Questions raised by the PGN regulations regarding intercountry adoption posted July 1, 2003 on the web site www.pgn-guatemala.com)

Post July 1 General questions

·        Is the Central Authority (CA) ready to accept and process files for new post July 1 cases?

·        How would a US citizen file with the CA?

Are any criteria for adoptive parents being changed such as marital status, age, previous divorces, other children in the home, etc.
Will open adoptions still be possible (i.e., will it still be possible for the adoptive and birth families to remain in contact after the adoption is finalized)?
What measures will be used to determine that no domestic placement can be found for children relinquished or abandoned after July 1, 2003 and how long will these children be institutionalized during this process?
Will placements in foster homes be prohibited in the future?
What will be the role of the notary in cases submitted after July 1, 2003?
What will be the role of the adoption agency in cases submitted after July 1, 2003?

Post July 1 procedures regarding assignment of a child

·        Is it true that the CA will now match the child with his adoptive family?  What will that process involve?

·        Will the Central Authority acknowledge any referral made through the notarial process after July 1?

·        How long is it expected to take to match a family with a child once the file is received by the CA?

·        What criteria will be used to match the family with the child?

·        What information will be provided to the prospective adoptive parents at the time of a referral – medical info, family history, pictures, videos, etc?

·        On what basis might a family decide not to accept a referral?  If a referral is declined for medical reasons or otherwise, will the family receive an alternate referral soon after?

·        At what point in the process will the matching take place – before or after the child’s paperwork has been approved by the US embassy? before or after the CA has reviewed the prospective adoptive parent’s dossier?

·        How long will it take from the time the family and child are matched until the adoption is final?

·        Will infants under 6 months of age be available for intercountry adoption?

·        Can adoptive parents request particular age ranges or gender of the child?

·        Will the prospective adoptive parents be required to visit?  If so, how often and for how long?

·        More importantly, will the prospective adoptive parents be allowed to visit?  If so, how often and for how long?

Post July 1 Child care issues

·        Is it true that the children being placed for adoption will come only from accredited orphanages, of which currently there are only four?

·        If so, who runs the orphanages?  How are they funded?

·        How many children reside in them?  How many children are currently eligible for adoption  - meaning how many have certificates of abandonment and/or been relinquished by their parents?

·        If a woman wants to relinquish her child for adoption, must she now relinquish the child to one of these orphanages or the Central Authority?

·        What type of medical care will the children receive in the orphanages?  Is it expected that other orphanages/hogares will become accredited?  How long does the accreditation process take?

Post July 1 Roles of other entities and parties

·        Who will coordinate with the family if additional or revised documents are needed?

·        Who will coordinate obtaining, translating and certifying the numerous documents required by the US embassy for DNA/Visa pre-approval?

·        How is it expected that the role of the US embassy will change – for example, will the embassy still be involved in DNA approvals?

·        There is mention of working with accredited organizations – “Igualmente pueden dirigirse a los organismos acreditados por la Autoridad Central”.  Does this refer to accredited agencies or accredited orphanages or both (as in the Colombian system)?

·        If it refers to orphanages, what is the process for applying directly to an orphanage?  What would the process involve and how long would it be expected to take?

·        Will the Family Court continue its current role?

·        In a relinquishment, will the birthmother still have the right to change her mind during the process?

·        Will the CA interview the birthmother, in addition to the Family Court interview?

FYI: Pre-July 1 Procedures and issues

When will adoption cases initiated between the March 5, 2003 and June 30, 2003 begin to be processed? How long will they take to process?
What procedures will be followed in the processing of the above-referenced cases?
Will the children in the above-referenced cases who are currently in foster care or private hogars be moved to the four state approved orphanages? If so, when?
Will the current matches between adoptive parents and Guatemalan children be respected?
What does it mean when the Central Authority states that the above cases will be processed with “limited notarial involvement” in pre July 1 cases?
Who will have legal custody of the above-referenced children while these cases are processed?

What requirements must be met in order for an adoption to be processed by pre-July 1 rules?

Will psychological evaluations be required for these cases?
Will a 15 day in-country stay be required for pre-July 1 cases? If so, when in the process will this stay be required? What is the purpose of the 15 days?