Je Jewi wish Genea Genealogy Soc ociety of of Cl Clevel eland - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Presentation t to t the

Je Jewi wish Genea Genealogy Soc

• ciety of
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Clevel eland

Betsie Norris, Executive Director June 6, 2018

Adopti tion Ne n Netw twork C Clevelan and

Our Mission

To connect and empower individuals, organizations, and communities impacted by adoption and foster care, and provide a source of healing for those in need.

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Adopti tion Ne n Netw twork C Clevelan and

Betsie Norris' birth mother holding her prior to her adoption.

Adopti tion Ne n Netw twork C Clevelan and

Pictures of Betsie's adoptive family (She's the redheaded kid.)

Adopti tion Ne n Netw twork C Clevelan and

Reunion photos – Betsie with her birth parents and siblings, her adoptive and birth parents together, and her birth and adoptive parents when her son was born.

Demographics Touched

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Adult Adoptees Birthparents and Families Adoptive and Kinship Families Youth in Foster Care Professionals

• Created a community where none existed
• Empowered people to get needs met
• Inspired groups across the country
• Acceptance of openness and truth in adoption
• Led the reduction from 1,700 youth waiting for adoptive families in Cuyahoga

County Foster Care in 2004 to 560 today

• Changed agency practice

30 Years o

• f

f Impact ct

• 800+ children and youth have permanent families through the Adopt

Cuyahoga’s Kids Initiative

• Thousands of searches and reunions supported/facilitated
• 70,000+ contacts responded to through our Adoption Helpline

30 Years o

• f

f Impact ct

• Passed legislation opening 400,000 birth

records to Ohio adult adoptees in 2015

• Passed legislation in 2006 to allow adults who

age out of foster care to be adopted as adults

• Promote legislation to increase permanency

and stability for youth in foster care

• Promote child welfare funding in the Ohio

budget

Advocacy

• Adoptees have two birth certificates
• The original, which is sealed upon adoption
• The amended, which is created upon adoption reflecting the adoptive parents
• Ohio Law prior to 2015
• Three-tiered system
• Pre-1964 – sealed but were always accessible to the adoptee at age 21
• 1964-1996 – sealed and not accessible to the adoptee
• Post-1996 – sealed, accessible to the adoptive parents at 18, adoptee at 21

Ohi Ohio A Adop doptee Birth th Certi tifica cate La e Law

Advocacy

• Ohio Law implemented March 20, 2015 after 25+ years of advocacy
• Adoptees 18 years and older can request and receive their original birth

certificate

• Birthparent had 1-year window to redact their name (259 out of 400,000 records

did so)

• Birthparent can file a Contact Preference Form

Ohi Ohio A Adop doptee Birth th Certi tifica cate La e Law

• Never Sealed
• Alaska
• Kansas

Birth C th Certificat ates es n never se seal aled ed

• Oregon
• Tennessee
• Maine
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island
• Alabama
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Hawaii
• Ohio
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Missouri
• Washington
• Connecticut (post-1983)
• Indiana

Previousl sly-close sed, n , now accessi ssible

Legislation t to

• creat

ate a access

• Arkansas (Effective 2019)
• New York
• Texas
• Montana
• Connecticut (pre-1983)
• Florida
• Massachusetts

• Other information helpful in search
• “Non-Identifying Information” available from the adoption agency
• DNA testing
• 23andMe and Ancestry
• Adoption Network provides expert assistance in searches

Oth Other i informat ation r reso sources

Co Cont ntact U Us (216 216) 3 325-1000 adoptionne

• nnetwork.o

.org

Betsie Norris, Executive Director (216)482-2314 betsie.Norris@adoptionnetwork.org