Confidentiality

Every Friday we receive an email from our placement agency with information various information. Today the email was about confidentiality. Several people have asked for specific information on our first referral, but we are bound to our confidentiality agreement. We felt it may be beneficial to share this information with everyone else as well.

The issue of confidentiality is significant in adoption. There are many strict confidentiality laws and agreements which we and your family are expected to abide by. If these laws and agreements are not followed, your individual adoption process or Russian adoptions in general may be at risk. The goal is to preserve a child’s safety, identity, and right to confidentiality.

During your court hearing, you may be asked to attest under oath to your part in maintaining confidentiality of a child’s information. When you receive referral information for consideration for adoption, you are expected to maintain the confidentiality of this information until your adoption is finalized. This means that you may not share any identifying information (photos, child’s last name, specific birth date, etc.) about the child whom you will adopt publicly or otherwise until the Court Decision is final. Finalization occurs only after the appeal period has passed after your court hearing; therefore, you are bound by confidentiality agreements before and after your first trip, and through part of your second trip.