Gladney Taiwan Adoption: JCICS 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

JCICS 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium

As always, Joint Council’s (JCICS) 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium was a great time of connecting with other adoption professionals and participating in educational sessions. The speakers were thought-provoking and engaging and I came away from the sessions feeling like I had learned something important.

Martha Osborne

For me, the highlight of the conference was hearing Martha Osborne speak about the advocacy she does for children through her website, Rainbowkids (rainbowkids.com) Martha is very likely, the most well-known advocate for children with special needs who are waiting to be adopted. I was blown away by how long she has carried this passion and what she has done to help children find families! Martha is committed to working with agencies to advocate for these special children and I am excited for Gladney and Rainbow Kids to continue to partner together to become a bigger voice for children who desperately need forever families!

April Uduhiri, Asia Program Case Worker

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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.