The Philippines, through the Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB), an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), will host the 12th Global Consultation on Child Welfare Services from August 14 to 16, 2013 at the Manila Hotel.
The international event will focus on the theme “Post Adoption Services: The Way Forward.” Post adoption services include measures to assist adopted children preserve their cultural links with their country of origin, and assist adoptive parents to recognize the value and importance of such links for the child’s future development.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman who will deliver her keynote address on the opening day (August 14) explained that the event is a bi-annual consultation of local and international adoption specialists which aims to discuss issues and concerns affecting children placed for adoption around the world.
“The multi-country collaborative consultation is envisioned to ensure a most substantial and timely sharing of trends and practices in inter-country adoption,” Secretary Soliman said.
The meeting will bring together representatives of Central Authorities of Andorra, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and our partner foreign adoption agencies from USA, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Local participants are social workers from child caring institutions, court social workers and judges from Regional Trial Courts as well as adoptive families.
Secretary Soliman emphasized that “adoption is not a single event, but a life-long process.” The Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption requires States to undertake a range of other general functions such as the provision of counseling or post adoption reports, preservation of information, child’s right to information, and access to records, data protection and post adoption services.
According to ICAB, the Philippine Inter-Country Adoption has been in existence way back in the 60’s under the auspices of the DSWD. Over the years, an increasing number of Filipino adoptees have been returning to the Philippines for Motherland tours and for search and reunion with their birthparents.
The first Motherland Tour of Filipino adoptees to Manila was in 1987. The group was composed of four boys and one girl, 18-22 years old, who were placed for adoption in the USA through Holt International Children`s Services. Three came from Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) in Quezon City, one from Hospicio de San Jose and another from Home of Joy. They left for the USA to join their respective adoptive parents at a very young age. One of the boys was re-united with his grandfather in Baguio, the other adoptees had “unknown” backgrounds, hence were only able to meet their social workers and caregivers.
Since 1986, approximately 600 adoptees visited the Philippines for Motherland tour, search and reunion. Every year, there is an increasing number of children, teen-ager, and young adults coming back to see their previous agencies, caregivers, foster parents and to experience first-hand the Filipino culture or do a search and eventually a reunion meeting with their birthmother/family.
Just recently, four adoptive families and six adoptees with ages ranging from 11-19 years old had a successful Motherland Tour in the Philippines. One adoptee, Francis, 19 years old, shared that the Motherland Tour helped him learn more about where he came from and that the trip was his chance to meet his birthmother. He shared that the “Philippines is a beautiful country full of pride and color and warmth. The people I have met, stories I have heard, and the places I have seen made me proud to have come from this country”.
“Three adult adoptees who will be speaking/presenting in the Global Consultation desire to not just visit and see their motherland but intend to search and reunite with their birthparents,” Secretary Soliman concluded. ###
