2-8-2010: Travel to South Korea - Policy Change from BCSI
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In 2009 51% of our families traveled to South Korea to pick up their children!! South Korea historically allows the escorting of children to their adoptive countries, and many of our families chose this option. Bethany Christian Services supports the research demonstrating the advantages to adoptees when adoptive parents travel to receive their child into the family. Subjecting the adoptees to an additional transition through escorting by placing them into the care of a stranger is not good child welfare practice. Travel by adoptive parents to meet their children in their country of origin is undoubtedly in the best interest of the children and can serve as one of the first steps of helping South Korean adoptees to realize the importance of their cultural identity.
In honoring the adoptee, their country of origin and their foster family, Bethany is no longer allowing the South Korean children to be escorted to the United States. Bethany is offering a life-enriching opportunity for adoptive parents to experience South Korea, meet the foster family that cared for their child and for the adoptive family to care for their own child as they transition her/him into their new environment.
All families in the South Korea adoption program with a home study approval date of February 1, 2010 or later are required to travel to South Korea to meet and receive their child. Although it is strongly suggested that both parents travel, one parent may travel. Please know that this is a BCSI requirement, and not a Holt -Korea requirement. For families with an approved home study prior to February 1, 2010, it is expected that they too, consider the joys and benefits of traveling to South Korea. To further support adoptive families when they travel, we are in the final stages of updating the Bethany travel packet for South Korea.
We welcome your questions, concerns, or comments during this exciting change in the South Korea program.
