By Analiz González
Buckner International
Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services was notified Feb. 29 that it has become one of the first agencies in the United States to be Hague-accredited by the Council on Accreditation.
Adoption agencies that meet Hague Accreditation meet the requirements put forth by the U.S. government. U.S. agencies conducting international adoption in Hague countries need to either become accredited, cease adoptions or work through another agency.
“This accreditation is a huge step for Buckner International’s adoption ministry,” said Ken Hall, president and CEO of Buckner. “It is a global validation of the process we employ to ensure adoptions are done with the highest integrity.”
Debbie Wynne, director of Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, said the accreditation is “the difference between being able to continue practicing international adoption or not. You have to abide by it in Hague countries or you’d be operating illegally.
“After this point, any other agencies will have to wait until they open up an opportunity for accreditation again. This will reduce the number of agencies who can offer international adoption because the new government requirements are a costly process and it has been hard for small agencies to afford and to go through.
“Hague is based on basic principles of what’s the best practice for children. There are about 70 countries that have signed up and agreed to uphold those standards.”
Wynne said that Buckner will benefit from the credibility that comes from the accreditation.
For more information on Buckner adoption services, visit www.buckneradoption.org or call 214-319-3426.
Click here to read an explaination on what Hauge Accreditation means by Debbie Wynne, Director of Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services.
