Filipino Ties program is one of 12 Motherland programs provided by the Ties Program. The emphasis of the program is to encourage the adoptees to visit their birth country in the company of their primary giver, in order to provide the needed support, to make the decision based on the need of the family. The decision to visit the birth country should be based on the needs of the family and if the time is right. Traveling in a group setting involves many family members, such as grandparents, siblings and other extended family. Another component of the Tie Program is the professional that accompanies the group to facilitate group discussions or support for folks who wish to talk about their adoption experience or travel experience to their birth country.

FILIPINO TIES

July 3 – 17, 2010

Watch Filipino Ties come to life on video!

Highlights:

• Visit people and places important in your life or that of your child*
• Ties Program  “Connect & Chat” for the kids and “Talk Times” for the adults
• Child Friendly and “Adoption Aware”
• Humanitarian Aid via Project Kindness-The Philippines

Filipino Ties begins in Manila and continues into the countryside. Witness the beauty of Lake Taal, experience one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes, and learn how a Jeepney is made.  Enjoy a day at Villa Escudero where Filipino culture and history come to life.  Journey to Cebu, the oldest city in The Philippines, where you will visit a school and the Cebu Children’s Shelter.  And, of course, time will be be available to relax on the beautiful beaches of this idyllic island.  Let the hospitality and graciousness of the Filipino people embrace you and the sound of children’s laughter at Samaritan’s Place and  House of Refuge captivate your heart.

The centerpiece of each family’s journey* will be a visit to your (or your child’s) orphanage. Members of the Intercountry Adoption Board (ICAB) anticipate your visit and look forward to welcoming the children, young adults (and their families) to the county where they were born.  With ICAB’s assistance, we will request permission for you to visit your (or your child’s) orphanage, meet caregivers and foster families, and travel to the place of  birth or founding.

The Ties program provides an adoption professional to facilitate optional discussion on all of our programs.  These discussions provide the group with an opportunity to process and understand what they are experiencing and how it relates to adoption.  These discussions and the friendships that are created along the way is what makes this kind of trip truly unforgettable.

WHAT FAMILIES HAVE TO SAY

“I think that the healthiest outcome of the trip for my daughter is that going with a large group ‘normalized’ her situation and her adoption story.”
~ Bonnie MacAdam
“A fabulous way for adoptive families to develop an understanding of the reasons and circumstances that resulted in their becoming a family.”
~David Johnson

“Your sensitivity to the needs of the children was so evident throughout the trip.  Tina came away with such a warm feeling for her heritage and a special bond with the kids who traveled with us.”
~Nan Gray

“For the first time in my life, I felt complete and at peace with who I am.”
~Landy Hancock, 18

“I got to see that my birth place is good and better understood the struggles my birth family went through.”
~Matt Ouellette, 14
“As a grandma, it was so great to see the full circle of adoption.”
~Barb Boersma (Grandma)

For more information, contact The Ties Program or Request an Informational Packet.

Pre-Register now for a future year, so that we can hold your spot!

*Possibilities for visiting people and places important in the life of your child

Bahay Kalinga Orphanage
Cebu Hope Center
Charisma Bethel Children’s Home
Children’s Shelter of Cebu
Concordia Children’s Home
Easter Village Orphanage
Haven of Hope Orphanage
House of Mary Villa
House of Refuge
InterCountry Adoption Board Offices (ICAB)
Jireh Children’s Home
Kalinga ng Ama Shelter for Children
Love The Children Foundation
Mount Zion Orphanages
Nehemiah House for Girls
Norfil Foundation
Orphanage House of Joy
Philippine Vision Ministry
Precious Heritage Children’s Home
Sacred Portion Children’s Outreach
Samaritan’s Place
Sampaloc Tany Rizal Children’s Home
Shalom Bata Rescue Centre
Shepherds Arms Children’s Home
Spirit and Life Mission House, Inc.
St. Joseph House
Subic’s Bay Children’s Home
See something missing above? Or, are there other people or places on your “dream list?”    Please email us. We are always open to helping you with other connections.

The Ties Program does not endorse any of the places listed above, but rather offers them as places families have indicated they may want to visit.

read comments (0)

Washington deputy mayor a Filipina
By Jose Katigbak, STAR Washington bureau (The Philippine Star) Updated April 24, 2010 12:00 AM

Santos

WASHINGTON – Valerie Santos is a Filipina in a hurry.

She wants to make a difference as Washington’s deputy mayor for planning and economic development and frets there are not enough hours in a day to get things done to bring growth and prosperity to the district.

Appointed in June 2009, she is one of the most visible and highest ranking Filipino Americans in public office.

Santos, 36, is responsible for implementing Mayor Adrian Fenty’s economic development vision and managing a development pipeline worth more than $13 billion comprising public-private housing, retail, office and parks projects throughout the district.

It’s a big job and she describes it variously as exhilarating, exciting, humbling and, for some perverse reason, fun.

In an interview with The STAR, she said her father Dante Santos was the eldest of nine children, all of whom grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Pasig with their parents.

The Santoses had a small 10 x 10 ft. shop in a local market which sold sewing, quilting and embroidery supplies, buttons and clasps and threads.

“My grandparents raised the family in a sewing notions store in a local palenke (market),” she said. “That’s how they put their children to school.”

She said her father, originally from Bulacan, emigrated to the United States in the 1960s after college in search of a better life and received his MBA at Santa Clara University in California.

Her mother Milagros was born and raised in Zamboanga, the eldest of five children. She also emigrated to the US in the 1960s, first to Cincinnati and later to California.

“Among the things I learned from my parents is the value of education and hard work,” Santos said.

Like many Filipinos who come to America, she said her parents worked hard to be able to send money home to help their families.

Her mother paid for the education of several of her siblings.

“She put off her life and didn’t get married until she was 40 to be able to help her family,” she said.

Valerie, born and raised in San Francisco, is an only child.

She is a graduate of Santa Clara University and earned her MBA at Harvard Business School and a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

After finishing college in 1994 at the age of 20 she went to the Philippines for one year to get to know the rest of her family – she has 22 first cousins on her father’s side and 15 first cousins on her mother’s side – and to give back to the community.

She joined the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines (JVP) Foundation, Inc., a volunteer organization that sends fresh graduates and young professionals to under-resourced communities nationwide for one year.

Volunteers are prepared and assisted by the foundation in developing the skills necessary to address basic community needs whether as teachers, campus ministers, parish or community development workers.

Santos was sent to Ateneo de Zamboanga where she taught three classes of freshmen English and one class of senior literature. She lived in a dorm and received a stipend equivalent to $120 a month.

“I have always been passionate about public service and about using my many privileges in life, whether they be the privilege of education or the privilege of being born in the US to help people,” she said.

Philippine Ambassador Willie Gaa called on her two weeks ago and found her to be a “very decisive and personable lady.”

She is also “substantantive and supportive” and willing to be more active in the Filipino-American community in the area, Gaa said.

Maurice Owens said she and about a dozen other Filipino-American community leaders in the Washington area also met with Santos in October soon after her confirmation as deputy mayor, and described her as “approachable, welcoming, charming and vivacious.”

“It’s nice to see a smart Filipina up there,” Owens said.

Prior to becoming deputy mayor, Santos served as the Planning and Economic Development Office’s chief operating officer. Before joining the district government she worked with real estate groups where she specialized in urban public-private development.

According to the official District of Colombia website, the Office of the Deputy Mayor is charged with bringing federal, nonprofit and private and community partners together to expand the district’s economic base, attract and retain businesses, bring good-paying jobs for residents and promote the city as a competitive, welcoming place to do business.

“The scope of what I do is what gets me excited – developing affordable housing for people, looking to improve our waterfront, finding more jobs for our work force – there is such a breath of issues and diversity across the city that we have an opportunity to touch all aspects of life while advancing the mayor’s core mission of increasing tax revenue and promoting growth,” she said.

Santos visits the Philippines regularly.

“I was there in 2003 and 2006 and it’s definitely time to pay a visit again,” she said.

Her paternal grandmother, Iluminada or Lola Luming as she calls her, still lives in Pasig on Lopez Jaena street.

Santos speaks emotionally of the sacrifices her grandparents and parents went through to improve the lot of the family and says that “even when I am having the worst possible day, I know how fortunate I am compared with those who came before me.”

“People tell me it’s exciting to see a Filipino-American doing well because of hard work and all that. I feel honored but don’t consciously try to see myself as a role model,” she said.

It is unfortunate Filipinos have to go overseas to make their mark because “with so much energy and intellect in the Philippines all one needs there is a chance,” she said.

Asked what her normal day was like, she replied, “I don’t know if I have one. I typically work 14 hours a day and I find the work fun.”

“But I do make time for friends, for other things that are important to me.”

She relaxes by reading, spending time with friends and cooking for them and hanging out with her dog and her cat.

She says she is a good cook but cooks Filipino food only when her parents visit her.

With White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and Deputy Mayor Valerie Santos leading the way, Filipinas are making inroads in the capital city of the world’s only superpower.

read comments (0)

Brillante Mendoza’s “Lola” screens at Tribeca Film Festival on April 22-24

Cannes-winning Filipino Director Brillante Mendoza (“Kinatay”, 2009) returns with a powerful drama of struggle and redemption. After premiering in last year’s Venice Film Festival, “Lola” (Tagalog for “Grandmother”) has won major prizes at the Dubai and Miami international fests.

Two elderly matriarchs bear the consequences of a crime involving their grandsons: One is murdered, the other is the suspect. As the intense financial strains of a burial and legal case weigh on both women, they individually traipse around the prisons, funeral homes, and courtrooms of Manila amidst torrents of rain, while simultaneously struggling to maintain their families’ lives in the makeshift shacks built along the city’s rising waterways. Face-to-face with each other, they work together to reach a common, if compromised, resolution.

Capturing the desperate and frantically beautiful texture of the urban Manila landscape, Lola confirms the depth and range of Filipino director Brillante Mendoza’s vision. Anita Linda and Rustica Carpio deliver incisive performances as the two determined leads in writer Linda Casimiro’s penetrating critique of the criminal justice system, its accompanying bureaucracy, and the incomplete quest for justice and reconciliation. (From the program notes of the Tribeca Film Festival.)

Buy tickets now to screenings of “Lola” at the Tribeca Film Festival HERE.

Or visit this URL: http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/lola-film27264.html

Primary Cast: Anita Linda, Rustica Carpio, Tanya Gomez, Jhong Hilario, Ketchup Eusebio
Director: Brillante Mendoza
Screenwriter: Linda Casimiro
Producer: Didier Costet
Editor: Kats Serraon
Director of Photography: Odyssey Flores
Production Designer: Dante Mendoza
Composer: Teresa Barrozo

read comments (0)

Unfortunately this is not an April Fool’s Day joke. Adam Carolla chose to use very degrading and racist remarks about

Manny Pacqauiao, the Filipino culture and our people. Please view the video and the sign the petition.

———————————————————————————-

Dear Kababayan, Friends, and Allies,

Radio host and comedian Adam Carolla has recently made several
disparaging remarks about Manny Pacquiao and Filipinos. He has
insinuated that Filipinos “pray to chicken bones” and that the
Philippines is nothing but “Manny Pacquiao and sex tours.”

Hear more about his hate here:
(Warning: This is vulgar and may not be suitable for children).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOSqFWwdtAE&feature=player_embedded

As a community, we  must stand up again and let it be known that we
will not allow such hateful words to be made about our community.
These messages of hate help to promote the negative stereotypes about
Filipinos and Filipino Americans and we must put an end to it.

Please read and sign the petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/FilAmAC/petition.html

And please forward this to your colleagues, family, and friends.

Sincerely,

Kevin Nadal, PhD

read comments (0)

The Gene Siskel Film Center and the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media present the 15th edition of Asian American Showcase (April 2-15), Chicago’s only film and arts festival of the Asian-American experience with nine fiction features, eight documentaries, and two shorts programs, plus special events. Highlights include opening night movie The People I’ve Slept With with director Quentin Lee in person; closing night Indian-American movie Raspberry Magic; as well as festival favorite Children of Invention; and powerful documentaries Going Home, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, and Wo Ai Ni Mommy, which focus on the Asian adoptee experience.

Some films that we thought may interest you from our showcase:

Going Home; Directed by Jason Hoffman

Saturday, April 3, 5:00 pm

Going Home is an intimate record of filmmaker Hoffman’s first trip to Korea for the purpose of meeting the birth mother who gave him up for adoption more than twenty years before. Through his experience he has confronted situations that will alter his identity.

Wo Ai Ni Mommy; Directed by Stephanie Wang-Breal

Saturday, April 10, 3:30 pm

Wo Ai Ni Mommy (which translates to I love you Mommy) follows an adoptee Fang Sui Yong, soon to be known by her American name Faith, in her journey of assimilating into the U.S. culture. While her Long Island family ponders what cultural pitfalls the future may bring.

Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam; Directed by Tammy Nguyen Lee

Sunday, April 11, 3:15 pm

Operation Babylift brought 2500 Vietnamese infants to the U.S. for adoption in the final days of the Vietnam War. Now in there thirties they describe their experience of alienation and discrimination and their search for their family and culture of birth.

To find out more about the festival, visit http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/aashowcase2010

Tickets are $10/general admission, $7/students, $5/members. Tickets are available at the Film Center Box Office. Hours: 5pm-9pm Monday-Friday, 2pm-9pm Saturdays, 2pm-6pm Sunday. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 800-982-2787, visiting www.ticketmaster.com, or visiting any Ticketmaster outlet

The Gene Siskel Film Center is located at 164 N. State Street. Our phone number is 312-846-2600. For more information, visit our website: www.siskelfilmcenter.org or call our movie hotline at 312-846-2800

read comments (0)

Take a look at some of these movies available on Netflix. The Filipino movies with English subtitles are a great tool for folks wishing to learn the Filipino language. Bare in mind that the movie style is nothing like blockbuster American films so prepare yourself for controversial subject matter but that is reflective of life in the Philippines.

Read more about Cinema of the Philippines

Filipino American:

Talented high school senior Ben dreams of going to art school, much to the dismay of his strict immigrant father. The struggle between his family’s Filipino traditions and his own American dreams explodes on the night of his sister’s 18th birthday party, when he’s pressured by family to attend the event instead of hanging with his white friends.

Starring: Dante Basco, Eddie Garcia
Director: Gene Cajayon
Genre: Independent
Format: DVD
Language: English
Subtitles: English …

For language

Filipino with English subtitles:

Please note that some of the film titles in Filipino do not offer english subtitles. Many films directed by Fil/Fil-Ams are rather difficult to view in theatres and are difficult to find in video stores on line or elsewhere. CineFilipino has collaborated with leading independent film makers to provide the best collection of films for purchase and provides previews. Some notable titles that you can preview and can be purchased on CineFilipino. The following films are available on Netflix: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, Crying Ladies, Imelda, Magnifico, Manila By Night, Slow Jam King.

Voyeurism leads to a perilous affair in director Chito Roño’s suspenseful tale. Abandoned by his wife, Mitch (Richard Gomez) finds respite from his depression by spying on beautiful new neighbor Jack (Rosanna Roces); next thing you know, the pair becomes intimately acquainted. But trouble lies ahead: It seems that Jack’s lover (John Estrada) has ties to Manila’s underworld, and Mitch soon finds himself in grave danger.

Starring: Rosanna Roces, Richard Gomez
Director: Chito S. Roño
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Babae Sa Breakwater

(2004)

Woman of Breakwater

Starring: Katherine Luna, Kristoffer King
Director: Mario O’Hara
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

(2006)

Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros

Maxi (Nathan Lopez) is a sensitive 12-year-old boy whose life has deteriorated into a surrogate existence of his dead mother. Relegated to housekeeping and caring for his criminal father and brothers, Maxi is befriended by a kind and honorable policeman (J.R. Valentin) eager to show the boy a more respectable way of life. Auraeus Solito’s compassionate drama filmed on the streets of Manila features music from Filipino rock legend Pepe Smith.

Starring: Nathan Lopez, Soliman Cruz
Director: Auraeus Solito
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD and streaming
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English
Awards: Independent Spirit Awards® Nominee …

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Leaving her son (John Vladimir Manalo) behind in the Philippines, grade school teacher Sarah (Sharon Cuneta) travels to London, where she reunites with her husband (John Estrada), takes a job as a nursing home caregiver, and struggles with a variety of personal and professional problems. While working with challenging clients and helping a troubled youth, Sarah wonders if the extra income is worth her husband’s crumbling confidence.

Starring: Sharon Cuneta, Jhong Hilario
Director: Chito S. Roño
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Crying Ladies

(2004)

Charged with organizing his father’s funeral, Wilson Chua (Eric Quizon) hires three professional mourners with plenty of problems and enough tears to flood Manila in this heartwarming comedy. Desperate for cash, Stella (Sharon Cuneta) is happy to take the weeklong gig crying at the traditional Chinese funeral, but the stage is set for disaster when she brings B-movie actress Chua (Hilda Koronel) and the adulterous Choleng (Angel Aquino) along.

Starring: Sharon Cuneta, Hilda Koronel
Director: Mark Meily
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog, English …
Subtitles: English

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Imelda

Magnifico

(2003)

With a daughter who suffers from cerebral palsy and a son who’s lost his much-needed scholarship, an impoverished married couple begins to abandon their faith and courage in the face of such misfortune. But when a gifted young boy called Magnifico uses his goodness to magically transform their lives for the better, the family’s belief in miracles is restored. Suddenly, living with adversity doesn’t seem like such a burden.

Starring: Jiro Manio, Lorna Tolentino
Director: Maryo J. De los Reyes
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

Unrated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Bernal

(1980)

Set in Manila’s edgiest hoods, Ishmael Bernal’s ensemble drama explores the Philippine capital’s seedier characters, including pimps, pushers and poverty-stricken prostitutes. A drug-dealing lesbian, a blind bathhouse worker and a gay clothing designer figure prominently into this unflinching trip through Manila’s dark alleys. The talented cast features Cherie Gil, Mitch Valdez, Charito Solis, Orestes Ojeda, Rio Locsin and Bernardo Bernardo.

Starring: Lorna Tolentino, Alma Moreno
Director: Ishmael Bernal
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Spirit Warriors

(2000)

In this eerie thriller from the Philippines, a group of high schoolers finds themselves contending with more than the usual teen angst issues. It seems they’ve run afoul of Ulanaya, a menacing, shape-shifting ghost bent on creating terror and pandemonium throughout the land. Can these adolescent, amateur ghost hunters summon the mettle to square off against — and vanquish — such a formidable otherworldly nemesis?

Starring: Joel Alano, Roy Alvarez
Director: Chito S. Roño
Genre: Foreign
Format:
Language: Tagalog

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Slow Jam King

(2004)

When would-be gangsta JoJo (Ron Domingo) carjacks traveling perfume hawker Vance (Whitney Melton), JoJo’s best friend (D.K. Bowser) tags along to keep things on an even keel in this offbeat indie comedy from the Philippines. The mismatched threesome soon finds themselves on an adventurous road trip to Nashville, Tenn., where they discover the truth about the country music capital’s seamy underside.

Starring: Ron Domingo, Whitney Melton
Director: Steven E. Mallorca
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Yamashita: The Tiger’s Treasure

(2001)

In Filipino director Chito Roño’s adventure yarn, World War II veteran Lolo Melo (Armando Goyena) enjoys regaling his grandson Jobert (Danilo Barrios) with war stories, one of which includes Lolo’s participation in burying the famed Yamashita treasure. When Jobert heads to Manila to unearth the cache, little does he know that he has competition: A shadowy G-man (Albert Martinez) and a soldier of fortune (Vic Diaz) are also in pursuit of the loot.

Starring: Armando Goyena, Danilo Barrios
Director: Chito S. Roño
Genre: Foreign
Format: DVD
Language: Tagalog
Subtitles: English

Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

read comments (0)

The deadline to submit your Census form is April 1st. This is the first time that ‘Filipino’ will be listed as its own category. Please, if you or a family member has at least 1/16th of Filipino blood – check ‘Filipino’ on the form. As the forerunner to become the largest Asian American group, “the 2010 Census will determine the federal budget allocation to every state, county, city, town and district across the nation for basic services such as education, health care, job training, transportation, senior services and other services critical to everyone who lives and stays in this country.”

‘Filipino’ to Be Listed as Own Category in Census 2010

Filipino Reporter, Posted: Dec 15, 2009

Filipinos living in the United States shall now be counted in the 2010 Census as Filipinos and not merely as part of an Asian ethnic group, according to the Filipino Reporter. They now have a box of their own to describe their ethnicity as a separate and distinct group of people from Asia living in the U.S.

This was announced by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Region 1 and the U.S. Bureau of Census on Nov. 28 at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan as they launched their partnership in Census 2010 .

The 2010 Census will provide the U.S. Government with a population count for each of its 50 states inclusive of the people living in their counties, cities, towns and districts.These data will be the basis for the American federal government to determine how many representatives the people should have in the U.S. Congress, as well as in every state, county, city and town legislature or council.

Equally important, these data from the 2010 Census shall be the basis of the federal budget allocation to every state, county, city, town and district across the nation for basic services such as education, health care, job training, transportation, senior services and other services critical to everyone who lives and stays in this country.

read comments (0)

At some point as adoptees, we wonder about the woman that gave us life, the caregivers that looked after us, what our medical history is, what physical attributes were passed down to us and so on. It is not an easy decision to start a search considering the many implications, frustrations, or worries that may raise.  Just know that you are not alone.

FAN has assisted dozens of adoptees and families who have inquired about search and reunion. Through the Network we’ve connected with adult adoptees who have begun their search and a handful who have successfully reunited with their birth family. Our close partnership with the  Intercountry Adoption Board has also provided needed assistance.

Feel free mail info@filipino-adoptees-network if you have an inquiries.

* Please note that if you are under the age of 18 years old, you MUST have the consent of your legal guardian to initiate a search and reunion.

* There is no guarantee that a search will be successful but this should not deter you from doing so. A search can actually provide unknown information that you were unaware of and can sometimes fill the gaps in your adoption story.

Before you decide to contact ICAB, the following information will be very helpful. It can be found on your birth certificate or the case study conducted before your adoption.

- Date of Birth

- Location of Birth

- Name of orphanage in the Philippines if you resided in one before your adoption

- Whether your adoption was private or not

- Name of foreign adoption agency i.e. U.S agency

- Date of adoption

- Name of birth mother

The Intercountry Adoption Board oversees all international (and domestic) adoptions and also has a team that provides post adoption services to assist you in your search. You can request for your original birth certificate and adoption records although if you were privately adopted prior to the 1980′s there is no guarantee of such records.

SERVICES OFFERED BY ICAB FOR SEARCH AND REUNION:

Counseling about adoption issues.

Access to original birth certificate

Provision of adoption records

Assistance to interpret and clarify information in the records

Search assistance  to find birth family and relatives.

Other intermediary services for adoptive parents, birth parents  and relatives.

Motherland Tour

RECORD KEEPING/DATA BANK/ DOCUMENTATION

• DSWD Archive
• Inter-Country Adoption Board

PROCEDURES:

A. Search process:

• The intent to search may be allowed only upon the personal request made by either  the adult adoptee, adopter or the biological parent/s. Minors who are interested to search for his/her biological parent/s shall be represented by his/her adoptive parents.
• The request must be made in writing  by whoever intends to trace his/her roots to the Executive Director  of the Inter-Country Adoption Board.
• Assess and determine the motivations and preparedness of the individual  to pursue the search.
• Identifying information e.g., names, address, personal  background etc. may be shared only between  and among the adult adoptee, adoptive parents and his/her birth parents and only of they give their written consent.
• Non-identifying  information e.g., medical records circumstances which lead to the adoption of child but not  necessarily  divulging  the identity  of concerned individual etc. may be made available  to both adoptive parents/s and birth parents and the adoptee under 18 years old.
• The use of tri-media.

B. Meeting/Reunion:

• Approval/Consent from the birth parents, adoptive parents and the adoptee must be secured before  contact and/or  reunion with each other can be arranged.]
• When reunion is decided, preparations of all concerned must be carefully planned to avoid any possible  negative experience. The social worker must also consider the decision and the readiness of  the adoptee  and the biological parent/s on whether to involve  the significant  person/s in their  present lives.
• The timing of any approach  to family members  is very critical  and incredibly important at this point. The social worker  must be aware of the impact  on all parties desiring contact. He/She  must  be able  to offer  a mediating approach  to support  people at  this time, and to try  and negotiate and agreeable outcome for all concerned, while  at the same time  providing  support the process.
• The birth parent/s and the adoptee  must be given time and space to arrive at a decision at how their lives will move on after the reunion.

read comments (0)