On March 20, 2020, the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity (IAAME) notified the Department of State that, effective January 1, 2020, Golden Cradle Adoption Services, Inc. (Golden Cradle), an accredited Adoption Service Provider, had merged with Center for Family Service, Inc., an unaccredited entity. As a result of the merger Golden Cradle was dissolved as a separate corporation, and therefore Golden Cradle’s accreditation was effectively ended.

Golden Cradle must immediately cease to provide adoption services in connection with intercountry adoption cases. If you have an open case with Golden Cradle, please contact them directly to find out how the merger and loss of accreditation will affect your case. Golden Cradle is required to transfer its cases to another accredited provider. In addition, the agency must issue any reimbursements or refunds due to clients in accordance with 22 CFR 96.33(e) and 96.40(h).   

Families working with Golden Cradle should contact them directly with questions about case or record transfer. We also encourage families to review the information published by IAAME 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. The Department does, however, communicate with competent adoption authorities about the accreditation status of agencies and persons and case transfer plans, as needed.

Affected families may wish to review information about Case Transfer Responsibilities on the Department of State’s website and information about If Your Agency is No Longer Accredited/Approved on the USCIS website.

We also encourage families with outstanding post-adoption reports to contact Golden Cradle for guidance on how to proceed. Information about post-adoption reporting requirements is available on the country-specific information pages on the Department of State’s website. Requirements vary by country with respect to frequency of submission, information to be included, and methods of submission.

For more information, see IAAME’s website.