2010 Adoption Policy Conference

Permanency for Children

presented by The Center for Adoption Policy,
The Child Advocacy Program of Harvard Law School,
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute,
The Justice Action Center at New York Law School, and
The New York Law School Law Review

Friday, March 5, 2010
New York Law School
Auditorium and Events Center

Now in its seventh year, our annual conference explores topics at the forefront of adoption policy in the United States and internationally. This year's conference entitled, "Permanency for Children,” focused on the national and international policies promoting the preservation and reunification of families, as well as the creation of permanent families for parentless children.

Expert panels discussed the major issues relating to the status of the world's 143 million unparented children. How can we answer the need for permanency in their lives? Topics such as domestic and international adoption, long-term care in foreign countries, and aiding biological families on both a national and multilateral level were addressed, as well as legal and immigration questions related to permanency issues.

This year’s conference took the form of a symposium, with several of the academic contributions to be collected in a forthcoming edition of the New York Law School Law Review.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8:30am—9:00am
Check-in for pre-registered guests
Continental breakfast will be available in the conference center

9:00am—9:10am
Welcome
Diane B. Kunz, Executive Director, Center for Adoption Policy

9:10am—10:10am
Panel I: Different Perspectives on Permanency for Children

• Moderator: Ann N. Reese, Executive Director, Center for Adoption Policy
• Elizabeth Bartholet, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Child Advocacy Program
• Carlin Meyer, Professor of Law, New York Law School and Director, Diane Abbey Center for Children and Families
• Kathleen Strottman, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

10:20am—12:20pm
Panel II: Legal Issues in the Fight for Permanency

• Moderator: Paulo Barrozo, Assistant Professor of Law, Boston College Law School
• Joan Hollinger, University of California School of Law, “Mobile Families: Protecting Adoptive Families Across State and National Borders”
• Richard Carlsson , St. Joseph College of Law, Hague Issues
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
  • Julie A. Turner
  • Elizabeth A. Russo
  • Richard M. Rothblatt
  • Katie Rasor
• Lawyers from WilmerHale discussing citizenship and adoption status of children adopted internationally through fraudulent adoption proceedings (projects undertaken on behalf of the Center for Adoption Policy)
  • Stephanie Nicolas
  • Elena Schwieger

12:30pm—2:00pm
Lunch and Keynote Speaker
Dr. Charles Nelson, Harvard University

2:10pm—3:30pm
Panel III: Supporting Children Here and There: With Special Focus on the Haitian Orphan Situation

• Moderator: William J. Bistransky, Chief of the Adoption Unit, Office of Children’s Issues, U.S. Department of State
• Philip Cohen, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “Health of Children Adopted Internationally.”
• Dr. Jane Aronson, Founder and CEO, Worldwide Orphans Foundation
• Tom DiFilipo, President and CEO, Joint Council on International Children Services
• Heather Burke, Centers for Disease Control, “What CDC is Doing to Work with Children to be Adopted Internationally and Those Who Remain in Country.”

3:40pm—4:30pm
Panel IV: Immigration Issues and Children’s Rights (Sponsored Together with the Safe Passage Program)

• Moderator: Lindsay Curcio, Adjunct Professor, New York Law School; Codirector, Safe Passage Immigration Project, Justice Action Center
• Nancy Roberston, The Grace Children’s Foundation, “Helping to Bring Children to the U.S. for Medical Treatment.”
• Whitney Reitz, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Washington, D.C. “How CIS Headquarters Views Immigrant Visa Issues”

4:30pm—5:30pm
Audience Discussion

CONFERENCE VIDEO

Click on the “play” button below to view streaming video from selected conference panels.

If you have any questions, please email jac@nyls.edu.