New Hope Child and Family Agency complaint
Suzie
Complaint: New Hope Child & Family Agency WA
> We have been in the adoption process since 1996, with New Hope Child & Family Agency and have adopted one beautiful infant girl from Romania, in December of 1999. We are grateful for this "miracle."
> The other New Hope programs we made application to, such as Republic of Georgia and Romania, for our second adoption, folded or the adoption processes were dragged on and on, creating a sense of futility.
> We were told that our application fee could not be refunded, but we could change to another program within the agency. Presently, when Romanianian adoption was put on hold for 1 year, and we were told that we could switch to St. Petersburg, last May.
> This we did at the advice of the agency, who stated they'd simply update out home-study to reflect the Russian adoption. They sent us a list of new or necessary documents, which we raced to sign, notarize and return to them.
> Each time this home study update was discussed, it was inferred this would be done shortly. The truth is that after 5 monthes, our home study has not been updated, in spite of our phone calls enquiring as to this.
> I spoke with the director one day who was very disturbed at the way the St. Petersburg program was going. But later in the week, another caseworker called to say they were changing facilitators.
> This past week, a California agency which has done many
successful adoptions with St. Petersburg for 8 years, has told us St.
Petersburg is in the midst of procedural changes which could take
monthes to work out, and they are not advising anyone to adopt there.
But New Hope Agency is not advising people of these facts. In spite of
the fact that we were told our home study would be updated, it has not
been.
> This is just the risk "we" have to take, we were recently told.
Our answer is what risk to you? You still get paid and the families
bear the financial risk of a failed adoption. We feel a "50-50" risk
would be more appropriate, so we can reapply for a successful adoption
somewhere else. But in light of all of the promises that have wasted
time, and the fact that one of us is nearly now 55, the age limit for
adopting infants in many places, and we have pleaded for the agency to
consider this and not to waste our time, but to have mercy--we are
requesting the entire amount back!
Tom Campbell
Love4SachsGirls
Hope Child and Family Agency located in Shoreline Washington ( Seattle ).
Two little girls were placed with Sachses for the purpose of adoption over
four years ago! I'M HOPING YOU CAN HELP US! PLEASE CONTACT
LOVE4SA...@YAHOO.COM TO SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP!
Here is a copy of their Better Business Bureau complaint from December
17,2004.
URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT
Prior to the placement of our oldest adoptive daughter, Sabine/Tabitha
Fair New Hope told us the agency, New Hope would not be charging us an
adoption fee for Sabine/aka Tabitha Fair's adoption because she was older,
had special needs and was coming out of the state foster care system.
AFTER Sabine/aka Tabitha Fair was placed with us the agency then made us
sign an agreement to pay them $6300. A second child was placed with us
for adoption. We had made an agreement prior to her placement that we
would pay $6300 for Hanneke's/aka Gaberails adoption because she was a
newborn. Hanneke's birth mother had picked my husband, HuningtonSachs and
I to adopt her through New Hope Child and Family Agency. We did agree to
pay New Hope $6300 for the adoption of the second child (Hanneke/aka
Gaberail Rocco).
In addition the agency did not complete either one of the promised
adoptions even after four years! They claim it was because of our failure
to complete paper work. Yet, there is proof of us having completed paper
work in 2002. Even so, CPS says that the "paperwork is the responsibility
of the agency. You work for them even if they had to sit down in front of
you and help you complete the paper work they should have."
Then, when the agency came under scrutiny for not having completed the
adoptions, instead of admitting their mistakes they have continued to make
false, unfounded CPS referrals, judgments without facts and to blame us
for all the mistakes including their loss of an evaluation that was done
in 2002 on Hanneke. Many, many times I requested copy of this document
and evaluation and was told by the caseworkers that they couldn't find it.
yet, when we went to court and they said it hadn't been completed I said
it had and that new Hope had lost it. Miraculously within three days of
that court appearance they sent the lost evaluation from 2002 (2 years
late).
In addition New Hope made a referral to CPS against me that said I had
violated a "Safety Plan." In reality CPS discovered that there should
have been a Safety Plan but that New Hope had not made one for over four
years of care of the children. Instead of taking responsibility for their
mistake, they put the blame on me. and, of course i did not compromise the
safety of the girls anyways.
One of my biggest complaints with this agency is that they have and
continue to make judgments without investigating, discovering facts,
talking to us honestly and allowing us to address their concerns. We have
tried many, many times to meet with them and they still continue to
refuse. It has been a deeply disappointing especially knowing they are
suppose to be a Christian agency.
I also believe they have abused their authority and went so far as to
REMOVE THE GIRLS FROM THE HOME AND FAMILY THEY WERE THRIVING IN WITH US
AFTER FOUR YEARS. Juvenile Court Commissioner Leonid Ponamarchuk told the
agency that he had expected they would have some compassion for the family
and believed they were exemplary parents. He reluctantly granted the
motion of New Hope, but remarked in his order that, "I believe the issues
of the Sachs are remediable and that it is not in the best interest of the
children for them to be removed, but I do not have the law to back me up
because the Sachs are foster parents."
Following the court's decision, and against the written statements and
expressed wishes of teachers, counselors, psychologists and physicians
familiar with the girls and with the family's current situation, New Hope
made the decision to remove these two girls from their home on Tuesday,
November 16, 2004. We believe this was a terrible mistake. All of those
mentioned above have now made CPS referrals against the agency as they
believe their actions are negligent and causing psychological harm to the
children.
The problem here is that New Hope seems to not have any accountability
because they are a private agency.
What we would like the BBB to do is request IMPARTIAL MEDIATION between
New Hope and the Sacheses. It may be the most helpful to speak with Jim
Gwen, President of Crista Ministries because he had initially said he
would help to facilitate mediation because "it is the right thing to do."
However, since then he has been "unavailable."
thank you for listening.
PLEASE CONTACT LOVE4SA...@YAHOO.COM TO SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP! I'm
hoping you can help us!
Love4SachsGirls
Love4SachsGirls
urgent, critical situation involving two little girls they have had for 4
years through new hope. it also involves the issue of money with this
agency that ADDED AN EXTRA $6300 ON TOP OF WHAT THEY HAD AGREED TO PAY
AFTER THE CHILD WAS PLACED WITH THEM. you should connect asap. they are
in a crisis with this agency right now. see...
http://www.petitiononline.com/Adoption/petition.html
contact: love4sa...@yahoo.com Puuhllleeasse!