JCICS 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium

As always, Joint Council’s (JCICS) 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium was a great time of connecting with other adoption professionals and participating in educational sessions.  The speakers were thought-provoking and engaging and I came away from the sessions feeling like I had learned something important.

Martha Osborne

For me, the highlight of the conference was hearing Martha Osborne speak about the advocacy she does for children through her website, Rainbowkids (rainbowkids.com)  Martha is very likely, the most well-known advocate for children with special needs who are waiting to be adopted.  I was blown away by how long she has carried this passion and what she has done to help children find families!  Martha is committed to working with agencies to advocate for these special children and I am excited for Gladney and Rainbow Kids to continue to partner together to become a bigger voice for children who desperately need forever families!

April Uduhiri, Asia Program Case Worker

CCCWA Updating Online Database

I wanted to share with you all that CCCWA is planning to update their online database system.  This database houses the “shared list”, along with information about matched families’ cases.  

At the Joint Council conference Wednesday, I had a chance to get a sneak peek at the new system (shown in photo above).  The upgraded database looks similar to the former system, but it appears more organized and seems to have more features which should prove useful.  I think this will be a good improvement for the China program and hopefully the upgraded system will provide more technical stability during the monthly updates when a lot of matching happens!

In order to facilitate this process, CCCWA is shutting down the old database on Friday, May 24th and the new system should be up and running as of June 1st.  They have also informed us that they will not be accepting or processing dossiers during this time.  As far as I am aware, that is the only service that will be impacted during this transition.

It is my hope that taking a full week to close the old system and bring up the new database will facilitate a smooth transition.  We look forward to using the new and improved system!

April

Superkids is preparing to return to China next month!

The Superkids team will be visiting six orphanages in three provinces.  We will visit Shanghai Children's Home, four orphanages in the Jiangxi province and one orphanage in the Hunan province.  The team will evaluate children to assist them in finding adoptive families and work with children who may not be adopted so that we can improve their quality of life.  We will also train caregivers and rehabilitation staff to increase the skill of their therapeutic interactions with all children they care for.

Superkids Team Pat, Erin and Darla

As always, Gongzhan Wu, Gladney Vice President and Managing Director of the Asia Program, will lead the trip.  Superkids team members will include: Darla Wrage, MD, a pediatrician making her first therapeutic trip to China (read her bio on the Superkids blog); Erin Martin, waiting child advocate and Gladney Mom; and Pat Marcus, Physical Therapist. Superkids is thrilled with, and appreciative of, the dedication and commitment shown by its volunteers.

  

Please be sure to follow our progress on the Superkids blog and share in the preparation for the trip!

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) came about when Congress passed a resolution in 1978 to designate a week to celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. During APAHM, communities celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans with community festivals, government-sponsored activities and educational activities for students. Google Asian Pacific American Heritage Month or APAHM to learn more!

JCICS Conference May 20 - 22, 2013

Gladney’s New York Office staff will be attending the Joint Council’s (JCICS) 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium. They will join over 200 leading professionals, researchers, and advocates in the field of child welfare, orphan care and adoption to learn about and discuss topics relating to child welfare and adoption.

Mary Chapman, Asia Programs Caseworker is enthused about attending the conference, “I am excited to meet with Martha Osborn, the founder of Rainbow Kids, as we’ve worked together over the last couple of years advocating for waiting children.  She always has great ideas about how to get the word out about the precious kids that are waiting for families!”

Over the course of three days, there will be numerous workshops to address the needs of children in Haiti, India, Ethiopia and China, as well as financial organizational empowerment, medical and nutritional issues, orphan care issues, and intercountry curricula. More information on these workshops can be found here. For more information about JCICS, please visit www.jointcouncil.org/.

Gladney GFA Picnics and Events

GFA sponsored picnics, pool parties, ball game outings and more will be taking place over the next few months throughout the country to bring families together to enjoy each other's company and the beautiful weather!

Check the GFA Network's Event Calendar to learn what is happening in your area!

Stuck Screening in New York City - Inspiring!

On Thursday evening, May 9, members of Gladney’s Asia Program Staff and Gladney families and friends from the Tri-state area attended the screening of the documentary Stuck at the Chelsea Theater in New York City.  This moving film created by Both Ends Burning founder Craig Juntunen, is intended to inspire viewers to become involved in the social movement that will ultimately put pressure on U.S. officials to force a more supportive attitude toward International Adoption.

The ambitious 62 city bus tour in 80 days will culminate next week with a Step Forward for Orphans march in Washington, DC on Friday, May 17 at 1pm.  Click here to learn more about the Stuck initiative and the upcoming march.

Recently in China adoption news:

• CCCWA has matched families with LIDs through October 26, 2006.
• CCCWA has reviewed dossiers with LIDs through October 31, 2012.
• CCCWA has issued referrals for two Gladney families in April!
• CCCWA has issued 5 Travel Approvals for Gladney families in April!

 Gladney's Guang Ming Program 光明

Advocating for Children Who Wait  

Don't worry if you missed our special presentation in April about Gladney's China program, the recording is available on our Asia Waiting Child blog (click here).  Thank you to Juliette Howard who shared her family's personal experience of adopting their 6 year old son and how they have been adjusting and growing during his first 6 months home.

The Howard bunch!

During the webinar, Pat Marcus, Physical Therapist, shared about the work Superkids is doing and talked about several children who are currently available for adoption from Hunan Province.

Gladney hosts a monthly webinar about the process of adopting through Gladney and available waiting children in the China Guang Ming program - register here for the next monthly webinar on May 8th at 1pm EST.

Gladney Guang Ming Facebook Group

Did you know that families who have adopted through Gladney's Guang Ming (Asia Waiting Child) program have a place to connect with each other on Facebook?  The group was created by a Gladney Mom who was looking for a place to find encouragement and support with other Gladney parents. The Guang Ming Facebook group has been a great way for families to ask each other questions, connect with families in their area and find out about Gladney events in a positive atmosphere!  Search Gladney's Guang Ming Families on Facebook to join the group.  Please note, due to the nature of the group and the desire among parents for a certain level of privacy when sharing about their children, the group is available only for Gladney families.

China Waiting Child Webinar - Wed. May 8th

Each month Gladney hosts an Asia Waiting Child Webinar. Our next webinar is Wed., May 8th at 1pm EST.

This informative webinar will focus on the process of adopting waiting children from China. The webinar will provide an overview of Gladney’s program as well as share photos of available children. You will get a detailed explanation of the Application and paperwork process involved with adopting internationally. Also, each month we will feature different children, with a variety of ages and special needs, who are available for adoption. At the end of each webinar we offer time for attendees to ask questions and will provide contact information for you to follow up with one of Gladney’s Asia Program Staff.

We hope you will be able to join us! Be sure to register! Feel free to pass this invitation along to friends and family members that may also be interested.

Top 10 Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew

Live Webinar Details

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

7:00PM Central 

Q&A: 8:00PM

Adopted people and adoptive parents don’t always look at adoption the same way. Many of the issues adoptees struggle with may be difficult for parents to understand and come to terms with. And it’s ever changing. A parent’s and a child’s adoption experiences change over time, based on life events, ability to understand the circumstances, and new facts as they become available or are discovered.

Understanding your child’s feelings about adoption is essential, so how do you gain some insight?

We’ve gathered a panel of adopted people, to discuss:

• What they wish their parents had known
• Their feelings about loss, shame and anger and their love for their parents
• What feelings they shared with their parents and what they kept to themselves

Register now

Co-Sponsors