, fabled city outside Shanghai, famous for its traditional gardens.

2009 Suzhou, China

This summer, we took a three week tour of the U.S. West Coast, including a visit with my brother near Portland, Oregon. During our day in the city of Portland, he surprised us with a stop at Lan Su Chinese Garden in the Old Chinatown section of the city! This amazing, beautiful garden, which was planned and designed by artisans from Suzhou, was exciting to see and a wonderful cultural connection for the girls; here was a piece of China in the U.S.!

2012 Portland, Oregon

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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.