How to foster a child in washington state

Become a Foster Parent | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families

Have you been thinking about or planning to become a foster parent? If so, we’re ready to help you with the next step in your journey.

By becoming a foster parent, you provide children and youth with a safe, loving, temporary home and make it possible for them to stay in the same school, participate in familiar activities, and stay connected to their parents and siblings.

If you think fostering may be right for you, please contact us! We will tell you more about becoming a foster parent and provide information about training, getting licensed, and the support we provide throughout a caregiver’s experience as a foster parent.

If you’d like someone to email you about fostering, complete the inquiry form and a member of the CaRES team will email you within 48 business hours.
If you’d like to talk to someone about fostering, call 1-888-KIDS-414.
If you’d like to read more information about fostering, check out our Becoming a Foster Parent FAQ or read the information below.

If at any time you have a question, we encourage you to contact the CaRES team who can address your question and provide support.

Introduction

What is foster care?

Foster care is a safe, loving, temporary home for children who must live away from their family due to abuse or neglect. Children and youth who enter foster care come from culturally diverse families, communities and backgrounds. The goal of foster care is to safely reunite children with their birth families whenever possible.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) seeks prospective foster parents who can:

provide daily care and support for each child, based on his or her unique needs,
work in partnership with DCYF as part of the child’s team, and
become prepared through on-going training to gain greater skill in meeting the diverse needs of children who enter foster care.

What is the role of a foster parent?

Foster parents help support families in a time of crisis. They work as a team with the child’s case worker; they are dedicated to protecting children and, offering hope to each child’s family. Their impact reaches far beyond the child in their care; they provide a positive influence across the community. They love, coach, mentor, wipe tears, celebrate, support and encourage the child in their home. Foster parenting is filled with both challenges and opportunities. It can be challenging to parent children who come with difficult histories. Becoming a foster parent is an opportunity to care for children who can benefit greatly from your love and support.

As a foster parent you can make a difference for a child in your community by changing lives one child at a time. Foster parents believe in investing in the future of our children. If you think foster parenting might be right for you and your family, please read more about becoming a foster parent in Washington.

Whether you are married, single, gay or straight, divorced or widowed; if you live in an apartment or a house; have a stay-at-home partner or not; you can be a foster parent. The state provides financial reimbursement for the cost of caring for foster children. We hope you are ready to learn more about becoming a foster family. Washington’s foster parent recruitment phone line: 1-888-KIDS-414, provides information and can answer your questions – take a minute to call, because you don’t know what you’re missing!

Are you ready to begin the process now? Please complete our questionnaire about becoming a foster parent – you will receive a personal contact within 2 business days.

Who are the Children in Foster Care

Children in foster care come from a variety of diverse backgrounds, ethnic and cultural populations and each child has unique strengths and needs. They have been temporarily separated from their families while the Department of Children, Youth, and Families works with their family to safely return them home whenever possible.

Children range in age from birth to age 21 years. Many have brothers or sisters in foster care with them. Most have experienced abuse or neglect. Some children have special needs; they may be physically, behaviorally, mentally or emotionally challenged. Some may need foster parents with special caregiving skills due to their physical health issues or developmental delays. Infants may be medically fragile and some children have challenges due to a parent’s prior drug or alcohol abuse.

All foster children are affected by the separation from their family. Sometimes this stress and worry shows up in their behavior. Some children have not experienced the usual routines of family life and need extra understanding and patience.

Children enter foster care through no fault of their own. However, children or youth who have faced trauma sometimes have learned behaviors to keep themselves safe, or to meet their needs in other ways. Foster parents offer a loving and nurturing home where each child can feel safe and is celebrated for his or her unique gifts.

When you become a foster parent, you become part of a team that is dedicated to protecting children, supporting families, and helping young people develop their fullest potential. Foster care is all about teamwork.

Licensing Requirements

What is Foster Care and How Can I Become Licensed?

Foster care is designed to be a temporary living situation for children and youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or the death of their caregivers. A safe return home is the primary goal.

Foster families bring children into their homes and hearts, creating a safe and secure place to grow until reunification. For some children, an alternative permanent home must be found.

To be considered for a foster care license, applicants who are not related to the child must:

Be at least 21 years of age.
Have sufficient income to support themselves without relying on foster care payments.
Discipline children in a positive manner without the use of physical punishment.
Provide supervision appropriate to the age or specific behavior of the child as outlined by the social worker.
Complete training:
- Caregiver Core Training
- First Aid/CPR, Blood Borne Pathogens

Any adult living in a potential foster home must:

Complete a background clearance check with the FBI and Washington State Patrol.
Submit Tuberculosis (TB) Screening.

Youth ages 16 to 18 in the household must complete a Washington State Patrol check.

Washington State laws about foster home licensing are covered by the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). You can review the foster parenting WACs on our Guidelines, Laws & Rules page.

Go to our licensing requirements page to learn more about getting licensed

What to Expect

DCYF values our kinship and licensed caregivers and all they do to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of the children in their care. We are committed to actively supporting both prospective and current caregivers. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 impacts, DCYF is currently in between service providers who would traditionally be able to provide individual support and guidance to caregivers. We are hoping this can be resolved soon and there will only be a temporary gap in services available. However, we are still here for you! Our offices are fully operational and staff will do their best to assist you with any questions or concerns.

If you haven’t already signed up for our Caregiver Connection e-mail service, please do so and receive updates, resources, and important notifications.

If you are a licensed foster parent and have a question or concern with the Licensing Division, please:

Contact your licensor
If you are unable to resolve your question/concern contact the supervisor or area administrator

Go to the Employee Directory

If you are a licensed foster parent or kinship caregiver and you have a question or concern related to a child you are caring for:

Contact the child’s assigned caseworker
If you are unable to resolve your question/concern contact the supervisor or area administrator

Go to the Employee Directory

Rewards

You can expect many personal rewards such as:

Protecting children from harm.
Making a difference in a child's life.
Helping children feel good about themselves.
Learning and using new skills.

Length of Stay

A child may live with you for a few days, several months, or a year or more. Some prospective foster parents choose to become licensed only to provide Respite Care, which offers a child’s foster parent the opportunity to take a break from caregiving responsibilities. The amount of time a child will stay in your home depends on the birth family’s situation. When a child is placed in out-of-home care, the social workers at DCYF don’t know how long the child will stay in your home. The Court decides when a child will be reunited, or placed through another permanent plan.

DCYF makes every effort to reunite parents and children. Also, by federal law, DCYF must make significant efforts to search for each child’s relatives. DCYF prioritizes placement of children with their relatives whenever possible; you may have a child placed with you while we continue to search for a relative family.

Many foster parents grow close to the children placed in their care. When a child leaves your home, it can be hard on the entire foster family. If the parents are not able to successfully re-unite with their child, and their parental rights are terminated by the court, the foster child becomes “legally free”. If relatives have not been found who can adopt the child, we will ask if the foster parents would want to adopt the child(ren). Foster parents can - and many do, adopt children that come into their lives through the foster care program.

Financial Assistance

While foster parents must have a regular source of income to meet their families' needs, financial assistance is available to help with the costs of caring for a foster child.

Foster Care Reimbursement

Foster care maintenance payments are intended to assist licensed foster parents in meeting the needs of the foster child in their care. A basic rate payment (Level 1) is paid to all foster parents for costs related to food, clothing, shelter, and personal incidentals. In addition, there are three levels of supplemental payments (Levels 2, 3 and 4) which are paid to foster parents who care for children with varying degrees of physical, mental, behavioral or emotional conditions that require increased effort, care or supervision that are above the needs of a typically developing child.

AGE OF CHILD	BASIC	LEVEL II (includes Basic Rate)	LEVEL III (includes Basic Rate)	LEVEL IV (includes Basic Rate)
0 to 5 years	$672.00	$849.92	$1,195.51	$1474.30
6 to 11 Years	$796.00	$973.92	$1319.51	$1598. 30
12 & Older	$810.00	$987.92	$1333.51	$1612.30

Foster Care Maintenance Payments Fact Sheet

Child Care Costs

Payment for child care during a foster parent’s work hours is available for caregivers with part time or full time employment. If the family is a two parent caregiver family, child care is covered when both parents are employed and working out of the home simultaneously leaving no caregiver at home to care for the child.

Medical and Dental

Every foster child receives medical and dental coverage while in foster care.

Clothing Vouchers for Children in Out of Home Care (Licensed and Un-Licensed)

$200 clothing vouchers will be authorized for children placed by DCYF at initial placement whether the child is placed in a licensed foster home or with an unlicensed caregiver. Additional clothing vouchers up to $200 may be authorized, not to exceed one time per year after initial placement, when there is an exceptional clothing need. Examples of an exceptional need include:

the child’s clothing has been destroyed
the child has had significant growth spurt
the child has a medical condition that requires additional clothing.

Exceptional clothing needs can be approved if there is no other local community resources available and the need cannot be met through the clothing allowance provided in the monthly foster care payment (for those licensed). (See above)

Foster Parent Reimbursement & Liability Plans

Foster Parent Reimbursement & Liability Plans - Provides some relief to foster parents for property damage, losses, emergency medical treatment, caused by their foster children or children in respite care. These plans also provide coverage for payment to third parties resulting from an act by the foster child.

Options for Getting Licensed

You can chose to work with State Licensing or a Child Placing Agency.

Path Toward Licensure

There is no right or wrong path.
All paths lead to the same place - caring for children and youth experiencing foster care.
Consider all options and the best fit for your family.

DCYF’s Licensing Division oversees the certification of all licenses, whether State or CPA

State Licensing

Work directly with the local Licensing Division
Foster families make placement decisions independently
Foster parents work directly with DCYF staff
Self-advocate for specific needs, services, and resources

Child Placing Agency

Work directly with a local private agency
CPA and caregiver coordinate placement decisions
CPA provides advocacy for family and child needs, services, and resources
Services provided or coordinated by agency
Families receive individualized support and case management from the CPA

Child Placement Agency Contact Lists

Region 1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6

What region am I in?

DCYF Regional Map

When You’re Ready to Submit Your Complete Licensing Application

Becoming a Foster Parent FAQ

FAQ in Spanish

Who can apply to be a foster parent?

Persons from all racial/ethnic/cultural and religious backgrounds, renters and homeowners, persons who identify as LGBTQ+, persons with any education level, all are welcome to apply!

Does a person need to be married to become a foster parent?

No, that is not required. You can be single, partnered, or married.

At what age can someone apply to become a foster parent?

You need to be at least 21 years old to become a foster parent. If you are 18 and a relative to the child, there may be exceptions made for this requirement.

Are there income requirements to be a licensed foster parent?

Yes. We evaluate your financial situation during the home study process. We want to ensure that you can meet the financial needs of your family without relying on the foster care reimbursements for foster children in your care. Exceptions may be made to this requirement for relative caregivers.

What is a home study?

All prospective foster parents must participate in the home study process to assess their ability to care for children placed in their home. The home study is an assessment that looks at the individual’s background in many areas that include, but are not limited to parenting abilities, relationships, support systems, finances, mental health, medical, and home environment. We assess people on their ability to provide a safe and healthy environment for every child, which is essential to a child’s well-being.

How long does it take to complete the home study process?

It takes around 120 days. We depend on you to return information quickly. The time frame depends on many factors including engagement and collaboration with applicants as well as the completion of background checks.

Do you have to be a US citizen to become a licensed foster parent?

It is not a requirement to obtain US citizenship to become foster licensed. However, you or a co-applicant on the license must have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in order to receive foster care reimbursement.

Can I be a foster parent if I have a criminal background?

Having criminal history does not automatically disqualify a person from becoming a foster parent. All foster parents must pass a criminal background check that includes FBI fingerprinting. In some instances, an additional review of criminal history may be required.

Can I be a foster parent if I had a CPS case?

Having a past CPS case does not automatically disqualify a person from becoming a foster parent. DCYF will review your CPS history and assess whether the information may compromise a child’s safety and well-being.

If I am a kinship caregiver, should I become licensed?

Yes! Kinship caregivers are strongly encouraged to be licensed; however, it is not a requirement. Being licensed provides additional support including a monthly reimbursement of costs associated with caring for a child in out of home care. If you are a relative to the child in care, you may also qualify for some licensing exemptions in order to become licensed.

What is the average length of time a child might stay in a foster home?

All children in care have different case plans and their length of stay will depend on their situation. There are times where it may be just a few days until a relative is found and able to take the child. For other children, it could be several months. With all children in care, permanency is always a priority. Permanency for a child could include returning home, adoption, guardianship, long-term foster care (in rare circumstances), and non-parental custody agreements.

How does DCYF support the children’s parents through this process?

Reunification is the process of actively working with parents to address issues that brought their child into care so the family can come back together. Children need safe, stable, quality care during this time. It is important for the child to stay connected to their family. Most foster children have regular court ordered family time with their parents. Children and parents need to have regular contact to stay connected and work toward children returning home safely. The child's caseworker will work with you and the child's parents to decide the location and time of family time. The court decides the level of supervision and family time plan developed (frequency and location). The child’s caseworker will work with foster families to ensure family time is manageable and meet the needs of the children, their parents, and the caregivers that support them.

Can children share rooms?

Most children may share bedrooms. They must have a separate bed and children of the opposite gender can only share a room if they are under six years old. Some children cannot share bedrooms because of supervision concerns. There are various circumstances that impact the ability to share rooms. These are case specific and will be addressed with the child’s caseworker. Children age 6 and above need to share a room with a same gendered child. In certain cases, there may be exceptions to this rule depending on the circumstances of all children. Children of the foster family are able to share rooms with children placed in their care.

As foster parents, do we get to choose the age and gender of the child/children placed in our care?

Foster parents, with the help of their licensor, determine how many children, what ages, and what gender they will be licensed for. Families are able to choose what developmental stages work best for their family and home environment. Families are able to note their preference for children they wish to have placed in their care. This is taken into consideration during the home study process and the licensor makes the final approval based on physical space available, meeting the licensing requirements for different age ranges, parenting skill level, and experience.

What information will we receive prior to placement of a new child in our home? Will there be an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the child prior to placement?

In general, foster parents are provided with detailed information, prior to placement, to help inform their decision about whether or not they are able to meet the child’s needs. Foster parents are encouraged to ask questions where they need more information. We suggest foster parents make a list of questions and identify areas where additional information is needed to help guide the decision. It is always okay to ask more questions and take time to gather more information. You will also receive the Child Information and Placement Referral form (CIPR).

It is important to remember that children are individuals and no picture is ever complete. A child’s behavior may look very different with you than they did in previous placements. Often, DCYF does not have a lot of information about children who are new to care.

Are foster parents able to determine what may or may not be a good fit in their home?

Yes. Foster parents have the right to accept or decline placement requests. Please think about how each child may affect the other children in your home before accepting a placement. It is important for foster parents to know what is and is not a good fit in their home. It is equally important that the family be aware of these and ask questions to have a better understanding of the child’s needs prior to placement. Foster families should never feel like they need to take a placement that they are not equipped to care for. Feel free to reach out to your assigned licensor if you are unsure or need additional information.

What discipline options do I have for foster children?

DCYF stresses positive discipline, creating structure and boundaries, and having natural consequences combined with warmth and caring. You will receive training during the licensing process on appropriate forms of discipline. Foster parents are encouraged to utilize positive discipline methods, assisting the child with coping skills and ability to navigate their emotions. There is also ongoing training support once you become licensed. No forms of physical punishment are allowed.

Can foster children go on vacation with our family?

Yes, but if the travel will be more than 72 hours or out-of-the country the foster parent will need prior approval from the child's caseworker. It is essential that the foster family communicate the travel plans with the caseworker to ensure that the travel does not impact family time and other obligations necessary for the children placed in their care.

Can foster children be left with others, such as a babysitter, for short periods of time?

Yes, foster children can be cared for by others, they must be 16 years of age. Background checks and CPR/First Aid are necessary for those who care for the children on a regular basis. Respite care is also an option for families who need additional support. It is important that the foster parents maintain good communication with the child’s social worker, keeping them informed of the child’s and foster family’s needs.

What financial support does DCYF provide to foster families?

The agency provides reimbursement for foster care using standard rates that reflect the child's age and additional financial support will be assessed for identified special needs. Reimbursements are provided to licensed foster families. There are individual assessors who determine the need of the child and what the appropriate reimbursement rates are. In addition, foster parents receive mileage reimbursement for travel to support the child’s case plan. If the family is a two-parent caregiver family, childcare is covered when both parents are employed and working out of the home. There are organizations throughout Washington that may be able to help with one-time financial supports.

Can I be a foster parent if I have a roommate, or a significant other that stays over?

Yes, adult household members are required to pass a background check, provide negative TB test results, and meet certain immunization requirements if caring for children under 2 years old. There are additional requirements if they are also providing care for children.

Do I need to meet the requirements in WAC 110-148 before becoming licensed?

You must meet the requirements in WAC 110-148 prior to becoming licensed. There are some exceptions for relatives as defined in RCW 74.15.020(2)(a). Exceptions are assessed individually as each family will have unique circumstances.

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Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Frank Adoption Center in North Carolina Nina Borisovna Kostina talks about what is really happening with Russian foster children in America. Recorded by Svetlana Reiter.

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“I've been in the adoption business for a long time; in 1987, the whole family moved to Washington, I got a job as a translator at the Wheat Association of the United States of America, which decided to donate a huge amount of pasta to the Soviet Union. At work, they told me that I could take this humanitarian aid anywhere, and I took a ton of pasta to one of the orphanages near Moscow. The pasta was very beautiful, multi-colored: with pumpkin, with spinach, with carrots... American farmers came with me, the story got into American newspapers, and completely different people began to call me who wanted to adopt children.

There was no international adoption then, and we were the perfect pioneers in our field - and then, as now, so many Americans wanted to adopt children. Over time, this figure does not decrease: according to our statistics, there are about five hundred potential adoptive parents per orphan child. In the United States itself, internal adoption, of course, exists, but this is a rather painful process - as such, there are practically no orphans in this country, and the right to their child is always legally assigned to biological parents who decide to give their children to be raised in a strange family - and this is one of the reasons why Americans prefer to adopt children abroad.

There was a notorious case when the adopted children, Richard and Jessica, were taken from their adoptive parents by their biological mother when they reached the age of ten. There was a lawsuit, the adoptive parents could not do anything, since the court decided the case in favor of the biological mother. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, Americans go to adopt children in other countries - for example, in Russia, when the court decides to give the children to foster parents, then this decision is final, it cannot be changed, and the mother does not have the right to change her mind and take the child.

Children from China are also adopted - According to the US Department of State, in 2008, 3,900 children from China, 4,120 children from Guatemala, and 1,800 children from Russia were adopted by American citizens. This is due to the fact that the procedure for the adoption of Chinese children by the American authorities is well-established, although there are problems in it - for example, Americans have to wait a long time for "their" child: sometimes up to five years, since the queue of people around the world is huge. The second problem is that, according to the rules established by the Chinese government, it is not allowed to adopt children to single mothers and people over forty-five years old. Therefore, in 2008, the number of adopted children from China fell by half - in 2006 it amounted to more than six thousand people. But, in principle, people are ready to adopt everyone: Tatars, Kazakhs, Kirghiz, and Gypsies. By the way, I have three children: a biological son of thirty years old and two adopted girls: Victoria, who has been living in my family for sixteen years, and my beloved Tatar, Gulnara. We baptized her into Orthodoxy and call her Mary. For some reason, she loves tea with milk, although the rest of our family does not like this tea and do not drink it. Here is such an innate "oriental element" in her.

Adopting children may not cost a penny, or it may cost eighteen thousand dollars. Seriously ill children are "given away" for free - if a child has been suffering from some kind of illness since childhood, then we ourselves will raise money and give it to foster parents for subsequent treatment. We have just adopted a boy, Sasha, originally from the Tver region. He is eight years old, and almost from birth he was diagnosed with a rather severe, but correctable pathology - he has muscular dystrophy, and the muscles of his arms and legs are completely atrophied. Three years ago, the wife of the governor of the Tver region, Alla Albertovna Zelenina, told me about Sasha; we desperately searched for his parents for many months in a row, during which time the boy managed to be transferred from the orphanage to the nursing home, and a completely wonderful family from California was found, which, thank God, took him right from this house. It was such happiness beyond words: the boy beamed, laughed, and immediately called them "mom" and "dad".

Russia has a very tight and complex bureaucratic system: potential parents must come to Russia at least four times - for the first time they get to know the child and write an application to the court for custody, then they wait for a court decision for two months, then, after the court decision, they have to wait ten days for their rights to come into force, and then issue him a passport, which also takes a lot of time. Fortunately, the number and cost of flights for Americans has not stopped yet. In terms of the composition of documents, Russian and American adoptions are approximately similar - but Russia's trouble is that there is no developed system of social services here. In America, to adopt a child, you need to pass four interviews, and a social worker comes to your house with an inspection, checks where your child will live, where to sleep, where to play, and whether your house has a separate fire escape.

The eighteen thousand dollars that adoption costs consist of several parts: parents, firstly, pay two thousand dollars to the adoption agency, which collects documents for them and finds the child. From three and a half to five thousand dollars there is a package of papers that are being prepared for adoptive parents: a police check with the mandatory taking of fingerprints, certificates from work, income checks. About a thousand costs notarization of papers with all the necessary apostilles. And then - the cost of flights, administrative expenses. This is how those eighteen thousand are obtained.

In my practice, there was a case when the father, the head of the family, moved in a wheelchair: he was a successful businessman, held a high position, and, according to international rules, was considered a worthy adopter. However, in Russia, the court several times refused to adopt him only on the grounds that he was disabled. He protested this decision for many years in a row, and in the end, common sense won out, and he managed to adopt a child from Siberia. There are also problems with children born in mixed marriages - for example, the mother is Russian, the father is Tajik, they saw each other once in their lives, and the documents are not drawn up according to the rules. In this case, the child runs the risk of remaining forever in the orphanage system, because it is impossible to find a dad and re-register everything according to the rules. And at the same time, many Americans would be happy to take him into their family.

Parents know that they always take risks — for example, their adopted child may not be fully diagnosed, or some disease may not be detected. For example, we recently found a child in one family, and right before the adoption, it turned out that the boy had deafness. And a disease of the nervous system may also be detected.

Our agency does not work with homosexual couples: I am a believer, I do not like homosexuality, and if such a couple comes to me, I refuse them under plausible pretexts - I have lived in the USA for twenty-two years, I understand that everyone is equal, but according to my personal beliefs, a child needs both mom and dad. But in other agencies, I know, they also deal with such cases.

It often happens that parents decide to adopt an adopted child, and suddenly the mother becomes pregnant - this is some kind of mysticism, a lucky ticket that falls out to people after they have prepared all the documents for adoption.

There were two tragic cases in the practice of adoption: once, in the ten days that are allotted by the court after the decision was made in favor of the adoptive parents for its entry into force, a drunken nanny in the orphanage dropped the baby on the tiled floor, and he died. The second time, in the same ten days, the foster parents had an accident and died. But in that case, the American grandparents of the adopted child re-registered all the papers for themselves.

There were cases when parents abandoned an adopted child - but we, like any American agency, in this case, by law, must find other "re-adopters". And we always find them. They refuse, as a rule, for medical problems: when a child has a fetal-alcohol syndrome that was not detected in time, or oligophrenia in the degree of debility. My adopted daughters were diagnosed like this - but I knew what I was getting into, and now they drive a car, speak two languages, play tennis very well and are perfectly coordinated.

Despite articles in the press, since 1991 there have been only twelve deaths of adopted children due to the fault of their parents in the entire history of international adoption in the United States. Each case is a terrible, but private tragedy. But wherever I go, I am always reminded of that Russian boy whose American father forgot him in the car. If you look at the statistics, you will see that birth mothers harm their children more often. Not so long ago, there was a note in the local press that an eighteen-year-old New Yorker forgot her own child in a car near a pharmacy - this is the same tragedy. No matter how carefully we check the parents, we cannot exclude the human factor. But now psychologists strongly recommend that parents put a bright and unusual object next to the car seat where the child is sitting so that you pay attention to it when you get out of the car.

In 1994, we helped Margaret Schultz, the daughter of the United States Secretary of State, adopt a child, a boy, Serezha, from the village of Voino, Orel Region. Serezha had rather serious defects in appearance, external manifestations of neurological diseases - a short neck, a duck-like nose ... Russian doctors were sure that he had a serious internal pathology, and no one wanted to take Serezha. Then Margaret, the daughter of John Schultz, came to Voino with an American neuropathologist, who said that these external manifestations were not at all terrible, and she took him for herself. I called her this summer, and our Seryozha, by the way, is studying at Oxford, and is generally considered a representative of the local elite, since his grandfather is the Secretary of State.

In 1992, I helped two twins, Seryozha and Anton, find their parents. They had a birth injury, as a result of which one boy lost his leg, and the other lost two. They were adopted by Vietnam War veteran Ronald Greenfield, who also lacked a leg and instead had an electronic prosthesis. He put the same prostheses on the boys, the boys turned into absolute beauties, now their names are Max and Andy, they ride skateboards and jump from the tower in the pool. When Ronald adopted them, they were five years old; six months after the adoption, I went to Chicago to visit them. When I arrived, they were just starting to speak English, and at the same time they were terribly, absolutely incredibly obscene. Ronald asked me all the time: “Nina, tell me what they say to each other ?!”.

"An untranslatable pun," I replied.

Disabled children will be the first to be in the most difficult situation

WASHINGTON - The website of the Washington state Kids to adopt agency for adoptions from Russia (marked as “most popular program”) already reads: “Program is closed.” During the New Year holidays, representatives of American adoption agencies had difficult conversations with parents, many of whom had already completed all the documents and visited Russia at least once.

Dan Roberts, CEO of the agency, says that despite the closure of applications, he still hopes that this is a temporary misunderstanding that American families will be able to accept a child from Russia in the future.

“We discuss this issue with families on an individual basis and offer alternatives,” he says. Every family makes its own decision. We have adoption programs in other countries. One family that was at the very beginning of the paperwork process reported that they were ending the process. But there are families who were already supposed to go to Russia. We are working with the State Department and our coordinators to try to ensure that these families are allowed to bring their children home. For them, it's a lot of stress."

Roberts notes that it was difficult to predict the impact: “Just three weeks ago there was no end-of-adoption legislation, there was a bilateral agreement, so we had full confidence that the program was quite stable. Everything happened just like lightning.”

Russia, he says, is a great country, and its people have every right to national pride. “But I don’t think that the number of adoptions in Russia itself will suddenly increase dramatically,” says Roberts.

In Illinois, Marina Trachtenberg of the Adoption Ark agency, calls the adoption of the law "breaking news":

"Russia has been one of the most popular countries for families who want to adopt a child. We have families who have almost completed the process and are only waiting for the court date. Unfortunately, at this stage, the case looks rather hopeless - and it is very difficult to inform future parents about this. However, everyone has followed the political process in Russia and knows that it does not depend on the agency. Everyone knows that the adoption process involves some degree of risk.”

The website of the World Association of Children and Parents (WACAP) has posted a notice that due to a new Russian law, applications for adoption are not accepted in this country. At the moment, representatives of the agency preferred to refrain from commenting - "until the situation clears up."

The services of this particular agency were used by Torry Ann Hansen, who “distinguished herself” in that she abandoned her adopted Artem Savelyev, sending the child back to Moscow alone. WACAP subsequently sued her for breach of contract.

“We don't know what's going on yet,” the Adopt-A-Child agency in Pennsylvania told us.

Natasha Shaginian-Nidham, CEO of Happy Families, which helped Sasha Shulchev, who was born in Russia with deformed legs, get treatment in the US and find a foster family, says the termination adoptions was a completely expected step. However, none of those involved in adoptions from Russia could believe that the decision would be made so hastily. “Several years ago, it was clear that adoption would eventually close, that there would be an anti-American story, and that children would be used in it - America must be answered with something - and what else can hurt her? But I was sure to the last that Putin would not sign this law. The absurdity is that the adoption agreement, which was signed in November, was prepared for years, America agreed to all the conditions - and Russia did not even give a chance to show that it works. It's only been a month and a half!

Unfortunately, there are enough orphans in the world, and American families will find someone to adopt - be it in China, which has firmly and for many years held the lead in the number of children finding a new home in the USA, Ethiopia (second place in 2011) or Ukraine, which ranked fourth after Russia.

The gap created by US adoption organizations is believed to be filled by other countries that comply with international obligations in this area, including Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, South Korea, Colombia, India and Ghana. It will be mostly Russian orphans who will suffer, especially those who are older and those who require special attention and often long-term treatment.

“Unlike European families, Americans adopted a large number of difficult children,” says Natasha Shahinyan-Needham. – And how warmly the American families received them - it is impossible even to fully understand. This will be a big disaster for orphans. And disabled children will be the first to find themselves in the most difficult situation.”

The organization "Happy Families" intends to continue working with Russian children with disabilities within the framework of the "I want to walk" program, organizing treatment for children in the USA - without adoption. “I don’t think that our project will be hit - we put children on their feet, and they return to Russia after treatment,” says Natasha Shaginyan-Needham. “If this is also closed to international organizations, it will be a national disgrace.”

As we reported, on the evening of January 2, 2013, the US Senate unanimously approved a resolution expressing "deep disappointment" with the new law against the adoption of Russian children by American citizens. One of the initiators of the resolution, Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt adopted a son in Russia six years ago, now named Charlie.

“We're all waiting to see how this ends, diplomats are working on it,” says Meghan Lindsay, deputy director general for policy at the National Council for Adoption in the United States. “Obviously nothing will happen until Russian Christmas. We encourage families that have already started the adoption process in Russia to contact the State Department. In fact, the bilateral agreement that was concluded less than two months ago has been cancelled.”

Lindsay notes that there have been precedents in the past where countries temporarily froze adoptions, and the situation has since changed.