NewsletterOctober2009

A Licensed Child Placing Agency & Home Study Provider

Newsletter 1 - October 2009

ARTICLES

Message from Angela

Adoption News

Re-Connecting with YOU!

Our newly "completed families"

Wellness Informatin

Questions & Answers

Read any good books lately?

Upcoming Events

Members of "our" family

Our "family" businesses

Welcome!

We are so excited to share this very special time for the Adoption & Family Support Center with all of "our" families. YOU are the reason the Center was established almost 20 years ago. Just as our agency was founded with you in mind, we would like you to

think of this as YOUR newsletter. In this, our first edition, we have included a variety of topics we hope will answer a few questions, generate some thought and just bring a smile to your face. We will touch on adoption issues in the news, parenting tips and even "check-in" with a few families to see how you have been. We hope that you will continue to let us share in

your incredible journey of adoption.

The Adoption & Family Support Center is proud to announce that we are A Licensed Child Placing Agency. Check out our website www.adoptflorida.cc to see all the other changes we have made. Are you on facebook? Become a fan. Or, are you really "hip"

and Tweet? You can join us on Twitter also.

Adoption News

The adoption tax credit--which currently lets families claim up to $12,150 per adoption--is set to expire in December 2010. Fortunately, there is a bill before Congress that would prevent the credit from being repealed and may make it permanent. Encourage your representatives to sign The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213

Adoption, while it can be an exciting time, also brings it share of scammers. A recent scammer has been confirmed in the New York & Florida areas.

July 22, 2009 was National Adoption Day. Please review the link from Govenor Charlie Christ on resources in regards to adoption.

Re-Connecting with YOU!

One of the best things about getting our Newsletter started was the opportunity to talk to each of you again. To hear how your families have grown and the joy adoption has brought, warms our hears. Click here to share in a few of these wonderful stories. Would you like to let us know how your family is doing? Send us your update afsc.afsc@gmail.com and pictures (if you would like) so we can include your special story in our next edition.

OUR NEWLY "COMPLETED FAMILIES"

For those of you who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of your "bundle of joy", we thought you would enjoy "meeting" one of new completed families. This section will feature families who are waiting for their child or who have recently finalized their adoption.

Wellness Information

This section is dedicated to the health and wellness of your family. A friend of the A&FSC, Michael Joseph, has written and article we think might interest you regarding Food Allergies. Meet Michael at our Adoption Celebration.

Questions & Answers

After nearly twenty years of experience with families touched by adoption, we have found that many of you are searching for the same information. We have also discovered that YOU are the source of great insight and answers to other families' questions. It is in this section that we hope to both gather your "wisdom" and add a bit of our own answer to questions. Please visit our blog to read answers to your most recent questions. You can e-mail us your questions and comments at afsc.afsc@gmail.com directly or feel free to BLOG!

Read any good books lately....

In our next edition, we will be reviewing some of our favorite books on Adoption and Parenting. Do you have any favorites that you would like to share? Let us know and we will pass them on afsc.afsc@gmail.com.

Upcoming/Recent Events

November is National Adoption Month - Please join us: November 7th

2:00pm - 5:00pm

Pendelton Club

1224 S. Peninsula Drive

Daytona Beach, FL

Please visit our "events" for more information on this exciting and fun-filled afternoon! Feel free to print out our flyer for this event!

Visit our "door prizes" for a sneek peak into the events' festivities! Exciting new door prizes are being added every day, so check in to see what's new!

Members of "our" family

ANGELA QUICK, M.P.A. – Founder, Adoption Social Worker, Birth Parent Counselor

EDNA L. BROWN, LMHC, M.A. – Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Please take a moment and read a "Word from Edna" welcoming everyone to our newsletter.

A WORD FROM EDNA....

Thank you for joining us in celebrating all of the exciting changes that are taking place at the Adoption &

Family Support Center! For those of you that are working with us currently, or have worked with us in the

past, you know that this is much more than just a job to us.

This type of work is a calling for us, a joy and a priviledge that we do not take for granted for one moment. We believe that each participant in the journey of adoption has a unique perspective and set of expectations, some of which they have defined, and others that are still to be discovered along the way.

Both birth parents and adoptive parents have their own personal vision of how this adoption will transpire; their own set of hopes, wishes and dreams. The most fulfilling and inspiring adoptions occur when these visions can be shared and birth parents and adoptive parents feel that they are respected and honored in the adoption process.

As partners in our adoption process, our primary goal is to assist you in shaping your adoption journey so that your hopes, wishes and dreams can be realized.

PAM HUNTER, Administrative Assistant

Pam is our in-house International Adoption guru. Please read her words of wisdom regarding "The 4 P's of International Adoption".

The 4 P's of International Adoption

Adopting internationally today requires:

Preparation, Paperwork, Patience and Post Placement

Preparation - is the decision making period during which you a) decide which country you would like to adopt from, b) research the requirements for adopting from that country and c) choose an adoption agency that works with that country. You can also prepare by ordering certified copies of paperwork you will need, such as birth certificates, marriage license and divorce decrees.

Paperwork – loads of paperwork – for your adoption agency, your home study provider and immigration. It will seem that some, if not much, of the paperwork you complete is redundant. However, it all goes different places and serves different purposes. Stay organized during this phase! The adoption agency is fulfilling their requirements with regard to their agency operation and meeting the requirements of the countries they work with. The home study paperwork is an assessment of your fitness and readiness to adopt as a family. The immigration paperwork is to ensure your approval to travel overseas and the child's approval to travel back with you to the United States.

Patience - is probably your most important tool in doing an international adoption. The preparation and paperwork phases are tedious and take time to accomplish. Once those are completed, you will be matched with a child through your agency. Each agency's methods of matching are different. Then there is the travel to your country of adoption. Some countries require more than one trip; others require stays of a certain length of time; it varies by country. From the point of signing on with an agency to the point of travel is usually between twelve and eighteen months, approximately.

Post Placement - takes place after you arrive home with your child. This is a monitoring period in which your home study provider visits you and reports back to the agency on the progress of the child and family adjustment. The length and frequency of post placement monitoring depends on the requirements of your county of adoption. The post placement reports being filed in a timely manner also keeps your agency in good standing with the country.

International adoption, while a lengthy process, is also a very rewarding one for many families. The Adoption & Family Support Center is here to help you make choices and work through the process of international adoption.

Our "family" Businesses

We are honored to display family run businesses' If you wish to post your business, please contact us at afsc.afsc@gmail.com