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Hiring: Adoption Preparation Coordinator
06/18/2013
Brooke Randolph, LMHC
 MLJ Adoptions is excited to announce that we will again be adding to our team! We are currently seeking a highly organized, dependable individual experienced in adoption to fill the position of Adoption Preparation Coordinator. The ideal candidate will be personable, self-motivated, computer proficient, able to manage several tasks, and have a heart for equipping families for adoption.
This is a full time position, with working hours that will include some evenings and weekends. Starting pay will be approximately $30-35,000 annually. Responsibilities will include home studies and other similar assessments and documentation, Adoption Preparation Education instruction and administration, and client care. Some evening and weekend time will be necessary to complete home visits. The individual we hire must be skilled in Microsoft Office and Outlook and have strong verbal and written communication skills. A Masters of Social Work degree is preferred.
Qualified applicants must be able to pass criminal history, child abuse registry, and sex offender background checks. Interested applicants, please email a resume or vitae to our VP of Social Services, Brooke Randolph and put the following in the subject line: "Adoption Preparation Coordinator resume". We also request applicants complete the DISC profile and bring written reference letters to the interview. There will be 1-2 rounds of interviews.
If you believe you could fill this position and would like to join our team, we look forward to hearing from you!
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The Dangers of Blogging During an Adoption
06/17/2013
Lydia Tarr
 Blogs…we love them, we hang on to their every word, and we can’t wait to see what happens next. Blogs have made their way on to the pre-adoptive family’s top reading list. Families search the internet looking for other adoption stories from Nicaragua or adoptions from Bulgaria, or whichever country they have chosen for their international adoption journey.
While there are benefits to following the footsteps of those who go before us - such as what to expect when it comes to the culture, the process, and the emotions of international adoption - there are often many drawbacks as well. Many families simply share too much information without realizing the implications. For example, I remember a family whose adoption was stopped because they were venting about the country and the local officials. While I understand their frustrations, blogging about it while in country was not the right time. They put little thought in to how it could affect their process or those that would come after them.
Another drawback to blogging during the adoption process is the assumption that the family’s adoption journey will be the same for every family. I cannot stress enough that every family’s journey will be different despite having the same basic process. For example, there are many variables that impact the adoption process. The people all along the way such as the social worker who completes your home study, Immigration and the ladies at the Secretary of State who will apostille or authenticate your documents, or the judge reviewing your case. More variables include the child’s background, the time of year, the issuance of the new birth certificate and passport, and the list continues! Are you starting to get a sense of how things can differ? Each individual along the way and every step you take will affect your adoption, therefore making each journey unique.
Sharing too much information can also put your child at risk for child trafficking, or a lost referral. Families do not realize by sharing the photos of their beautiful child and revealing the orphanage, this presents people with an unfortunate opportunity. Another risk may be that someone unscrupulous may see and try to pursue that child – this can result in losing the potential match.
Lastly, when families are so emotionally involved it is hard to see the adoption journey with perspective. Things that may be perfectly normal are exaggerated due to emotion, and the reality of the situation is blurred. When others read the blog they may make the decision that they could not go through such a terrible process and choose not to adopt from that specific country or not adopt at all. The worst part is that a child in need of a forever family misses the opportunity.
We all love a good story, along with a happy ending and a sneak peek of how our process will be. We have to be mindful that blogging comes with many risks and disappointments, so I suggest to those of your eager to blog to take a different route. Try instead to keep a journal about your process, and emotions. Time brings perspective. Just as the “horrors of child birth” dissipate once the child is in the mother’s arms, so do many of the “traumas of the adoption process”. One of the families I have worked with put it like this, “In a day that international adoption is often criticized with cynicism and skepticism, let’s make every effort to be that light and walk out any process necessary to meet a need without cutting corners. If you can't sign on to this process (and I get it if you can't), I just suggest not doing it.”
Photo Credit
For more information about MLJ Adoptions' international adoption programs, please click here.
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Father's Day Gift Guide
06/14/2013
Shamia Bostic and Shireen Dadkhah
Father's day is right around the corner and dads can be hard to shop for. We've gathered some great gift ideas for Father's Day that any dad would be proud to have, no matter where he is in the adoption process.
 For the dad that like's to travel, this world map on Etsy that shows where the adoption journey beigins and ends would be a special gift that can be customized with the adopting country and the recieving country and would look great on his office wall.
- There is no such thing as ever having too many t-shirts and Zazzle offers a wide variety of adoption themed shirts. The "Love knows no borders" shirt can be customzied with your family's name and the date you first met your child. This shirt is a representation that love has no boundaries whether it be near or far.
- Another awesome t-shirt idea comes from mycrazyadoption.org. On this website you can order custom t-shirts for the country which you adopted from. You can also buy and sell these t-shirts as a fundraising opportunity to help fund your adoption.
- This customizable "My hero did come...His name is daddy," sign from Etsy is a great and unique way to celebrate dad this Father's Day.
- Another awesome t-shirt idea for dad, is a shirt from CafePress that reads "Fatherhood requires love not DNA." Having this shirt for any father would mean the world to him.
Be sure to check out our past Father's Day gift guide for more great ideas for dad!
For more information about MLJ Adoptions' international adoption programs, please click here.
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Photo Of The Week
06/14/2013
Photo used with permission.
If you would like your child to be featured in our Photo Of The Week, please email Shireen@mljadoptions.com.
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Celebrating Fathers
06/13/2013
Sonja Brown, MA
 As an adoption professional, a large part of my job is soothing the frayed nerves of parents undergoing the international adoption process. The roller coaster of adoption is not for the faint of heart and regardless of how strong a parent feels he or she is, all parents buckle under the pressure, whether they are adopting from Congo or they're adopting from Nicaragua.
During my years working in international adoption I have witnessed both the behaviors of adoptive mothers and fathers. While society has groomed males and females to react differently, both still experience the same anxieties. Our fathers are taught to be the pillars of strength and to not show emotion. I am here to tell you though, that while they may not exhibit the same emotions as our adoptive mothers, they are still dealing with the same stressors and they are dealing with the same emotions.
One of the most cherished duties of my job is to watch adoptive parents as they are finally united with their children. This is just as an emotional experience for fathers as it is for mothers. This is the breaking point for fathers as I inevitably see happy tears streaming down the faces of fathers as well as the mothers. Just an FYI to all you fathers, it is ok to cry in front of me, I won’t tell anyone!
Fathers are so important to a child’s life and for Father’s Day, I want to thank all the fathers out there for what they do.
Thank you to our dads for being the man of steel in the family and holding it together in times of undue stress. Thank you to our dads for being the man that comforts the mothers when they are overcome with the stress of adoption and sometimes taking over to preserve Mom’s sanity (for those of you who can relate, this happens more often than you think!). Thank you, Dad for teaching our little ones to throw a baseball, ride a bike for the first time without training wheels, and for taking our kiddos fishing. Thank you to our dads for a shoulder to cry on for Mom and the children when the going gets rough in life. Thank you to our dads for loving our mothers and showing our children what it means to be a dad and a husband, after all it is said the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Thank you, Dad for knowing our children learn more through action than through words. Most of all thank you to all our dads for being loving, caring and supportive fathers to our children. Thank you to our adoptive fathers for being willing to open your hearts and homes to a child in need.
I cannot end this narrative without thanking the fathers in my own life. Thank you to my own father for his love and support and for teaching me strength. Thank you to my better half for being a loving father to our own children. Thank you to my brother for being an awesome dad to my niece and nephew. Thank you to the grandfathers in my life for being such incredible influences in their grandchildren’s lives.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads in my life, whether you are a bio father or adoptive father you are such an important part of our children’s lives and all of you have touched my life in one way or another!
Photo used with permission.
For more information about MLJ Adoptions' international adoption programs, please click here.
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Speaker Spotlight: Michele Jackson Speaking at National Conference for Adoption
06/12/2013
Nicole Skellenger, JD
 Michele Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of MLJ Adoptions, will be presenting at the 2013 National Conference for Adoption in Orlando, Florida this week. Michele will be presenting to adoption professionals in a presentation titled, Analysis of Risk in an International Adoption Program and Liability Management for Agencies.
This session will focus on international adoption and evaluation of the legal and cultural risks. The presentation will outline causing factors, offer practical tips and strategies for dealing with those risks, and mitigating risks and liabilities for an agency. A thorough review of challenges and changes in international adoption and analysis of cultural and political pressures and trends will help attendees understand the process and provide insight into the risks and options for programs in international adoption.
Michele will be covering such an important area of adoption agency management. This will be a “do not miss” session for those on the management track at the 2013 NCFA Conference. International adoption is ever changing, with country programs booming or busting, it is vital to strategically plan for such changes with legal and cultural risks in mind.
Michele is regarded as one of the foremost legal authorities in international adoption. She is a frequent speaker addressing audiences both nationally and internationally in various areas of international adoption. She also spoke just last month at the 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium in New York City, sponsored by the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS). During this “lightning talk,” Michele covered the topic of Analysis of Risk in an International Adoption Program and Strategic Planning for Growth Amidst the Risk and Hague Convention. Her presentation was part of a fast-paced session for attendees to hear about different child and family-related topics from professionals in a variety of fields.
Michele is always willing to share her knowledge and expertise with others. I have had the opportunity to hear Michele speak many times and am looking forward to attending this session with others in the adoption field. She is always able to engage an audience with her expertise and ability to explain more complex topics in a way that is easy to understand.
For more information about MLJ Adoptions' international adoption programs, please click here.
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Brooke Randolph, LMHC - Speaker Spotlight
06/11/2013
Nicole Skellenger, JD
 Brooke Randolph, LMHC has had a packed schedule of speaking engagements this summer. I am so glad that she will be sharing her expertise with those audiences in both the United States and Canada. This past May, Brooke spoke to an audience mostly of professionals in international adoption and child welfare at Joint Council for International Children’s Services’ 37th Annual Child Welfare Symposium. She spoke on the topic of Recruiting, Training and Managing Volunteers. This is such an important topic for both adoption agencies as well as other international child welfare organizations. Recruiting, training and managing volunteer has become increasingly important for our organization, as we have increased ongoing support services adding more education weekends for parents, themed parties and providing other opportunities for community building and education.
Brooke will also be speaking in June at the 2013 North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) conference on nutrition, a topic on which she regularly presents. This presentation is called “Nutrition: Nurture Health and Behavior,” this is a workshop that will introduce research surrounding nutrition and equip parents with ways to interpret cravings and to shape child behavior using dietary choices. She will also be speaking on this same topic in August at NACAC’s conference in Canada.
At MLJ, we are so fortunate to have Brooke’s expertise in her capacity as Vice President of Social Services. In my opinion, some of the best teachers are the most curious students and I think that Brooke really epitomizes that. She is an outstanding teacher and a continuously curious student. She is always learning, researching new techniques and resources to help families. This knowledge is used in the development of both MLJ’s Adoption Preparation Department and Post-Adoption Department, which she manages. Brooke is also committed to quality improvement at MLJ. This is something that is important to all of us, and Brooke always takes initiative to modify practices to serve the best interests of children and best meet the needs of MLJ’s client families.
I have known Brooke for approximately five years and during that time I have had the honor to learn from her and work with her. I am always excited to take MLJ’s new class offerings or see what the next support services opportunities will be. I think that MLJ has such innovative and child-centered education and support services because of Brooke’s efforts and am thankful to continue learn about the social aspects of adoption from her and her team. I am also so excited for her in her new role as a mom to a little boy who recently arrived home from Samoa!
For more information about MLJ Adoptions' international adoption programs, please click here.
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