Category: Equity
Heritage in Community
While I was working with the International Korean Adoptee Association (IKAA) this summer, I conducted some internal research on search and reunion and reconnection with cultural heritage among Korean American adoptees. Below I share a few points I came to...
Preserving Connections: Rethinking the approach to cultural identity
Three questions we MUST ASK, in order to change the way we help children stay connected with their cultural identity and their families? 1) Shouldn’t ALL of our child protection laws be like the Indian Child Welfare Act? This is ...
Keeping Culture Alive
Families and Adoption Agency Team up to Preserve Korean Culture
Preserving cultural identity across borders can be difficult. Jim and Monica Frye experienced this struggle first hand as they expanded their family by means of intercountry adoption. The Frye’s live in Queen Creek, Arizona with their 3 children Dylan (24),...
The Key to the Future of Cultural Identity is Hidden in our Past
The Social Welfare History Archives at the University of Minnesota Libraries (SWHA) documents the complex history and legacy of child welfare policies and programs. The historical records at SWHA are a resource for understanding adoption and foster care systems, public...
Joshua’s Story – International Kinship Care
Ten years ago, baby Joshua was in a precarious situation. Removed from his mother’s care and with no other family placement options in Australia, Joshua was placed in foster care. Being raised in foster care was the likely trajectory of...
Equity in Permanency
The importance of cultural identity for ALL children
A condensed history of ISS-USA For almost 100 years, ISS-USA has helped to reunite families separated by borders. Our early history addressed the needs of women traveling alone or with children from Europe to the Americas following World War I....
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Jena Martin's preface to her own article: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - A New Way of Looking at the Intercountry Adoption Debate It’s funny how things work out. Seventeen years ago, I wrote an article. My original ...
Family Reunification: Including Transnational Families
The Glaring Gap in Family-Finding and Family-Placement
Tom Rawlings in Response to Equity in Permanency Planning by International Social Service-USA (ISS-USA) Over the past few years, many state and tribal child welfare agencies have made great progress placing children with relatives if those children have suffered maltreatment...