Exit from Adoption Sector

Publication date: 24 November 2015

Posted on November 24, 2015 by arcadopt

24th November 2015

Arc Adoption decided on the 16th September 2015 not to seek a renewal of our accreditation under the Adoption Act 2010, when the current accreditation expires on 7th February 2016.

This decision was taken due to:

“Pausing” of operational State funding to the agency in June 2015, retrospectively announced in August 2015,

Continued indecision by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, and his Department in respect of one-off funding to address the remaining balance of Arc’s Refundable Registration Fees, and

Decision by the AAI not to approve Arc’s fee schedule for Haiti, citing one element of the charges set by the Haitian Central Authority, IBESR.

Arc’s Board decided that the company cannot continue in such circumstances, and would therefore exit the adoption sector. We requested the Adoption Authority of Ireland to implement its contingency plan to enable an orderly transfer of all live cases and client files to the Authority.

Based on commitments from the Authority & Department of Children and Youth Affairs, a process was finally agreed on October 16th 2015 to enable same. To date:

Transfer of Case Files: All cases in process and all client files have now been successfully transferred to the Authority. That process concluded on 20th November 2015

Client Refunds: Since the start of October 2015 Arc has issued cheques totaling €166,808.04 to refund monies held on behalf of clients in Arc’s Client Fee Account. This includes cheques ranging from €5.75 to €10,705.77.

How did it come the this? In order to provide an explanation for the decision, and to present the facts on what occurred over recent months and years, Arc prepared and delivered a presentation to clients on Saturday 21st November. The slides from that presentation and an extract from a dossier which underpins the slides, and illustrates other elements of our story, are available by clicking the links below:

Arc_Client_Meeting_Presentation_21.11.15

How_Did_We_Get_to_This_part1

How_Did_We_Get_to_This_part2

As a final comment, the Board and Management of Arc wish all our clients well for the future, whether they have completed an adoption, are awaiting a referral or have decided to withdraw from the adoption process. Adoption is an important activity, and should provide the opportunity of a safe and secure loving home for a child who needs same. It is our sincere hope that the transparency evidenced and promoted by Arc permeates the Irish adoption sector, which to date has suffered from a significant lack of same.

Arc Adoption. Always Remember the Child.

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