International Adoption Education, Advocacy, and Discovery Resources
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internet resources Janet Hyunju Clarke International adoption Education, advocacy, and discovery resources n recognition of November as National • Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Insti- IAdoption Month, this column is dedicated tute. The institute is the pre-eminent research, to Internet resources on international adop- policy, and education organization in its tion. International adoption began when field. Established in 1996 as an independent Korean War orphans were adopted by and unbiased adoption research and policy American and European couples in the 1950s. organization, it has a Senior Research Fellows Some 50 years later, thousands of children program, initiates original research, publishes from all over the world have been adopted white papers and book-length studies, con- internationally, with more than 150,0001 from ducts national adoption surveys, and advo- Korea alone. There is a growing body of cates for ethical practices and laws on do- scholarly writing on this topic, particularly mestic and international adoption at national as the number of adult adoptees engaging and international levels. Access: http://www. in the discourse of international adoption, adoptioninstitute.org/index.php. both scholarly and popular, has reached a critical mass. In addition to print resources, the Internet provides valuable resources on research, education, advocacy, and commu- nity. Web sites were chosen for richness of • International Adoption Clinic, Uni- content, clarity of purpose and authorship, versity of Minnesota. The Web site states and stability and currency.2 Adoption place- this is the “first clinic in the United States pro- ment agencies are not included. viding for the health needs of internationally adopted children through its clinic services, Research research, and education.”3 In addition to the • Adoptie Driehoek Onderzoeks Cen- pre- and post-adoption medical services that trum (ADOC). This research center, based other (international) adoption clinics provide, at the Center for Child and Family Studies at this clinic conducts independent research Leiden University in the Netherlands, initiates in the field of international adoption. The research on various aspects of the interna- current research project focuses on Eastern tional adoption triad and adoption-related European growth issues of institutionalized foster care. ADOC makes its current research children. Access: http://www.med.umn. accessible through a “digital research center,” edu/peds/iac/. with an up-to-date searchable database of scholarly research by title, year, keyword, au- Education thor, and journal. The Web site also posts cur- • Child Welfare Information Gateway. rent news and information about congresses, Formerly known as the National Adoption symposia, and new research. The geographic scope includes Korea, China, Greece, India, Colombia, and the African continent. ADOC Janet Hyunju Clarke is head of the instruction program at Stony Brook University, e-mail: janet. offers fee-based research assistance. Access: [email protected] http://www.adoptionresearch.nl. © 2007 Janet Hyunju Clarke November 2007 645 C&RL News Information Clearinghouse, this government and North Carolina. Access: http://www. (Department of Health and Human Services) pactadopt.org. site provides access to print and online • Rainbow Kids.com. This is a volun- publications, Web sites, and databases on all teer-based advocacy and information center aspects of child welfare, including all aspects for international adoption founded in 1996. of domestic and international adoption. Ac Since 2006, Rainbowkids.com expanded its cess: http://www.childwelfare.gov. advocacy to include special needs adoption • Karen’s Adoption Links. A copious issues. One of the most valuable resources collection of Web sites on international on this site is the RainbowKids.com online adoption, this list of lists is hosted by Karen monthly magazine, with searchable archives Holt and thankfully has a search mechanism, back to 2001. Articles feature international with Boolean, wildcard, qualifier, phrase, and issues, such as caring for African hair, learn- advanced searching features (powered by the ing about Mongolian spots, and handling Freefind search engine). List topics include family tree assignments at school. There is electronic lists by country, adoption stories, a searchable events calendar that covers all orphanage addresses, adoption consumer states. The site is sustained by contributions products, funding and benefits, and search by adoption agencies and sponsorship ads, registries. Access: http://www.karensadop- which are clearly marked as such. Access: tionlinks.com/. http://www.rainbowkids.com/. • Orphandoctor.com. Jane Aronson, OD, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics Advocacy at Weill Medical College of Cornell Univer- • Ethica: An Independent Voice for sity, specializes in international adoption Ethical Adoption. Begun in 2003, Ethica is medicine. Her site provides relevant medical a nonprofit organization focusing on policy, research, definitions, and other information advocacy, and education regarding ethi- pertinent to international adoption. Her cal adoption practices worldwide. Updates medical and travel resources and links are for international adoption are arranged by especially useful. Access: www.orphandoc- country, including the United States (which tor.com. has links to relevant laws by state). However, • Pact, an Adoption Alliance. A non- links throughout the site were not current at profit membership organization, Pact’s mis- the time of this column, and some countries, sion is to provide support, education, coun- like Korea, which is still one of the largest seling, and advocacy to adopted children of sending countries, were notably missing from color. It was begun the section on international adoption. Access: in 1991 to address http://www.ethicanet.org. dual- or multiple- • International Adoptee Congress heritage adoptive (IAC). This is a newly formed (2006) national families, sometimes organization committed to “empowering, referred to as tran- supporting, and giving voice” to international sracial families. Its adoptees and facilitating dialogue among current focus is all triad members of transra- adoptive families, adoptee groups, adoption cial, transcultural or transnational adoption, agencies, adoption professionals, public and its staff and board reflect this diversity. policy leaders, and the news media. IAC’s Pact is based in Oakland, California, and has goals are to groom adoptees as leaders in events and workshops, such as “Play group the adoption community; to evaluate cur- for same-race adoptive families of color” and rent resources available to adoptees and to “True Colors II: Interrogating our own racism: improve them; and to explore ways to give Pushing past Racism 101.” Pact has affi liated voice to pre-teen, teen, and adult adoptees support groups in California, New Jersey, and families. The Web site provides contact C&RL News November 2007 646 information for researchers and adoption mechanisms: surname is searchable in three professionals, posts upcoming events, has ways (partial, exact, and soundex); wildcards a job exchange page (currently empty) and are allowed except in soundex searches; there online discussion forums, and has a (now is an option to choose multiple locations in outdated) online newsletter. Though it is a the advanced search mode; browsing capabil- membership organization, the Web site is not ity is by location or surname; and results may clear on how to join. Access: http://www. be sorted by surname or date (most recent internationaladopteecongress.org. posting first). On the results page, the user • Joint Council on International has the option to contact a registrant. ARC Children’s Services (JCICS). This “is the does not retain any correspondence on its oldest and largest affiliation of licensed, non- server, but rather sends any e-mail directly profit international adoption organizations to the registrant via an online form that does in the world.” Its membership of more than not display the registrant’s e-mail address. If 200 organizations works in 51 countries and a search produces no hits, the resulting link includes adoption agencies, child welfare takes user to ancestry.com, although ARC’s organizations, parent support groups, and privacy statement says it is not owned or op- medical specialists with an interest in inter- erated by ancestry.com. Access: http://www. country adoption. JCICS works to promote adopteeconnect.com/. the highest standards of ethics in interna- • Adoption Reunions South Africa. This tional adoption, and works as an advocate is a fee-based adoption search service that is for international adoption with U.S. and based in South Africa, but also includes Zim- foreign governments. The Web site provides babwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, conference information, current legislative and other African countries. The database is and country information, as well as informa- arranged by adoptee birth year, beginning tion on the international adoption process, in 1924, with updated or new information and a members-only area. The homepage added to original inquiry/information. The has a Google search box for its site. Access: registrant composes the message that gets http://www.jcics.org. posted online, less any contact information. • SOS-Kinderdorf International. This There is no search mechanism except for nonprofit organization was started in 1949 birth year, which makes it difficult to search in Austria.