Adoption Notice: Journeys of the Heart and La Vida International Accreditation Expiration

Last Updated: March 13, 2018

 

The Council on Accreditation reports that on February 28, 2018, the Hague Accreditation for Journeys of the Heart (JOH) and La Vida International (LVI) expired. They did not re-apply for accreditation. 

Agencies that are not accredited or approved may not act as a primary provider. They may, however, perform services for intercountry adoption under the supervision of an accredited or approved adoption service provider, but must meet the requirements of 96.35(a). When an agency’s or person’s accreditation or approval expires, they are responsible for transferring cases and records as required by 22 CFR 96.33(e) and 96.42(d). 

Families working with JOH or LVI should contact the agency directly with questions about case or record transfer. We also encourage families to review the information published by the Council on Accreditation about selecting a primary provider/adoption service provider and the accreditation/approval requirements.  

The Department of State does not review or approve case transfer plans and has a limited role in their execution. We do, however, communicate with foreign Central Authorities and competent adoption authorities about the accreditation status of agencies and persons and case transfer plans, as needed.