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Tight on cash? That should not prevent you from adopting. There are many resources out there that can help you expand your family through adoption. We work with families of every income level. We find that most adoptive parents are not wealthy people--but, they have room in their hearts and homes for a child. Federal Adoption Tax Credit:  Did you know that  there is a federal tax credit there for you to use?    Thousands of dollars are available that can help with: adoption agency fees, court costs, attorney fees, travel expenses and other things that are directly related to your adoption.    There is an income limit for this credit but it is relatively high. The adoption tax credit is adjusted each year based upon the cost of living allowance. The maximum credit for 2013 is $12,970. The full credit is available to taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income of $194,580 or less, and the credit will phase out completely at $234,...

In October 2013, People Places Inc. was chosen as an Angel in Adoption award recipient by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.  They were given this honor based on their commitment to improving the lives of children in need of permanent loving homes.  People Places Inc. was started 40 years ago in 1973 as one of the pioneers in therapeutic foster care, and was the first such agency in Virginia. The materials they developed for therapeutic foster care are used throughout the country to train other agency workers and support families. People Places is a private, not-for-profit Licensed Child Placing Agency serving children and youth between the ages of infancy and 21 years and focusing primarily on abused/neglected youngsters with moderate to severe emotional and behavior disorders.  People Places offers programs that help support adoption, such as group and individual counseling, Pygmalion School and independent living assistance.  Not eve...

I wanted to let you know about Children in Families First, S. 1530. This legislation, CHIFF, removes government barriers to intercountry adoption--bringing orphans quicker into caring families. We often read stories about failed intercountry adoptions. The truth is that the great majority of intercountry adoptive families are hardworking, loving people who treat their adopted child as they would a biological child--showering him with love, support, a sense of belonging, medical and educational assistance. And every day that a child spends in an orphange causes irreparable harm to his development. So, let's expedite this process--Every child deserves a forever family--contact your Congressman or Senator to support CHIFF http://childreninfamiliesfirst.org/#! and like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/childreninfamiliesfirst Drafted by Brittany Alness, staff member of the Law Offices of Karen S. Law, PLC. Disclaimer This blog and the information contained within have been ...

Ethiopia Implements Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) Requirement Effective Sept. 1, 2013, the government of Ethiopia will require all adoption cases filed by United States prospective adoptive parents to undergo the U.S. PAIR process.   Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) will require a PAIR letter issued by USCIS in order to make a best interest determination.   Prospective adoptive parents must include the PAIR letter in the adoption dossier they submit to the Ethiopian Federal First Instance Court (FFIC) to initiate the adoption.   The FFIC will then forward the dossier, including the PAIR letter, to MOWCYA to review.   The new PAIR letter requirement will not affect adoption cases filed with Ethiopian courts before Sept. 1, 2013. Guidance for Prospective Adoptive Parents To help prospective parents to comply with Ethiopia’s new requirement, USCIS issued a policy memorandum, effective immediately, which allows prospective adopti...

  In today’s society, we tend to put movie stars up on a pedestal. As quickly as they go up, they easily fall down again due to bad publicity or the next new person who comes into the spotlight. We can name what movies they have starred in or what television show they originally came from.  We even know what magazine cover they were last featured in; but have we ever stopped to think about the fact that even though they are constantly under the pressure and judgmental eye of the public, they go through the same struggles we face? If you are not familiar, Nia Vardalos was the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  S he has also been in many other television shows and movies. Ms. Vardalos recently shared her struggles with infertility in her memoir, Instant Mom.  I devoured this book on a plane ride after meeting Ms. Vardalos at our annual American Academy of Adoption Attorneys meeting this year.  My seatmate gave me questioning looks as I wa...

"Adoption is forever."  That's an often repeated  phrase that seems simple.  Yet, many children that are in the adoption process don’t quite understand; especially the older children that may have been hoping for a forever family for some time.  Preparation is the key to a successful transition for the child and the new family, whether the child is being adopted domestically or internationally. I read an excellent article recently which discusses this in detail:  "Preparing Older Children for Adoption", by Rhonda Jarema, MA, in the National Council for Adoption Newsletter, Adoption Advocate , No. 54, 2012. From the child's perspective, they have lived in the orphanage or in foster care for their entire life.  They are being asked to leave everything familiar behind.  The process of bonding during the initial visit with the new family is somewhat artificial and leaves the child with unnecessary anxiety.  Thoughts like, "Wha...

Jen and her husband, from Maryland, were in Russia on Christmas Eve awaiting their Court date when news of the adoption ban hit.  While they were in court, the judge decided to postpone their court date to early February. Jen and her husband left Russia Christmas morning with no child next to them but hopes still high that their son would be with them soon. This was their second trip to Russia.  They had already met their son and bonded with him.  Jen found out about the ban from the internet, not her adoption service provider or the U.S. government.  A lot of the information she has been closely following since she came home has been contradictory or confusing.  The Department of State has been reaching out to families more recently to provide some clarity, but the fate of Jen's son is still unknown.  For the past 5 years the couple had been setting aside money to start a family of their very own. It wasn’t until January of 2011 that the cou...