Families for the Children

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The Wonderful Excitement of Being 'Pa Pa'

Ai Zhen 1x1.jpg It was 1 year ago this month at we went to China to get our Alison. What a difference a year has made! That shy 9 year old who had absolutely nothing is now a vibrant, happy, singing, spoiled 10 year old. She is an absolute joy.

Just yesterday we were notified that we have been approved to adopt another 9 year old, special needs girl from the same orphanage. Even though we applied, we didn't really think we would be accepted. But if God wills it, it will happen.

I encourage people to consider opening their hearts to one of these children. From personal experience I can assure you that they bring much more happiness than the minor incoveniences. To watch one of these children to blossom in response to being loved and cared for is indescribable.

So please celebrate with us about our new daughter. Then tell us of yours so we can celebrate with you too!

Seminars from Families for the Children

MPj04118420000[1] Families for the Children offers Seminars on:

Orphan Awareness

Starting an Orphan Ministry

These 1 to 2 hour sessions can be as formal or informal as you like. Content can be adapted to the situation, size of group, and need. The purpose of both seminars is to mobilize God’s people to fulfill God’s command to care for the orphans. Families for the Children is also available to talk with any group, large or small, about any subject that will help the children.

Orphan Awareness is intended to introduce the hearers to the situation of the orphans of the world and the Christian response. Response discussion includes adoption, outreach, and support.

Starting an Orphan Ministry helps a church or church leadership with the thought process behind starting a ministry specific to that church. It can also be targeted to people with a passion to do more for the children but don’t know where to start.

“The Adoption Network: Your Guide to Starting a Support System”

By Laura Christianson (WinePress Publishing, 112 pages, $9.99)

Adoptive and foster parents, birth parents and adoptees all need the same thing: connection with someone who understands. Laura Christianson, founder of Seattle-based Heartbeat Ministries, believes in the value of creating networking communities for those whose lives are impacted by adoption. This workbook simplifies the process of building an adoption support network, providing step-by-step instructions and worksheets for how to develop a mission statement, plan a budget, recruit leadership, and create workshops, support groups, social events, and mentoring programs. The book is intended for laypeople, clergy, and others who desire to launch an adoption ministry in their church or community. Endorsed by Christopher Padbury, Sharon Jaynes, Kristin Swick Wong, and more.

Review: Christianson’s writing style is clear and concise. She presents details in an easy-to-follow sequential manner so the most inexperienced organizer can successfully pull together their own adoption network.

Darcie Gudger TitleTrakk.com, July 16, 2007

(If you look real close you will also find Lynn Crooks’ name in the acknowledgements as a contributor. It was an honor to help Laura with her new book. I hope you will read it.)

How many children do you have?

"The question of how many kids we have always befuddles me… Who do you count? Do you count the step-kids you raised? The biological are a given… The adopted too… What about permanent foster who aged out in your care? What about foster who were supposed to be permanent who have reentered your lives as adults, saying your home was the only real family they ever had? What about kids who never really lived with you but spent more of their childhoods at your home than their own, who call you Mom/Dad, and who have relied on your parental skills throughout their lives due to the instability of their own homes? Do you count Godchildren? Do you count foster kids you wished you could adopt who might one day be yours permanently or may come back for guidance as adults? How do you draw the line? Where does the heart draw the line? We are able to give all we have to give to each child who takes a piece of our heart. We miss kids when they are gone, but thankfully they often come back and rejoin our family at later dates. Are they “legally ours”? Most are not… Yet, in our heart of hearts, they are our children…"

Rabecca Whalen

Foster Care Ministry

Inverness Vineyard Church in Birmingham, Alabama, has several aspects of ministry to Foster Care. They encourage and equip people to be foster and adoptive parents. They have training classes that have grown into a support group just from all the graduates. But it doesn’t stop there. “We’ve put together gift bags for social workers, too. These folks are overworked and underpaid…everyone gets mad at them (birth parents, foster kids, foster parents, supervisors, the media, the public) and we just want to show them that we care about them and we value what they do.” See Lifeline of the Vine at http://www.invernessvineyard.org/foster/index.htm.

USA

International Adoption

(Dept. of State)

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Northwest Airlines Special Delivery^SM

Northwest Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines want to help you and your new family member off to a flying start. Special Delivery^SMfares are available to families adopting children from any of our over 100 international destinations throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, India and the Middle East.

(See NWA Website )

The Truth About Domestic Adoption

AFPic Adoptive Families magazine has an interesting article with the above title you might want to check out. The byline reads “I keep hearing that adopting in the U.S. is rare, expensive, and risky. The statistics—and my own experience—argue otherwise.” Writer Eliza Newlin Carney discusses some of the persistent myths around domestic adoption. Read it at http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=522. _(6/4)

Foster Care and Adoption in the United States

AdoptUSKids Of the estimated 523,000 children who have been separated from their birth parents and placed in foster care, about 118,000 can never return to their original home. They need the nurturing and support that a permanent family can provide, and deserve a chance to grow up feeling secure and loved. That is where special needs adoption comes into play. It’s not so much about finding a child for a family, but instead finding the most suitable family for each waiting child.

"Special needs" is a phrase used to classify children who, for various reasons, have a harder time finding families willing to adopt them. Often special needs include factors such as age, background, and physical, mental, or emotional challenges. Typically, children who have special needs have been separated from their birth families, live in foster care, are school-aged, and may have physical or mental disabilities.

Some children have developmental disabilities that require special treatment; others have emotional scars from abuse or neglect. Children may also be classified as special needs if they are part of a sibling group that is being placed for adoption together, or members of a minority group. Every state sets its own special needs definition.

To learn more about adopting a special needs child, please read the Steps to Adoption.

(See http://www.adoptuskids.org/) _(5/22)

Employers That Offer Adoption Benefits

Does your employer offer adoption benefits? Adoption Friendly Workplace lists companies who have responded to adoption benefits surveys or have been recognized as adoption-friendly in national publications.

About 20 percent of companies provide adoption benefits, up from 18 percent last year, according to the 386 HR professionals who responded to the 2005 Benefits Survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management. Among large companies--those with 500 or more employees--35 percent said they offer such assistance.

While all organizations that offer adoption benefits are different, there are some similarities in the types of benefits that adoption-friendly companies offer. For example, many companies offer:

v Financial reimbursement: Employers who offer financial assistance generally start by offering $1,000 per adoption or matching maternity benefits—with some employers offering as much as $15,000 for eligible expenses.

v Time off: Time off is generally offered as:

o Paid leave, defined as time off from work where the employee continues to receive full or partial salary.

o Unpaid leave, which is time off from work where the employee receives no pay, but may continue to receive benefits with no loss of “grade level”.

See http://www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org _(5/10)

State Adoption Laws

MCj03517000000[1] Adoption law differs from state to state, and federal laws also affect many procedures connected with the adoption process. It's important that adopting and placing parents, as well as those searching for family members, learn what these laws allow.

Adoption.com lists summaries of state laws regarding Access to Adoption Records, Consent to Adoption, Parties to Adoption, Putative Fathers, Regulation of Adoption Expenses, Infant Safe Haven Laws, Use of Advertising & Facilitators in Adoptive Placements, Statute Sources & Contact Information. Also listed are Federal statutes concerning adopting, placing parents, and the adoption process. Go to http://laws.adoption.com and select your state. _(5/10)

Families for the Children

Visit My Blog (click here)

Employers That Offer Adoption Benefits

See http://www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org _(5/10)

State Adoption Laws

Web Page Statistics

Families for the Children

Visit My Blog (click here)

Employers That Offer Adoption Benefits

See http://www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org (5/10)

State Adoption Laws

Web Page Statistics

See http://www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org _(5/10)