Countries of origin are counting on those of us in the receiving countries to appropriately prepare intercountry adoptive families. If we require no input into the home study from accredited bodies or approved persons, then the Convention will have failed in its goal to protect children. Appropriate screening and preparation of the prospective parents is perhaps the most important protection we can give children who need new families through intercountry adoption. Therefore we ask you to eliminate adoptions to the U.S. by parents acting on their own behalf. This mandate becomes clear when we remember that intercountry adoption should be about finding families for children, not children for families.
Accreditation is a valuable process to assure delivery of high-quality adoption services.
Joint Council, in its 25 years of existence, has been dedicated to promoting standards of excellence and accountability for adoption professionals and has taken a leadership role in drafting, disseminating, and gaining acceptance for high standards of accreditation for agencies to provide adoption services under the Hague Convention. We have done so not only because accreditation is a vital part of Hague Convention safeguards, but also because it provides rigorous and appropriate opportunities for improved services and professional accountability. As you are aware, the Hague Convention mandates that agencies and individuals that provide certain services in an intercountry adoption be accredited or approved to provide such services. Although the Convention is silent on the details of this requirement, the Hague Alliance has promulgated standards of practice for accreditation to provide adoption services under the Hague Convention that have been widely accepted throughout the adoption community. These standards, which the Hague Alliance has made available to the U.S. Departments of State and of Health and Human Services, provide a template for adoption services that are ethical and in the best interests of children.