NCALP Weekly News Summary

May 25, 2012

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ADOPTION
OHIO: New adoption partnership helps find homes for kids in foster care
By: Rita Price 

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced that it is forming a partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to help find homes for older foster youth. Department director Michael Colbert stated that the agency will hire special recruiters whose only job will be to find adoptive homes for these children. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption will train the recruiters based upon the Wendys Wonderful Kids child-focused recruitment model.
Columbus Dispatch, May 17th, 2012
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CHILD PROTECTION
NATION: International adoptions plummet globally
By: Staff Writer

In a new study published in Pediatrics, Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD examined how chronic maltreatment impacted the future health and behavior of children and adults. The study which followed children into adulthood, looked to determine how well the number of child maltreatment reports predicted poor outcomes in adolescence. According to Johnson-Reid, the study found: "For most outcomes, having a single maltreatment report put children at a 20 percent to 50 percent higher risk than non-maltreated comparison children.
Science Daily, May 15th, 2012
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CHILD PROTECTION
NATION: Report: More support needed for kinship caregivers
By: Associated Press

According to a new report entitled "Stepping Up For Kids", released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation this week, 2.7 million American children are being raised by grandparents, relatives or close family friends, a figure that has increased 18% between 2000 and 2010. The report also details that these families are not adequately assisted by the state. Casey Foundation's president, Patrick McCarthy stated "We urge state policymakers to make crucial benefits and resources available to kinship families so that their children can thrive.
Fox News, May 23, 2012
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ADOPTION/ICWA
OKLAHOMA: Washington Briefs: Supreme Court rejects adoption case involving Cherokee Nation
By: Chris Casteel 

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a Utah case involving the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and the Cherokee Nation. With its decision to not hear the case, the supreme court upheld the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that a biological mother could not regain custody of a child that she placed in an adoptive home by later claiming that the child was an Indian and the trial court erred by failing to comply with ICWA. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the child was not an Indian child because under the federal law, a child is considered an Indian child only if his or her parent is a member of the tribe, and in this case, biological mother was not a member of the tribe.
NewsOK, May 22nd, 2012
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ADOPTION/International
RUSSIA: Russia to ratify agreement on adopting children with US
By: Staff Writer 

The Russian State Duma requested to ratify the child adoption agreement between Russia and the United States which was signed in July 2011. The agreement sets out the requirements for adoptions between the two countries and also states that a child will be placed in another country only when it is impossible to find the child an adoptive placement in their home country.
RAPSI, May 17th, 2012
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The preceding are summaries of adoption/child welfare law news articles prepared by The National Center for Adoption Law & Policy. These summaries are provided for your information only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center. We strive to print news that reflects the diversity of our readership and a variety of viewpoints and approaches to child welfare issues. While we may not agree with a position taken, we believe in the critical importance to our constituents of impartial reporting.