Children’s Hope Team Finalizes Report for Hague Accreditation

With the mailing of a document-filled CD last Friday, Children’s Hope took a major step toward Hague accreditation. A group of Children’s Hope staff worked diligently the past several months preparing the international adoption agency self-study that was on that CD.

“It took hours and hours of our team working above and beyond their normal duties to accomplish this task,” said Dianna Briner, Children’s Hope Compliance Director.

By the end of 2007, all U.S. agencies with over 100 international adoptions per year must be accredited for Hague — meeting the new Hague standards on international adoption. The Hague Accreditation is to establish international standards that protect the orphan and provide assurance to the adopting parents.

Last year the U.S. State Department finalized the procedures for international adoption agencies to become Hague accredited. Agencies were then asked to apply and then begin the accreditation process last fall.

Each Children’s Hope Hague team member gathered the necessary evidence to show compliance with the Hague standards. The evidence gathering process was made somewhat easier because Children’s Hope recently successfully completed reaccreditation with the Council on Accreditation (COA) and a ECFA accreditation. Both confirm the high ethical and financial standards of Children’s Hope.

The Hague Team:
Front Row: Gloria Akers, Ann Tollefson, Nicky Losse, Erin Tilley
Back Row: Jessica Hill, Linda Dahlgren, Dianna Briner, Nichole Deal
Not Pictured: Sue Ellison, Christina Ortwein, and Tina Qualls