So you finally have your child home. Finally the paperwork is all behind you, right? Wrong. There are several things that still need to be done. First on the list are the reports you agreed to supply to the Ethiopian government to let them know that your child is well and thriving.


Family Reports

One of the things that you commit to when you adopt a child from Ethiopia is to provide the Ethiopian government with regular updates about your child. Your letters need to be written 3 months after homecoming, 6 months after homecoming, and then on the yearly anniversary of your child's homecoming until your child is 18 years old.

Basically these reports can be just a letter of a page or so, telling how the child is adjusting to your family. You will submit these letters to the agency that handled your Ethiopian adoption. Your agency will forward these letters to the Ethiopian government. You can find examples of family letters we've sent here and here. These letters are very important in reassuring the Ethiopian government that your child is well; be sure to fulfill your responsibility and write those letters!


Agency Reports

You'll also need to schedule postplacement visits with the same agency that did your homestudy. You'll need three visits.

- 1 month after homecoming
- 3 months after homecoming
- 6 months after homecoming

The third report is usually the one in which your social worker will recommend finalization(re-adoption) in your local court. These visits with your social worker are a good chance to get any questions answered regarding your child's adjustment to your family, and your own adjustment to parenthood. Do feel free to ask these questions, as this is one of the important functions that your social worker can offer to you.


I'll talk more tomorrow about the process of re-adopting your child, getting a social security card and green card, and getting proof that your child is now a U.S. citizen.