The Council on Accreditation is looking for feedback on adoption agencies who have applied for Hague Accreditation and Approval through the Council on Accreditation. If you follow this link you can check the list to see if your agency is listed. If so, you can leave your comment (negative or positive) to potentially help future adoptive parents avoid undesirable agencies.

This public comment period will only last until January 31, 2007.

Here is a press release that the Council released about this accrediting process:

Joint Council on International Children's Services and the Council on Accreditation Join Forces to Promote High-Quality Intercountry Adoption Services


NEW YORK CITY - November 1, 2006 - The Council on Accreditation (COA) today announced that the Joint Council on International Children's Services has become its twelfth sponsoring organization. As one of the oldest and largest child welfare organizations, the Joint Council is the leading voice on intercountry children's services. In July, the United States Department of State designated COA, an international accreditor of community-based social and behavioral healthcare services, as the only national accrediting body under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The Convention requires all U.S. organizations that provide intercountry adoption services and work with countries that have ratified the treaty to become accredited.



"Our partnership with the Joint Council is especially important now as we kick off the Hague Accreditation and Approval process," said Richard Klarberg, president and chief executive officer of COA. "Through this new relationship, we will be able to benefit from each other's experience and knowledge as we both strive to ensure that vulnerable children and families around the world receive the best possible services."



A representative of the Joint Council will serve on COA's Sponsor Advisory Council and will advise COA on new trends in the field, public policy issues, and other matters of concern to its affiliates and their clients. COA and the Joint Council will also work together on legislative and policy issues affecting intercountry adoption providers. The Joint Council joins eleven other sponsoring organizations, including the Alliance for Children and Families, the Child Welfare League of America, Catholic Charities USA, and Lutheran Services in America.



"We see this partnership with COA as vitally important to the successful implementation of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption," said Thomas DiFilipo, president and chief executive officer of the Joint Council. "Combining the Joint Council's experienced based knowledge with COA's standards and review will significantly advance the cause of finding safe, permanent and loving homes for children in need."



Founded in 1977, the Council on Accreditation partners with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes by developing, applying, and promoting accreditation standards. In addition to standards for private social service and behavioral health care organizations, COA has developed separate business lines for public agencies, opioid treatment programs, employee assistance programs, and financial management/debt counseling services.



With a mission to advocate on behalf of children in need of permanent, safe and loving families, the Joint Council on International Children's Services promotes ethical child welfare practices, strengthens professional standards and educates adoptive families, social service professionals and government representatives throughout the world. International child welfare agencies, child advocacy groups, parent support groups and international medical clinics choose membership in the Joint Council as a means to address the critical issue of parentless children and creating permanent solutions.