From Russia with love - Westfair Communications

When Michelle and Stephen Oricoli of Southport took their first trip to Russia in December 2005, they brought their daughter, Brenna, then 10, along for the culture shock.

They returned a family of three, but that wouldn”™t last long.

When the Oricolis returned from their second trip to the country a few months later, they brought home Katrina and Nicholas, twin toddlers they adopted from Russia through Norwalk-based Family & Children”™s Agency Inc (FCA).

As of June, FCA became one of only 12 American agencies approved to work in Russia after an 18-month period in which the country added more requirements and safeguards to its adoption system.

FCA”™s accreditation was renewed after the agency met Russia”™s new requirements, including that any agency seeking re-accreditation be approved as a nongovernmental organization (NGO).

This added a whole new layer of expectation and delay to FCA”™s adoption program in Russia.

“As international programs mature, these kinds of additional safeguards and requirements become pretty typical,” said FCA President Robert Cashel. “Ultimately, there are less agencies accredited in Russia now than there were before.Â We feel very fortunate that we were among the first groups that got accreditation.”

The agency has done adoptions since the early 1970s. FCA”™s global history has been focused upon adoptions primarily through China, Korea, Russia and Taiwan, but domestic adoptions are also a part of its program.

In some countries, the adoption process is a multi-year procedure.

Korea, a huge source of adoptions in the past, now has a very strict and clear quota for international adoptions.

In China, new requirements are taking up to two years or longer before an adoption can be completed.

In Russia, the adopting family is able to move through the process more quickly, making it possible for the entire adoption to be completed in five to six months.

FCA has now expanded the Russian component of its adoption program, which in the past had been relatively small.

“We really want to go with the countries where we have the greatest level of comfort,” said Cashel. “Our sense has been that Russia is a place with many orphaned children and is an area that makes sense for us to grow and is consistent with our mission.”

Initially, a family interested in adopting a child would come to one of the agency”™s regional offices in Norwalk or Larchmont, N.Y. for an adoption orientation meeting. After receiving an overview of services, families can begin a dialog with social workers to determine the best adoption program to suit their needs.

The next step in the process involves a home study, during which social workers interview the family at home, which is fundamental to all adoption processes.

“By its very nature, the whole process can feel very intrusive,” said Cashel.Â “To the credit of those adopting families, they are committed and they are engaged in a process where they are revealing a lot of personal information.”

Once the home study and background checks are complete, the agency begins assisting the family in identifying a child who is in need of a home and who is appropriate for that family.

Then comes a four- to five-day family trip to Russia where the family is able to meet and visit with the child at the orphanage or baby home.

Four to six weeks later, the family must take a second trip to Russia ”“ as the Oricolis did. It is during this second trip, which can last up to three weeks, when the adoption is finalized.

A critical component of the program is having a staff of coordinators in Russia, who help parents navigate the different language and culture.

Last month, Cashel and director of adoption Mary Kate Schneider visited Russia to be able to give families a greater understanding of what they will experience.

“For us, an important piece of any international adoption program is really understanding what a family”™s process is like,” Schneider said. “I was very impressed with the quality of the baby homes we visited in Russia and I walked away with a lot of confidence about the care of children.”

The second, longer trip to Russia serves as a critical transition phase of the process for both parents and children, during which families have more time to visit with the child that will be part of their family on a daily basis.

The adoption is finalized within Russia. If all goes as planned, the family can bring the child home after the second trip.

Post-adoption services vary from country to country.Â Families who adopt from Russia are visited at least three times during the first year by FCA after the adoption. These visits give the agency a chance to assess the family”™s situation, including needs for additional resources and to help make connections within the adoptive community.

“Adoption is not just a one-shot thing,” said Cashel. “Families benefit greatly from ongoing services and we are continuing to be engaged with those families.”

Formal reports containing information gathered from these post-adoption visits are sent back to Russia.

Cashel said that FCA”™s 2007 adoption services had a $1.5 million dollar budget, representing about 15 percent of the agency”™s spending. FCA employs more than 200.

Michelle Oricoli said she, “absolutely, without a second thought” would recommend FCA to families considering international adoption.

The twins, whose adoption was finalized in March 2006, will celebrate their 4th birthday in February. “They are double the blessing,” Oricoli said. “We”™re very, very lucky.”