Our Mission Statement:

For This Child, Inc. (FTC) was created to serve children who need permanent families.  FTC’s mission is to provide adoption services that meet the needs of the world’s children through adoption practices that comport with the best interests of the children and with basic human rights.  As an agency, FTC acts primarily in the best interests of the child and secondarily to provide the best, most comprehensive professional services to adopting families that it possibly can, consistent with its primary purpose.

Our policy on Hague compliance:

For This Child, Inc. (FTC) provides international adoption services.  As a matter of policy, FTC endeavors in all its actions to comply with the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the “Hague Treaty”).  FTC provides adoption services ethically and in accordance with the Hague Treaty’s principles of ensuring that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of children and preventing the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children.

The services we provide:

(1)  Identifying a child for adoption and arranging an adoption.

FTC will work with its foreign supervised provider to identify a child for referral to prospective adoptive parents consistent with the type of child prospective adoptive parents are approved to adopt in their home study.  At the time of referral, FTC will provide all available medical and social information available for the child.  FTC will work with its supervised providers to complete the adoption and will apprise prospective adoptive parents of the status of their case as information becomes available.

(2)  Providing supportive services to Adoptive Family. 

FTC will provide a trained case manager for prospective adoptive parents.  That case manager will be in regular contact with the prospective adoptive parents during the entire adoption process.  The case manager will be available to discuss the adoption process, steps in the prospective adoptive parents' case, basic emotions felt in the process, and paperwork completion.  The prospective adoptive parents will be aware that FTC has a Director of Social Services who is available for consultation at any time they feel the need for such consultation.  The case managers are trained to send highly emotional issues to this Director, so that the Director may assist the prospective adoptive parents in processing those feelings.

(3)  Securing the necessary consent to termination of parental rights and to adoption.

FTC will work with its foreign supervised provider to ensure that the process by which the birth parent’s rights are terminated is done in full accordance with the Hague Convention, the laws of the child's country of origin, and proper ethical standards.

(4)  Performing the home study on prospective adoptive parents and reporting on such a study.

FTC will coordinate with a qualified home study provider the completion of a home study on the prospective adoptive parents.  The home study will comply in all respects with the requirements of both U.S. and law of the country of origin of the child and regulations.  The home study will be provided to USCIS and no referral of a child for adoptive placement shall be made until USCIS has approved the prospective adoptive parents for adoption of a child or children from the appropriate country of origin.

(5)  Determination of the best interests of the child and the appropriateness of the adoptive placement for the child.

FTC shall identify a child for adoptive placement with prospective adoptive parents. Such identification shall include a determination that the adoptive placement would be in the child’s best interests, taking all relevant factors into account, including but not limited to the recommendation in the prospective adoptive parents’ home study.

(6)  Monitoring the case after the child has been placed with prospective adoptive parents until final adoption.

FTC shall ensure the provision of adequate medical and foster care for the child during the period between referral and final adoption.   For Guatemalan adoptions, FTC shall provide monthly medical reports, including photographs as made available to FTC, to the prospective adoptive parents throughout the process.  FTC shall monitor the adoption process in coordination with its foreign supervised provider and shall provide periodic updates to the prospective adoptive parents on the progress of the adoption.

(7)  Following the Adoptive Family during their initial adjustment following the arrival of the child into their home.

FTC will notify the home study provider of prospective adoptive parents' anticipated arrival home with the child.  FTC requires post adoption reports according to each countries guidelines and requirements.  FTC will make post adoption contact with prospective adoptive parents to ensure their transition is going well within one month of arrival home with the child.  FTC will be available for assistance and/or services if the family’s transition requires this or if the family’s adoption is in jeopardy.