Hague Countries 
NOTICE - FLORIDA - 22 NOVEMBER 2011
A high level delegation from the Adoption Authority of Ireland, headed by the Chairman of the Authority, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, made an official visit to the US State Department in Washington on Friday 18th November 2011.
The visit took place within the context of a number of concerns which have arisen as regards the operational process and procedures around intercountry adoption from the USA, including the State of Florida.
The meeting was very informative and highly productive for both sides.
The matter will be considered as a priority item at the next meeting of the board of the Adoption Authority on this Tuesday next, 29th November 2011.
Further information will be posted to this website as soon as is possible thereafter.
NOTICE - FLORIDA - 28 OCTOBER 2011
A delegation from the AAI will travel to Washington on 17th November 2011 (returning 19th November) to meet with representatives of the State Department (the Central Authority for the USA under the Hague Convention) to discuss certain issues which have arisen concerning adoptions from Florida.
NOTICE- FLORIDA- 20 OCTOBER 2011
The Adoption Authority of Ireland is currently in the process of objectively examining the typical usual sequence of operational procedures and processes which are encountered by prospective Irish adopters when effecting an intercountry adoption in the US State of Florida, under the terms of the governing local State legislation within the sovereign State of Florida.
Since Ireland ratified the Hague Convention on 1st November 2010, it has been incumbent upon the Authority to satisfy itself that all intercountry adoptions undertaken into Ireland both satisfy the terms of the Convention itself and that all such adoptions are also compatible and compliant with the underlying provisions, ethos and assumptions of the new Adoption Act 2010.
In this regard, there are a number of critical and crucial aspects of routine adoption practice and procedure within the State of Florida which need to be examined by the Adoption Authority. It is noteworthy that these aspects appear to be common to virtually all inter-country adoptions by Irish adopters from that jurisdiction.
Following a request to the US Central Authority a delegation from the Adoption Authority will be travelling to the United States at the earliest possible date to meet with the Florida authorities and with the US State Department in Washington.
The matters in question are briefly:-
1. Birth mother consents - the circumstances around and situations within which, and the legal parameters governing, the securing of legal consent from natural birth mothers to the adoption.
2. ‘Subsidiarity’- an underlying tenet of best international practice within inter-country adoption holds that the option of intercountry adoption should be examined only after all other precedent options for the suitable care of the child within his/her country of birth have been examined and evaluated e.g. foster care with relatives or with strangers, domestic adoption by relatives or strangers in the country of origin etc.
3. Monetary consideration – it is a core tenet of Irish law and practice, and of Hague, that only reasonable levels of professional legal fees etc and provision of justifiable levels of reimbursement of expenses may be permitted.
4. Matching - the concept of professionally supervised and mediated matching is a core, fundamental and essential aspect of the Hague Convention. This requires that each child available for adoption should be carefully matched by qualified social care professionals with a suitable prospective adoptive parent(s) through the joint collaboration of the two ‘National Central Authorities’ of the respective ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ countries, or in the alternative, through the joint collaboration of two registered and accredited adoption mediation agencies, one in each of the respective countries, either working with each other directly or through the medium of the NCAs.
5. Birth father notification and consultation.
Ends
HAGUE COUNTRIES – FLORIDA - 13 SEPTEMBER 2011
The Adoption Authority of Ireland’s advisory of 13th April, 2011 noted the active consideration of intercountry adoption from the State of Florida, USA, and engagement between the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the US Central Authority on the issue. Further to this and other inquiries made, the AAI wishes to advise all prospective adoptive parents as follows:
· The Authority intends to enter into further discussions with the US Central Authority regarding adoptions from Florida by Irish applicants;
· The Authority intends to seek legal advices on a number of issues arising in respect of adoptions from that jurisdiction.
In the meantime, prospective adoptive parents should note the following:
1. Prospective adoptive parents who have already had a child placed with them or who already have an agreed adoption plan in place with an accredited adoption agency should contact the Authority as a matter of urgency regarding their case.
2. All other prospective adoptive parents who propose to adopt from Florida should not enter into any arrangements with adoption agencies or individual birth families until further advice has been provided by the Authority. Prospective adoptive parents who proceed after the posting of this notice will not have an application for an Article 17 considered until the Authority has clarified the matter further.
3. An Article 17 certificate determines that the State of Origin may entrust a child to prospective adoptive parents (Article 17 of the Hague Convention, as referenced in Schedule 1 of the Adoption Act, 2010 refers) and is a requirement to proceed to effect an adoption in accordance the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
4. Prospective adoptive parents who have recently been issued with Section 40 Declarations of Eligibility and Suitability in respect of Florida and who now wish to change their choice of country should contact the HSE or PACT(if they completed your assessment) in the first instance to seek an addendum report.
The Authority is committed to bringing further clarification to the situation for prospective adoptive parents as quickly as is possible. Further notices will be published on the Authority’s website.
13th September
NOTICE – FLORIDA – 13th April 2011
Intercountry adoption from the State of Florida, USA, is under active consideration by the AAI and is the subject of ongoing engagement with the US Central Authority. The outcome of these considerations will be posted on the website once a definitive conclusion has been reached.