So currently contacts in Russia are saying that Russians intend to pass this law at least for a short period of time to completely rework the adoption process. Admittedly, this could all change so still stand by until the process is done and Russia decides how to implement this (regarding families currently in process etc). What I've been told is that Russia intents to ban adoptions by Americans for now but leave the bi-lateral agreement in place. This will allow Russians to still monitor children previously adopted from Russia, as well as giving them the right to inspect adoptive homes and visit adopted children. This also means families will still be required to submit post placement reports. Once the ban goes into place, the American Government and American adoptive families will have to show that they respect Russia by submitting ALL post placement reports. The government will have to submit updated reports on all children via the State Department (all children adopted by American families from Russia in the past 20 years). They will have to submit reports on every adoption that has disrupted, every child that has been killed (there are still some that Russia doesn't know about) and every adopted child that has been abused and placed in foster care. And then they must allow Russia to have access to these children and a say in where and how they are placed with a new American family. The new American family will have to submit a dossier to the Russian Embassy and show up at the Russian Embassy for an interview and Russia will have to approve the adoption prior to it being finalized. The family will also have to submit the required 4 post placement reports unless they feel that additional reports are necessary.
One other report that I saw on a family's blog is that they've passed court (in Russia, Moscow Region) and been approved. However, the judge told them that if the ban goes into effect he can't guarantee that the ruling will be overturned by a higher court (a higher court or the Federal MoE can overturn the ruling any time within the 30 days after court). So there are still questions that need to be answered regarding families who have been approved in court but haven't been given physical custody of their children yet. I have no answers on this one. I could give you my best guess (that you'll be fine), but no guarantees as this is Russia.
Also - regarding current court cases, current rape and abuse cases must be won, and the perpetrators convicted and they must serve at least some time in jail (and we're not talking 18 months or time served). Russia was barred from being present in the Georgia court in the current ongoing abuse and rape case. So they can't even be present during the testimony etc. After seeing the 2 families in Pennsylvania walk with time served and another one in Pennsylvania only receive maybe 15 - 18 months of time in jail, I'm not holding out hope for this court case. And if this person walks, or receives minimum time 3 - 5 years, Russia will be furious. They want to see stiffer penalties for rapists and abusive parents. If Russia doesn't ban adoptions now, if the case in Georgia takes a turn for the worse don't be surprised if this issue comes up again and they ban adoptions then.
This has happened before. Russia has shut down before to re-work their system and that is my best guess as to what will happen. I think they'll shut down for a year or two, re-work their system, eliminate the agencies (kind of like Ukraine has but different). The rumor is they will create Russian adoptions agencies with English speaking personnel, or Russian organizations to process dossiers and families will have to go through those agencies, American agencies will not be allowed to participate. That is what part of this ban is about. In the end they'll refers the section about American's adopting (in a year or two) but they'll leave in place the ban on American adoption agencies. They also won't allow pre-identification of children at all unless you already have a sibling at home and are requesting to adopt a biological sibling of the one you already adopted. Russia will select the child that is assigned to and placed with the family. Evaluations (Homestudies) will be done, not just by an American social worker, but also by a Russian social worker that American families will have to pay for. All training will be done either by an authorized entity (medical and psychological) that Russia has approved, or done in Russia (or both). Families will travel to submit their dossier in person once it has been translated and notarized, submitted and received initial approval (like pre-approval in China). After that families will have to travel on Trip 1 to Russia. On this trip they will NOT receive a referral. They will do their 8 doctor medical and do a multi day interview with different sections of the MoE in Moscow. Then they will be sent back to the US while the MoE finished evaluating the dossier and decides which child to place with that family that would be the best match. The family won't be assigned to a specific region. Whichever child the Federal MoE in Moscow assigns them to will determine which region the family is travelling to. Whatever region the child happens to be registered in will determine what region the family goes to in the end. A translator will be chosen from a registered translation company in the region. Someone not affiliated with any agency etc. There will be an hourly rate for the translator and for a driver, both of which the Russian agency will coordinate for the family.
Now this is NOT a guarantee this is what is going to happen. This is just what Russians on the ground are hearing so nothing is set in stone. But the rumors all say that Putin wants major changes before American families are allowed to adopt again. IF the ban goes into place, I don't think it will stay for more than a year, maybe two at the most. It will give Russia time to re-work their system.
So what I've written above, may just be a rough draft. It may be Russia trying to figure out how to fix a system that has become corrupt due to American agencies will to pay bribes. Who knows what the final draft will be like. It could change, and most likely WILL change before we see the final product. But who knows what that will look like, or when we'll do this. Some families may quietly adopt privately directly with the MoE during this period. I've heard rumors that it might happen, but it's not like those families will advertise it if they're smart. And as long as they follow the rules Moscow may allow it. We'll just have to wait and see. What the changes WILL do is eliminate corrupt American agencies that are increasing prices so that many American families can't afford them. It will bring the costs down for many families adopting currently (meaning you won't see $70K for an adoption). We're probably talking $35K including all the changes because all the families will be paying the same fees and the exact same cost. The only difference in the cost will be travel costs. These changes will also eliminate the illegal photo listings that Russia is so upset about, and the pre-identification that Russia doesn't like. However, these organizations can show pictures of children who HAVE come home already with these special needs, and note that there are hundreds and thousands of children JUST LIKE THAT still in Russia waiting to be adopted. Then a family would submit a dossier stating that they are open to adopting: HIV+, TB+, HEP B+, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome or other special needs, and Russia will match them with a child that has those special needs. Honestly, I think this is the BEST thing that could happen to Russian adoptions. Yes, for a year or two adoptions may be shut down. But in the end Russia will be generous and will again welcome American families to adopt, with new rules in place and safeguards to ensure that the corruption and photo listing is eliminated from the process.
One of the safe guards that will go into place is the ban on American NGO's. This means Americans can't contribute money to NGO's. Russian Adoption Coordinators would be considered Non Profit Organizations in Russia and Non Governmental Organizations. There would be tight controls on how much money they make (as Russia prides itself on free adoptions). The only costs involved would be shipping the dossiers to Russia, translation, notarization, the translator in court and with you at the MoE, the driver, the coordinators time (hourly rate), dossier registration fee in region/federally (typically approximately $1,500 but some regions are more expensive than others), and passport. The court costs (other than translator) are waived. Also the birth certificate and adoption certificate are also waived. The fee for a passport is the equivalent of $25 US Dollars (approximately), very minimal. Of course, when you add this up over 4 trips (1 for interview, 1 for referral, 1 for court, 1 for bringing the child home) those expenses do add up. Plus you have notary and apostille costs in the US as well. Of course this means the Russian agencies will have to hire coordinators who speak fluent English and Russia is very specific about degrees. They won't be willing to accept someone who doesn't have a University Degree. They'll want a business professional who has multiple degrees and is tri-lingual etc to present these families to the MoE. I know many coordinators who had only graduated from the equivalent of High School. The MoE isn't going to accept that any more. This is where costs are going to come in. That's why I think costs will go up somewhat. But for families already paying $35,000 or more, it won't be so bad (unless you're starting over). I think for families going through the system for the first time it will be a LOT easier, but at the same time the bar will be set VERY high. Families will be expected to show up in business suits, firm handshakes, known some Russian, be comfortable wearing business dress. Women will be expected to wear jewelry, wear their hair up, wear makeup similar to Russian women. Russia is one of the most stringent countries when it comes to formality and they will expect that in these families.
I know this isn't what some families want to hear right now.
For those of you interested in learning more, I would find the interview that Dr. Federici did with the Russian news agency. It's not written, so you'll need to find someone who speaks fluent Russian. None of it is in English. I found it more interesting, what the interviewer said, and what the news person had been hearing in Russia (since they attend all the press briefing and sit through the Duma's voting and readings).
In a different twist, there are NOT 3 readings in the Federation Council. They will bring it to the floor and there will be ONE vote period. If it passes it goes to Putin. Lavrov is now recommending to Putin to 1) sign the ban for now and 2) to keep the bi-lateral agreement in place so that Russia still has rights regarding the children in the US who were adopted previously who are still considered Russian citizens.
Source: http://rebeccajmarinecorpswife.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-information-on-russian-adoption-ban.html
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