Saturday, May 31, 2008

Thoughts- Edited

Okay, I am reading through what I wrote here, and I realize that it could still be confusing to people. So, let me start at the beginning.

The Court Process

After a family accepts their referral, some final papers are gathered. The file is then submitted to court. Once a court date is issued, reps submit the file to MOWA at least 7 days before the court date. Then Gladney informs the family of when a court date has been set.

The Court's role is to finalize the adoption- either by granting it, not approving it (rare), or by requesting more information to allow them to grant the adoption. At the court hearing, the court handles things like relinquishment and establishment of the child as an orphan. They review MOWA's opinion and make a ruling on the adoption. Once they rule in favor of the adoption, the child is legally yours.

MOWA's role is to investigate the child and family, and decide if the adoption should be granted. MOWA takes the file, reviews the paperwork, and issues an opinion (favorable or unfavorable) about granting the adoption, or requests more information. The opinion is usually issued the day before the court date, although due to recent power outages and internal changes in MOWA, there has been some hold up of late.

Out of respect, I have taken down the rest of the information in this post that relates to the present delays in the courts. Gladney has indicated that Ethiopian culture dictates that even the most factual and anonymous data posted on blogs could be viewed as disrespectful of the parties involved, and for this reason, I do not want to post anything further in this public arena.

4 comments:

The Soucys said...

Well said Grace...this really summarizes the current situation. We'll continue to pray for a quick resolution, and one that protects the best interest of our children.

Lori said...

Thank you for putting this information out there in this way, Grace. I'm sure it will help clarify things for a lot of people.

Adoption Cubed said...

Thank you for this explanation. It was getting a bit difficult to decipher what is going on with the courts. The situation stinks but you hit it on the nose saying it needs to be done in the best interest of the children.
Rebecca

Unknown said...

I was referred to your link by another family affected by this suspension. That family and mine have been waiting to clear court with another agency. We've been waiting almost 3 months and just discovered that we are on hold until further notice because of this investigations.

Our prayers are with your agency as well as ours. You know just as much as we do. Thanks for posting.

Sharon and Mike
Waiting on Grace 4 1/2 yo
parents to
David 20
Zach 17
Thomas 5--China
Sam 3