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DaoDDsh InÉeciiatiioiriial Ad opt i o DI
Danish International Adoption
lOasiÅcSop'li;
29. January 2015
Press release
Wew adoption agency:
Danish International Adoption
The two agendes AC International Child Support and DanAdopt, Danish Society for International Child
Care, have merged as of today to form Danish International Adoption. With this merger, international
adoption services in Denmark will be given a new beginning and a strong adoption-professional and
robust financial foundation.
The inception of the new organisation follows a decision by the Government and a broad majority of the
Parliament in the autumn of 2014, recommending a merger of the two adoption agencies into one.
The new Executive Committee is composed of members from the Committees of the two previous
agencies. Lars Ellegaard, previously the Vice-President of DanAdopt, is new President, while Kim Pedersen,
previously President of AC International Child Support, is new Vice-President. The new Executive
Committee has worked together to draw up new Statutes, designed to help ensure that adoptions are
carried through in accordance with both national and international requirements and procedures, with
tight financial management and good contact with applicants as well as our collaborative partners abroad.
The Management of the new organisation will consist of Executive Director Robert Jonasen and Deputy
Director Jeanette Larsen, who will also serve as head of legal affairs. Both have many years of experience in
inter-country adoption. Robert Jonasen, who has a background as a psychologist, has previously been Chief
Advisor to the Ministry of Children, Gender Equality, Integration and Social Affairs and Executive Director of
DanAdopt from 1 November 2014. Jeanette Larsen has a background in the Social Appeals Board, where
her duties included supervision of the adoption agencies.
- With Robert Jonasen and Jeanette Larsen as our management team, we will have the deep adoptionprofessional and legal competencies needed to ensure that the new organisation will live up to all
requirements for adoption work and services in future, says Lars Ellegaard, President of the Executive
Committee of Danish International Adoption.
Danish International Adoption • Hovedgaden 24 • 3460 Birkerød • [email protected] • [email protected] • Fax: 45 81 74 82
TIf.: 45 81 63 33 man - ons.: 10-12 • torsdag: 13-15 • fredag: 10-12 • samt 86 12 65 22 dagligt 10-14
CVR. NR. 49 66 15 17 • Danske Bank • Reg.nr.: 3170 • konto: 4130972659
As a consequence of the merger, AC International Child Support's offices in Aarhus will be closed down in
the summer of 2015, and the new organisation will have its head office at DanAdopt's existing premises in
Birkerød.
For the far greater part of the many applicants on the two agencies' waiting lists, the merger will not be of
any importance. They will remain on the existing lists. How the existing waiting lists for South Africa,
Vietnam, Thailand and Kenya will be organised depends on ongoing negotiations with the local authorities
of the respective countries. The applicants will be informed as negotiations fall into place.
It is the Executive Committee's hope that joining forces in one organisation will make it possible to secure
services at a high level of professionalism while at the same time costs, and thereby the fees associated
with adoption work, will be kept down.
- Danish International Adoption will be a good start to realising the politicians' wish to see Denmark as a
lead country in international adoption. How Danish International Adoption can contribute specifically to
making this ambition into reality will be among the first tasks to be addressed by the new Executive
Committee. It is a challenge we look forward to meeting, says Lars Ellegaard.
The context of adoption has changed distinctly over the past few years. Child welfare has improved in
several of the countries from which Denmark has traditionally adopted children, which means that fewer
children need inter-country adoption today. At the same time, the requirements and procedures with
which adoption service work is associated have become ever more extensive and resource demanding.
Executive Director Robert Jonasen says:
- It is imperative that all adoptions are carried through on a legally appropriate basis. International
conventions and complex local conditions make it necessary to strengthen competencies and integrate
them into one organisation, which will thus also have a more sustainable financial framework.
The Danish adoption system is known and recognised by authorities and collaborative partners abroad for
reasons including our keen focus on support - before, during and after the adoption.
- The countries we collaborate with are attaching weight increasingly to circumstances after the adoption
and the extent of support we are able to offer children and their families. It is therefore my clear conviction
that, also in future, Denmark will be viewed as an attractive country for cooperation around adoption, says
Robert Jonasen.
Further
information:
President Lars Ellegaard,
Executive Director Robert Jonasen