Three international adoption agencies – including one under investigation for fraud – have announced their closure recently, sparking a review of all such agencies in the state by the Department of Human Services.
The CLAAR Foundation in Boulder, which was the target of several lawsuits claiming the agency collected payments but failed to provide service, closed its doors early this month.
Boulder police are investigating CLAAR after receiving complaints from people who claim CLAAR defrauded them, said Boulder PD spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.
Friends of Children of Various Nations, in Denver, closed in December, and Commonwealth Adoption International, in Centennial, plans to close in the near future, said Human Services spokeswoman Liz McDonough.
None of the agencies could be reached for comment on Thursday.
The Boulder police investigation is one factor in Human Services decision to review operations and financial performance of all 26 international adoption agencies licensed in the state over the next 60 days, McDonough said.
“We just kind of looked at it and said people invest an awful lot emotionally and financially in international adoptions. Let’s take a look at it and make sure everything is running as well as it can.”
Among things the review will look at: compliance with licensing requirements regarding children’s health, safety, the accuracy of audits, the way the agencies respond to complaints, and issues surrounding the closures.
“It is important that families pursuing international adoption be provided as much information as possible as they make these critical decisions that so significantly impact their families’ futures,” Human Services director Karen L. Beye, said in a release.
The department expects to release the review by May 1, and use the results to develope long- and short-range plans to address any issues it identifies.
People who want to provide information for the review can call the Department of Human Services at (303)866-5961.
Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
