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Hi everyone,
I'm completely new to this forum and furthermore English isn't my native language, so I hope I didn't forget anything important or doing anything wrong... if yes, please excuse.
I have a question concerning the Hague rules for intercountry adoption USA - Germany.
My partner and I are both German and live in Germany, considering to adopt from USA (which is just one of a small number of countries we're having a closer look at, we've not made a final decision yet). We'd wish to adopt a sibling group of older children (maximum age would be 8-10 for the oldest sibling) from foster care. We already have found some online information like at adoption photolisting etc.
Our main problem at the moment is that we don't understand how to get it started or even make a first request correctly according to Hague rules (Germany is Hague member).
In Germany there's no agency for US Adoptions. Would it be allowed to work with an American agency?
And is it legal to adopt without involving governmental child protective service (the German one)? We've heared that due to the fact that intercountry adoption is much more common in the USA than here, American social workers are much more competent in that field than our German officials (and, besides that, more understanding, less bureaucratic, more friedly and having a higher opinion of international adoptions).
The only way to find out something about these things here, is to ask German child protective service workers themselves - which doesn't seem to be a good idea for us, as it may sound for them like "We want to avoid working together with you if it's at all possible".
On the other hand we're afraid to maybe do something illegal if we just contact an American agency first.
Could anyone provide some help? Of course I know that this is not the case many of you might be experienced in, but maybe you just have a better knowledge of Hague intercountry adoption requirements than we do...?
Last update on November 17, 10:25 am by Sachin Gupta.
Adoptions from the U.S. foster care system to other countries are fairly uncommon. Except in the case of relative adoptions, they usually involve the most difficult to place children -- specifically, children with very significant physical, mental, or emotional challenges, or teenagers.
The needs of the children -- especially the emotional or behavioral needs -- may or may not be described fully on websites, to protect privacy. As an example, it may be written that a child should be the only child in the adoptive home, and that may be a clue to the fact that he/she may have a history of trying to harm others physically or sexually, or it may just mean that he/she has a great many challenges that could stress a family with other children. You should always try to get as much information about a child as possible before deciding to adopt him/her, as some of the conditions could be beyond your capabilities -- for example, a child who was exposed to alcohol prenatally and has signficant learning, impulse control, and other challenges.
Looking at the website of the U.S. State Department at adoption.state.gov and at the website of the Hague Convention , I saw several government entities in Germany that are likely to be involved in both completing a Hague adoption and getting the overseas child immigrated to Germany. Try contacting the following to see what you have to do on your end:
The German federal agency that is involved:
Bundesamt fr Justiz
Bundeszentralstelle fr Auslandsadoption
Adenauerallee 99-103
53113 BONN
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
num켩ro de tlphone/telephone number: +49 (228) 99 410 5414 / 5415
num驩ro de tlcopie/telefax number: +49 (228) 99 410 5402
e-mail: auslandsadoption@bfj.bund.de
website: [url=http://www.bundesjustizamt.de/cln_048/nn_258430/DE/Themen/Zivilrecht/BZAA/BZAA__node.html?__nnn=true]BfJ Auslandsadoption[/url]
The government agencies for the various regions; you would contact the one where you live:
Baden-W驼rttemberg
Kommunalverband fr Jugend und Soziales Baden-Wrttemberg
Dezernat Jugend
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Lindensp켼rstr. 39
70176 STUTTGART
numros de tl驩phone/telephone numbers: +49 (711) 6375-0
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (711) 6375-449
e-mail: zas@kvjs.de
Bayern
Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales
Bayerisches Landesjugendamt
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Marsstr. 46
80335 Mnchen
numro de t쩩lphone/telephone number: +49 (89) 1261-04
numro de t驩lcopie/telefax number: +49 (89) 1261-2280
e-mail: poststelle@zbfs-blja.bayern.de
Berlin und Brandenburg
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle der Lnder Berlin und Brandenburg im Landesjugendamt des Landes Brandenburg
Hans-Wittwer-Strasse 6
16321 BERNAU
num餩ro de tlphone/telephone number: +49 (3338) 701-828
num驩ro de tlcopie/telefax number: +49 (3338) 701-863
e-mail: gabriele.adamczewski@lja.brandenburg.de
Gemeinsame Zentrale Adoptionsstelle der L驤nder Freie Hansestadt Bremen, Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, Niedersachsen und Schleswig-Holstein (GZA) - bei der Behrde fr Soziales und Familie der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg-
GZA
S漼dring 32
22303 HAMBURG
numro de tl驩phone/telephone number: +49 (40) 428-63-5006
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (40) 428-63-5188
e-mail & Internet: GZA@bsg.hamburg.de / link to website
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Landschaftsverband Rheinland
Landesjugendamt
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Kennedy-Ufer 2
40663 Kln
telephone number: +49 (221) 809 - 4042
telefax number: +49 (221) 809 - 6252
e-mail: anke.muetzenich@lvr.de
Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe
LWL-Landesjugendamt Westfalen
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Warendorfer Str. 27
48145 MNSTER
num朩ro de tlphone/telephone number: +49 (252) 591-6585
num驩ro de tlcopie/telefax number: +49 (252) 591-6898
e-mail: ruth.schuerbuescher@lwl.org
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Landesamt f驼r Gesundheit und Soziales Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Abteilung Jugend und Familie/Landesjugendamt
Aussenstelle Neubrandenburg
Neustrelitzer Str. 120, Block D
17033 NEUBRANDENBURG
numro de tl驩phone/telephone number: +49 (395) 380-3320
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (395) 380-3302
e-mail: poststelle.lja@lagus.mv-regierung.de
Rheinland-Pfalz und Hessen
Gemeinsame Zentrale Adoptionsstelle Rheinland-Pfalz und Hessen
Landesamt fr Soziales, Jugend und Versorgung
Rheinallee 97-101
55118 MAINZ
Postfach 2964
55019 MAINZ
numro de t쩩lphone/telephone number: +49 (6131) 967-0
numro de t驩lcopie/telefax number: +49 (6131) 967-320
e-mail: gza@lsjv.rlp.de
Saarland
Ministerium fr Bildung, Familie, Frauen und Kultur
Landesjugendamt
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Hohenzollernstr. 60
66117 SAARBR鼜CKEN
numro de tl驩phone/telephone number: +49 (0681) 501 2083 / +49 (0681) 501 2084
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (0681) 501 3416
e-mail: r.hilpert@bildung.saarland.de / d.doerr@bildung.saarland.de
Sachsen
Schsisches Staatsministerium fr Soziales
Landesjugendamt
SG4: Familienbildung, Hilfen zur Erziehung, Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Parkstra伟e 28
09120 Chemnitz
numro de tl驩phone/telephone number: +49 (371) +49 (371) 24081 184/185
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (371) 4510 054 941/945
e-mail: Zentrale.Adoptionsstelle@slfs.sms.sachsen.de
Sachsen-Anhalt
Landesverwaltungsamt
Landesjugendamt
Zentrale Adoptionsstelle
Ernst-Kamieth-Strasse 2
06112 HALLE
numro de tl驩phone/telephone number: +49 (345) 514-0
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (345) 514-1719
e-mail & Internet: zas@lvwa.sachsen-anhalt.de / link to website
Thringen
Thringer Ministerium f켼r Soziales, Familie und Gesundheit
Referat 35 / Landesjugendamt
- Zentrale Adoptionsstelle -
Werner-Seelenbinder-Str. 6
99096 ERFURT
numro de tl驩phone/telephone number: +49 (361) 3798 375
numro de tl驩copie/telefax number: +49 (361) 3798 830
e-mail: Brita.Fuchs@tmsfq.thueringen.de
If you see some children in state foster care in the U.S., whom you feel you might be able to parent, contact the foster care agency in the state where they are located. Ask if they would consider placing the children with an overseas family; there's no point in going further if the state feels that it prefers not to do so. If they do accept citizens of foreign countries living abroad, then ask how they would want you to proceed. Chances are, if they have ever done such adoptions, they will know how to get you started.
I hope this helps.
Sharon
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