This is a very nice way to end the month of January: Seven more adoption agencies have been accredited by the Russian government. The decrees, all dated January 28, cover three agencies from the United States, and one each from France, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Here's who they are and a little bit about what they do:

The agencies accredited from the U.S. are ABC Adoption Services of Roanoke, Virginia, Beacon House Adoption Services of Pensacola, Florida, and... more

Charles Dickens never wrote about adopting from Russia, though his stories featured plenty of orphans. Still, I am tempted to sum up the year 2007 in Russian adoptions by borrowing from the opening of one of his greatest books, "A Tale Of Two Cities":

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything... more

Forget that old saw about March going out like a lion because December is going out with a big, big bang: Seven more adoption agencies have received their accreditations!

I got a call yesterday from Kathy Burul, director of the Russia program at Teaneck, N.J.-based Homestudies & Adoption Placement Services, that it had been invited to pick up its certificate at the Ministry of Education today. She couldn't have sounded happier if she had tried.

The latest group, all dated December 24, includes two agencies from the... more

Who cares about finding a Wii for Christmas when there are this many accreditations popping?

Yesterday, I told you that I had confirmed the re-accreditation of six agencies. I've got six more definites today, plus two that have been signed but are not yet on the Ministry of Education's list of decrees and one that has cleared all of the necessary Russian government agencies and is back at the MoE for signature. Yes, that only adds up to 15, and as I noted yesterday, Marshall Williams, the vice president of international adoptions and family services at Gladney... more

Folks,

A quick post to say YES, the rumor you are hearing is true. A new batch of adoption agencies will be getting their accreditation from the Ministry of Education on Friday, December 21.

There is nothing on the MoE's database yet, but I have confirmed this news with six American agencies so far today. I have calls out to two dozen more, and another dozen or so more calls to make.

How many more agencies could be involved? Maybe another 10, but according to one agency representative I spoke with today, they may not all be from the United... more

Some numbers are lucky, some numbers are not. Some numbers are happy, some numbers are sad. And some numbers are just plain depressing, which is perhaps why all I've managed for a headline on this post is 2,305.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is likely to be the number of Russian orphans who began new lives as American citizens this year.

Let me put this in context for you: In 1999, when I adopted my older son from Russia, 4,348 Russian orphans were adopted. In 2005, when my little guy came home, he was one of 4,639 Russian children adopted by U.S. families... more

Apologies. A host of reasons--personal, professional and most of all technical--kept me from getting this news to you as fast as I should have: There has been a new round of accreditations issued in Russia. The accreditations apparently were signed on November 22 or 23, but word of them did not get out until last week.

The list includes nine agencies, four of which are American, and the rest from Belgium, Canada, Israel and Italy. That was somewhat disappointing news to those of us who have been waiting for a large group of American agency re-accreditations. But given... more

It's nice to see some good finally coming of the mess that was Yunona USA.

If you've been in the world of adoptions from Russia for a long time, the last two words of that first sentence probably have you spitting fire by now. Of all the scammers that have decided to try their hand at adoptions, Napa, Calif,-based Yunona was undoubtedly the worst. California prosecutors last year determined that it ripped off over $1.1 million from more than 100 couples and families across the United States trying to adopt from Russia before it was shut down in 2005. The new accreditation... more

Two years ago, as I was completing my second adoption from Russia, there was talk that Russia would soon begin requiring some sort of psychological test to determine parental fitness. Remember that, two years ago, Russian adoptions were being roiled by three high-profile cases of Russian-born children murdered by their American adoptive parents. An independent test of someone's suitability to be a parent didn't seem at all out of place.

Russia still hasn't passed a law mandating a psychological examination. But, speaking at the recent Adoptive Parents Committee conference,... more

Two employees at Children's Hope International have been found to have forged documents in connection with adoptions in Russia.

The story was first reported by Missouri television station KSDK on Tuesday evening. Children's Hope, which handles adoptions in almost every state in the U.S. through its 16 regional offices, posted this statement from its executive director, Dwyatt Gantt, about the forgeries... more