Latest Adoption News
Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency
Status of Vietnamese Adoptions as at 31st December 2017
Country Completed Adoptions
Vietnam 2014, 14 complete
Vietnam 2015, 30 complete
Vietnam 2016, 15 complete
Vietnam 2017, 20 complete / 12 on Waiting List
HHAMA has announced the Autumn date for their next Regional Open Information Meetings.
Cork date is Monday OCTOBER 2nd 6.30pm to 8.30pm BESSBOROUGH Centre.
Dublin date is Tuesday OCTOBER 17th 6.30pm to 8.30pm RED COW MORAN HOTEL Dublin.
PRE-BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL by email only to HHAMA
At their HHAMA Open Information meeting they review the full process in all the countries where they operate adoption programmes and they have detailed discussions on the children available, timelines and eligibility considerations. We believe it is a very valuable information meeting for applicants to ensure the country you work with HHAMA to select to adopt from is one where your adoption expectations can be met and where you have a reasonable expectation of completing an adoption
Cost of attending the events is €6 per person payable on the night.
Status of Vietnamese Adoptions as at 31st August 2017
Country Completed Adoptions
Vietnam 2016, 15 complete
Vietnam 2017, 17 complete / 18 on Waiting List pending matching
HHAMA update: Vietnamese Adoptions 30th June 2017
Country Completed Adoptions
Vietnam 2016, 15 complete
Vietnam 2017, 13 complete / 17 on Waiting List pending matching
HHAMA update: Vietnamese Adoptions 31st August 2016
Country Completed Adoptions
Vietnam 2015, 30 complete
Vietnam 2016, 11 complete / 14 on Waiting List pending matching
HHAMA update: Vietnamese Adoptions 31st December 2015
Country Completed Adoptions
Vietnam 2014, 14 complete
Vietnam 2015, 30 complete / 2 applicants With Art. 17 pending travel / 10 applicants matched pending Art 17 / 14 on Waiting list pending matching
HHAMA update: Vietnamese Adoptions 10th June 2015
Country Completed Adoptions / Accepted PPinP pending Completion
Vietnam 2014, 14 complete
Vietnam 2015, 14 complete / 16 applicants matched pending process completion.
HHAMA update : Vietnam January 13th 2015
2014 was a busy year at HHAMA.
Their Vietnam program is certainly running well with 28 accepted proposed placements. They continue to welcome applicants for this program as the needs, ages and number of children changes all the time.
HHAMA updates : Vietnam July 15th 2014
- We are currently delighted to report that we have 3 families who have returned from Vietnam with their wonderful children
- We also have 2 families travelling to Vietnam in the next two weeks.
The program is therefore well and truly underway again. The registration of new applicant dossiers is being actioned at this time.
- We are currently delighted to report that we have 3 families travelling to Vietnam in the next two weeks.
- We then also have 2 families who have confirmed Article 17 [referrals] awaiting travel dates.
- Then we do have another 10 families who have accepted Proposed Placements in Principle and who await Article 17 from both Vietnam and the AAI.
UPDATE RE: AWARDING OF VIETNAM LICENCE Date: 18th April 2013
Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency (HHAMA) is delighted to inform you that we are the first agency to be accredited by the Department of Justice and the Adoption Department in Vietnam, under the new Adoption Law in Vietnam. Helping Hands have been awarded a licence to facilitate adoptions for Irish applicants. There are now 28 agencies working in Vietnam.
Following this accreditation, there are now a few procedural items to be finalised with the Adoption Department in Vietnam, the Adoption Authority of Ireland and Department of Health, Children and Youth Affairs, before applications can begin to be processed.
We intend to hold information meetings for every applicant in the coming months, to inform you of the new procedures in relation to adopting from Vietnam and to discuss your individual application. Applicants who are fully registered with us will be dealt with first. We will be in touch with every applicant in the coming weeks and months.
Due to the backlog of applications already registered with HHAMA, we are not taking new registrations at present. We will email those on our mailing list and update our website when we have further information regarding accepting new registrations.
At this stage you do not need to do anything regarding your application. We will contact you in relation to what paperwork you require and what paperwork you need to update.
We endeavour to finalise outstanding matters in a very timely manner and ask that you bear with us during this stage. Please note that we have no indication at this time when we will receive the first referrals. This is a matter beyond our control and we ask for your understanding regarding this.
We appreciate your patience up to now and wish to thank you for your support during the last few years.
We will be in contact with applicants in due course and look forward to working with you in the future.
Our website will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect the new process and new document requirements in relation to adopting from Vietnam.
Arc Adoption is aware of the significant interest in adoption from Vietnam, among Irish applicants. According to the Adoption Authority of Ireland’s statistics as of 14th December last there were 223 live Declarations of Eligibility and Suitability. Additional Declarations have also been issued in the first quarter of 2013.
However, there is a serious concern that the potential number of referrals from Vietnam, to approved Irish applicants, may only be a small fraction of this number. In fact, the probability is very strong that the volume of referrals of younger, healthy children will be very, very low in comparison to the number of approved applicants. There may be slightly more referrals associated with older children (5 years plus), or children with special circumstances. Under the Vietnamese system referrals are issued to accredited agencies, and there is no quota system for a particular Country.
The volume of referrals from Vietnam to accredited agencies is also a function of several weighted criteria, including an agency’s awareness and compliance with Vietnamese policies; its engagement in the placement of children with special needs; sponsorship and aid programmes regarding children with special needs;compliance with regulations; and the professionalism and ethics of the agency and its members. Invitations to submit dossiers for consideration are based on the volume of children eligible for adoption,and are distributed among the accredited agencies in Vietnam based on each agency’s score against the above criteria. Currently we believe there are 27 agencies from several Countries accredited in Vietnam.
Under this system, the volume of referrals to Ireland would likely be enhanced if both Irish agencies, approved by the AAI to work with Vietnam, were accredited in Vietnam. I.e. if only one agency Is accredited in Vietnam, the number of referrals to Ireland will likely be less than if there were two such agencies.
However, Arc will be forced to pause our application for accreditation in Vietnam, as we currently receive no operational funding from the State. Given this lack of State support, we cannot commit to completing the accreditation process in Vietnam.
Arc remains firmly committed to Vietnam, and to building a child-centred adoption programme there, but we require funding to enable us to proceed.
This is particularly unfortunate for the many interested Irish applicants, as referrals from Vietnam are made to agencies, not to Individual Countries. Should funding be made available to Arc, we will immediately re-start our process in Vietnam.
Apply-to-Register – Vietnam
Arc Adoption is currently seeking accreditation in Vietnam, now that the Adoption Authority of Ireland, and the Department of Adoption in the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam have signed an administrative agreement concerning intercountry adoption between Vietnam and Ireland.
We are aware of the broad interest in adoption from Vietnam among Irish resident applicants. As such, Arc is introducing an interim “Apply-to-Register” process, which will both allow applicants to express their interest in such a programme, as well as allowing Arc to provide additional information to applicants, prior to extending an invitation for applicants to meet with Arc.
If you are interested in adoption from Vietnam, and are in possession of a Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability issued by the Adoption Authority of Ireland, please click on the following link:
Click Here to Apply-to-Register with Arc Adoption.
Submitting information through this form does not constitute registration with Arc Adoption.