Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

More on Haitian children...........

rookie

By rookie,
in General Education Discussion Board

 Share

Recommended Posts

rookie

rookie

Posted
Posted

I just received this information from our local grapevine in South Florida.

DCF/CNET are working in partnership with other organizations that are hoping to airlift Haitian children to the States. I have been asked to begin gathering information from our foster/adoptive homes about who might be interested in helping care for these children. Before responding, please consider the following:

1. We have no idea how many children there will be.

2. We do not know yet if the children will be remanded into State custody or not. If they are not adjudicated dependent, then there will be no financial assistance for the caregivers that choose to take them into their home.

3. Medical care will be paid for by the State.

4. We do not know how long they will need to be cared for.

5. At this point, we are gathering the names of every person that might be interested in caring for a Haitian child. They do not have to be actively licensed. If you have a neighbor or a family member or know of someone that might be interested, please share this information and have them contact me.

6. Every caregiver will have to submit to a full background screening.

7. We do not know how long it will take to organize the air lift - it could be days from now or it could be weeks.

After you have carefully considered this information, please let me know one of the following:

1. If you would be interested in caring for a child as a foster parent only (i.e.: only if the child is adjudicated and there is financial assistance provided from the State)

2. If you would be interested in caring for a child even if there is NO financial assistance. I have been asked to report back to the Department by NOON on TUESDAY.

Please respond as quickly as possible. Don't forget to forward this information to anyone who might be interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rookie

rookie

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I am not saying that. I just received it on my local grapevine. Maybe I am mistaken, but I imagine they are particularly interested in families in SoFLA because of our connections to Haiti and large Haitian community. I think that the airlift will be into Miami.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
blessed2fosteradopt

blessed2fosteradopt

Posted
Posted

Medical care will be paid for by the State.

Rookie, can I ask where you got your information from? Are you a foster parent or do you work for an agency? With regard to medical, I have been told the exact opposite. Financially, families are on their own and that is really something to consider. No daycare and medical care can really be rough on a family. If medical is to be paid for that would surely make a difference for some I am sure. Also, formula, diapers, wipes for an infant may be alot for a family to provide. From what I have been told, taking a Haitian orphan is the same as a non-relative placement. My agency and I am sure ChildNet will help as they can but they have already sustained budget cuts because of the economy.

Believe me when I say I am not trying to discourage anyone but as I am receiving more and more information I would encourage everybody that is interested to get the facts 100% before commiting.

God bless all of you with the hearts to help these precious ones.

Blessings,

Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Johanna

Johanna

Posted
Posted
I just received this information from our local grapevine in South Florida.

DCF/CNET are working in partnership with other organizations that are hoping to airlift Haitian children to the States. I have been asked to begin gathering information from our foster/adoptive homes about who might be interested in helping care for these children. Before responding, please consider the following:

1. We have no idea how many children there will be.

2. We do not know yet if the children will be remanded into State custody or not. If they are not adjudicated dependent, then there will be no financial assistance for the caregivers that choose to take them into their home.

3. Medical care will be paid for by the State.

4. We do not know how long they will need to be cared for.

5. At this point, we are gathering the names of every person that might be interested in caring for a Haitian child. They do not have to be actively licensed. If you have a neighbor or a family member or know of someone that might be interested, please share this information and have them contact me.

6. Every caregiver will have to submit to a full background screening.

7. We do not know how long it will take to organize the air lift - it could be days from now or it could be weeks.

After you have carefully considered this information, please let me know one of the following:

1. If you would be interested in caring for a child as a foster parent only (i.e.: only if the child is adjudicated and there is financial assistance provided from the State)

2. If you would be interested in caring for a child even if there is NO financial assistance. I have been asked to report back to the Department by NOON on TUESDAY.

Please respond as quickly as possible. Don't forget to forward this information to anyone who might be interested.

 

Rookie, I pm'ed you!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CalicoKat

CalicoKat

Posted
Posted (edited)
I just received this information from our local grapevine in South Florida.

 

DCF/CNET are working in partnership with other organizations that are hoping to airlift Haitian children to the States. I have been asked to begin gathering information from our foster/adoptive homes about who might be interested in helping care for these children. Before responding, please consider the following:

1. We have no idea how many children there will be.

2. We do not know yet if the children will be remanded into State custody or not. If they are not adjudicated dependent, then there will be no financial assistance for the caregivers that choose to take them into their home.

3. Medical care will be paid for by the State.

4. We do not know how long they will need to be cared for.

5. At this point, we are gathering the names of every person that might be interested in caring for a Haitian child. They do not have to be actively licensed. If you have a neighbor or a family member or know of someone that might be interested, please share this information and have them contact me.

6. Every caregiver will have to submit to a full background screening.

7. We do not know how long it will take to organize the air lift - it could be days from now or it could be weeks.

 

After you have carefully considered this information, please let me know one of the following:

1. If you would be interested in caring for a child as a foster parent only (i.e.: only if the child is adjudicated and there is financial assistance provided from the State)

2. If you would be interested in caring for a child even if there is NO financial assistance. I have been asked to report back to the Department by NOON on TUESDAY.

 

Please respond as quickly as possible. Don't forget to forward this information to anyone who might be interested.

 

 

YES!!!! We're enthusiastically interested in helping out. We have a current foster parent license with DCFS in Illinois. According to our license we currently have room for 1 more, although we've been told we can get a waiver for family groups.

Edited by CalicoKat
Link to comment
Share on other sites
CalicoKat

CalicoKat

Posted
Posted
YES!!!! We're enthusiastically interested in helping out. We have a current foster parent license with DCFS in Illinois. According to our license we currently have room for 1 more, although we've been told we can get a waiver for family groups.

I tried pm'ing you but it won't go through. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rookie

rookie

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I am so sorry! My box got full and I have just had a chance to get online.

 

Please PM me if you are still interested.

 

I am only passing along information that was given to me. I am NOT one of the organizers.

 

I am so grateful for all of you who want to help and wish you the very best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
blessed2fosteradopt

blessed2fosteradopt

Posted
Posted

This just came from the director of foster placement at my agency when I forwarded her Rookie's original e-mail.

_________________________________________________________

I am aware of this email and have seen it. The information presented is correct. As for Medicaid, we have not been told concretely that the kids will be on Medicaid. We also don't know if the kids will be adjudicated. Most likely they will be placed as non-relative. Hope this answers your questions. As we know more, we will pass on the info.

 

Non-relative placement means that there will be no stipends (with the possible exception of medical) for the host family. The host family would be financially responsible for all costs associated with bringing the child(ren) into their home. Adoption isn't really even on the radar screen yet. Fortunately, most people have loving hearts and would want to adopt for the right reasons but there is also the other side that was presented in the article that Johanna posted. I imagine that except for people that already are paper ready, it will be a long and tedious process. It will also be interesting to see if Haiti changes their stipulation of only allowing adoptions to families with no more than 2 children in the home.

 

 

In any event, keep praying. As I receive more information from S FL I will share it with all who are interested.

 

Blessings,

 

Lisa

Link to comment
Share on other sites
blessed2fosteradopt

blessed2fosteradopt

Posted
Posted

These are the requirements for Haitian adoptions before the earthquake.

 

Age of Parents:

For the case of married couples, at least one spouse must be a minimum of 35 years of age at time of application.

 

Length of Marriage:

The minimum length of marriage at application is ten years; however, a longer marriage is preferred in Haiti. More than one divorce is not accepted. Families with documented infertility may be considered if 30 years old, and married a minimum of 7 years.

 

Children in Family:

Childless couples preferred. Families with up to two children are accepted; however, these couples will require a presidential dispensation, a special exemption issued by the president’s office. This will likely lengthen the adoption process by 6-8 months.

 

Single Applicants:

Single female applicants are able to adopt if they are a minimum of 35 years of age and under the age of 50.

 

Income:

Haiti follows U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) requirements for income.

 

Travel Requirements:

At least one parent must travel to Haiti at the end of the adoption process. It is strongly recommended that both parents travel. Families are encouraged to travel earlier in the process, as well, to file their I-600 in country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
EthiopianFood

EthiopianFood

Posted
Posted

I really want to encourage people to get information directly from the source. Speculation really isn't going to get anyone anywhere. http://rainbowkids.com/ is an excellent international adoption site that has been updating frequently over the past couple days. You can subscribe to their newsletter, which is only sent out when they have new articles. There are several right now that talk about these issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest MindNurturer

Guest MindNurturer

Posted
Posted

I am interested in fostering Haitian orphans whether financial aid is available or not. I have 2 extra bedrooms, lots of love and experience educating and raising children.I also have some pediatric nursig experience. I live in Texas, have a very solid marriage relationship & good income. but I am not a licensed foster parent.

Please direct me.

 

Joanna

Link to comment
Share on other sites
OneRoomSchoolHouse

OneRoomSchoolHouse

Posted
Posted

We are in Texas and dh overheard a phone conversation from a guy in his office building...they are bringing a group of Haitian children here. The guy was saying that he was taking a child and several of his friends were also taking in children too. I wish we could get some more info on this. Dh is really interested in fostering/adopting, maybe he can track down the guy he overheard! I do know that we do not qualify under the pre-earthquake guidelines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stacia

Stacia

Posted
Posted

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/21/haiti.adoptions/index.html?hpt=T1

 

London, England (CNN) -- Three aid groups called Thursday for an immediate halt to any new adoptions of Haitian children after last week's earthquake.

 

Save the Children, World Vision and a unit of the British Red Cross said the focus first must be on tracing any family members that children may still have and reuniting them.

 

"Any hasty new adoptions would risk permanently breaking up families, causing long-term damage to already vulnerable children, and could distract from aid efforts in Haiti," the agencies said in a joint statement.

 

The disaster in Haiti has led to an outpouring of support around the world, with the United States alone donating more than $305 million as of Wednesday, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations.

 

Stories of Haitian orphanages struggling after the quake and the plight of the children there also has led many to ask about adopting children.

 

After reading a CNN report on Haitian orphans, CNN.com reader Dana Fanning wrote, "It broke my heart. My husband and our 4 children want to know if and how we could adopt [any] of the children orphaned by the earthquake."

 

Save the Children Chief Executive Jasmine Whitbread said the "vast majority" of children on their own in Haiti are not orphans, but were simply separated from their families in the chaos.

 

Their family members may still be alive, she said, and "will be desperate to be reunited with them."

 

"Taking children out of the country would permanently separate thousands of children from their families -- a separation that would compound the acute trauma they are already suffering and inflict long-term damage on their chances of recovery," Whitbread said.

 

Allowing a flood of new adoptions also could open the door to traffickers, said World Vision Chief Executive Justin Byworth.

 

The poverty in Haiti already makes children there "extremely vulnerable" to exploitation and abuse, Byworth said.

 

"We are concerned not only about premature overseas adoption but also about children increasingly being sent unaccompanied to the Dominican Republic," he said.

 

Aid groups said adoptions that were already in progress before the January 12 earthquake should go ahead, as long as the right legal documents are in place and they meet Haitian and international law.

 

For those who want to help Haitian children, Whitbread said, they should donate to aid agencies who are working on reuniting those children with their families.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross has opened an office at the headquarters of the Haitian Red Cross in Crois de Prez to help people locate their relatives, said Pete Garratt, a disaster response manager at the British Red Cross.

 

The ICRC also has set up a Web site to help people searching for relatives, he said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pamela H in Texas

Pamela H in Texas

Posted
Posted

I don't think there should be any hasty adoptions, but I see no issue with providing homes for children until family can be found (and allowing adoptions the times that is not an option or family can't take them back).

 

But for now? they need food, water, shelter, and love.

 

Fostering should, imo, lead to reunification whenever reasonable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Starr

Starr

Posted
Posted

If you read how many orphans were in Haiti before the earthquake it all sounds crazy. It is so tragic. And Tom on the Jesusinhaiti mission blog takes in kids that have no one to care for them. I've also read about children being dropped off at hospitals and no one picking them up. We don't want to take them away from home but how many of these kids have a home? What a complicated political situation. Is it really better to leave them in their own country on the streets and in orphanages?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hornblower

hornblower

Posted
Posted

There is an interesting article the The Economist called "Lessons from the tsunami":

 

 

Like the tsunami, the earthquake has produced an outpouring of generosity amounting to $1 billion so far.

 

The experience of the tsunami suggests that agencies will not be able to spend it. Nine months on [after the tsunami], governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had disbursed just 39% of the money they had promised to spend. A French NGO, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), stopped emergency fund-raising, saying it did not need more. It was criticised for this, but in retrospect was justified. As the tsunami evaluation put it, “allocation and programming…were driven by the extent of public and media interest, and by the unprecedented funding available, rather than by assessment and need.†This seems to be happening in Haiti, too; MSF has again asked people to switch donations to its general fund.

 

 

http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15350474&source=features_box2

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ottakee

Ottakee

Posted
Posted

Tom orginally tried to formally adopt some of the boys but the costs, government red tape, etc. were way too much. No one there really cares if he just takes the boys in and raises them as his own. It is not a legal adoption but in all other ways, he is their father.

 

A few people have adopted Haitian orphans through his ministry but they have been very few due to the government issues in Haiti.

 

If you read how many orphans were in Haiti before the earthquake it all sounds crazy. It is so tragic. And Tom on the Jesusinhaiti mission blog takes in kids that have no one to care for them. I've also read about children being dropped off at hospitals and no one picking them up. We don't want to take them away from home but how many of these kids have a home? What a complicated political situation. Is it really better to leave them in their own country on the streets and in orphanages?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...