Year: 2010

What parents are saying about foster care adoptions

Child Trends, with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, hosted a webinar to examine key findings from the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP).  This survey was the first-ever to provide information about the well-being of adopted children and their families.  While the survey included on all types of the adoption, Child Trends’ webinar focused on foster care adoptions.

Some key findings include:

  • Nearly half of the children adopted in the U.S. are adopted by a relative and/or someone they knew prior to the adoption.
  • Among children adopted from foster care who have birth siblings, two out of five were adopted with one or more birth sibling.
  • Nearly half of all children adopted from foster care live in low-income households, a much higher percentage than any other form of adoption.
  • Cost of adoption was an important factor in choosing to adopt from foster care.
  • Majority of adopted children fare well on social/emotional indicators, but some problems markedly higher among those adopted from foster care.

Kathleen Strottman, CCAI’s Executive Director, spoke about how these findings will impact federal policy.  The number of children adopted out of foster care each year has improved only slightly over the past several years, therefore, it is necessary to use the data from this survey and information from the practice field in order to pass legislation that will promote foster care adoption.  Strottman pointed out that this study is important in identifying the motivation and needs of adoptive parents in order to address these areas.  For example, the cost of the adoption and the adoption subsidy was a significant determining factor for many adoptive parents.  Knowing this, advocates need to inform policymakers about the importance of the adoption subsidy in an effort to further promote adoption.

To view the full webinar, click here.

Forgotten Children: International Adoption and the Global Orphan Crisis

The Daily Beast and Urban Zen co-hosted an event called Forgotten Children: International Adoption and the Global Orphan Crisis in an effort to draw attention to the topic.  Experts from the field of orphan care and adoption spoke about the growing need to address the orphan crisis.  This article summarizes the event and includes video clips of the expert panel.

Dr. Jane Aronson who has been nicknamed ‘the orphan doctor’, spoke about the realities of adoption from a health perspective.  She raised the concern that prospective adoptive parents are often not honest with themselves about their abilities related to the needs of the child they are seeking to adopt.  Aronson, along with others, called for better post-adoption services.

Deborra-Lee Furness, co-host of the event, wife of actor Hugh Jackman, and adoptive mother, discussed her view that adoption should be the third best option, after placing a child with their biological family, then placing a child with another family in their home community.

Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem who was adopted from South Korea when she was 8 years old spoke about the impact of international adoption in her own life.  Her unique adoption story s the focus of two POV documentaries that aired earlier this year on PBS.  Liem raised the point that adopted children grow up, and as an adult adoptee she shared, “I gained tremendously by coming to this country.  But on the other hand, I lost everything I loved by coming to this country”—her family, identity, language, and even memories. “One does not replace the other.”  While sharing this perspective, Liem urged that the best interest of a child it is critical for children to have families and secure homes.

Dr. Sophie Mengitsu, who operates in Ethiopia, offered her suggestion that agencies that help international adoption must also help the communities from which these orphans come.  She went on to highlight the negative impact on development that is caused by living in an institution.

Ultimately, several possible solutions to improve international adoption and the global orphan crisis were raised that range from supporting the struggling communities to examining the root causes to providing better training for orphanage workers.

It is imperative to invest in children around the world, and to not delay in making this investment.

CDC launches health guidance site for children adopted internationally

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has launched a new part of their website to assist prospective adoptive parents as they plan to bring home a child who they adopted internationally.  There is information about vaccines, medical exams, class A conditions, and finding a health care provider once back home in the U.S.  Also included is a section for news, updates, and useful links.

From the Center for Disease Control website:

Each year, parents in the United States adopt more than 12,000 children from all over the world. Adopting a child is a wonderful and exciting event for families. The health of the adopted child is one of many issues that parents need to address during the adoption process. Parents should be prepared for possible challenges during the adoption process and be aware that sometimes the process can be lengthy.

Children born in other areas of the world may have different health problems from those of children raised in the United States. Children may have been exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases that are rare in the United States. Some children are adopted from countries with high rates of diseases, such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS. For all these reasons, knowing as much as possible about a child’s health will help parents get the right treatment and care for their child. Ensuring that adopted children are healthy will also help prevent the spread of dis

To visit the site, click here.

The most wonderful time of the year

The most wonderful time of the year–no, not the holiday season–but National Adoption Month is drawing to a close.  I wanted to use this last Adoption Month post to draw attention to activities that have been taking place this month since my first post on this topic.  I’m excited to share many new activities were started this year, and will hopefully continue to grow in the future to accomplish our shared vision of a family for every child.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commemorated National Adoption Month through a video message in which she highlighted that over the past decade 200,000 children have been adopted internationally.  Secretary Clinton shared that the U.S. Department of State is committed to safeguarding the interests of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents worldwide.  As evidence to this commitment, Secretary Clinton announced early this year the appointment of Ambassador Susan Jacobs as Special Advisor for International Children’s Issues who works to ensure the child’s best interest is the heart of every international adoption.

The global media company Clear Channel celebrated National Adoption Month in conjunction with the Heart Gallery NYC by broadcasting pictures of children waiting in foster care to be adopted on a Times Square screen.  Thousands of New York City residents and visitors learned about the need for adoption.

Tampa Bay Rays’ right-hander, James Shields, along with his wife Ryane are committed to helping children in foster care find homes.  The Shields have worked with the Tampa Bay Heart Gallery for a few years now, recording PSAs and most recently holding a blown-up picture of one of the boys waiting to be adopted on the field.

Voice for Adoption launched their Adoptive Family Portrait Project during an event on Capitol Hill.  During November, Members of Congress display constituent family photos in their DC office in order to raise awareness about foster care adoption.

Joint Council dedicated posts each day on their blog to share one successful adoption story, one unsuccessful adoption story, and one action that individuals can do to help children’s welfare domestically around the world.

Do you know of other unique National Adoption Month activities?  Be sure to comment in order to share information about the great work taking place on behalf of this effort!

National Adoption Day reaches beyond courtrooms

The 11th annual National Adoption Day took place last Saturday, November 20th.  This year brought a number of new accomplishments to this national effort.  This year alone, more than 4,800 children were adopted on National Adoption Day–more than any year before!  Nearly 400 events took place across the country.  While judges, social workers, attorneys, CASAs, volunteers, and most importantly adoptive parents worked together to ensure successful events; celebrities, elected officials, and pro sports are now realizing the importance of this day.

For the first time ever, all 50 governors issued National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month proclamations along with numerous mayors of cities across the country.  President Obama issued his annual proclamation.  State courts, state legislatures, and city councils passed National Adoption Day resolutions.

Once again, the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives both passed National Adoption Day and Month resolutions with a total of 75 original co-sponsors.

Several elected officials expressed their support by attending events, such as Gov. Deval Patrick of Mass., or by writing op eds such as Rep. Jim Cooper of Tenn., or by issuing press releases, such as Sens. James Inhofe and Mary Landrieu.  Lt. Gov. of New Jersey, Kim Guadagno opened up about her own adoption in an op ed she wrote for the day.

Academy Award nominated screenwriter and actress Nia Vardalos participated in the Los Angeles event by sharing her personal foster care adoption story.  Actor Willie Garson also shared his story of adopting his son from foster care.  Nia served as spokesperson this year, and participated in several interviews on the topic.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, kicked off National Adoption Day by finalizing two adoptions from the D.C. foster care system on Friday, Nov. 19th.  One boy was a 17 year-old who was being adopted by his friend’s mother.  He went on to share what his adoption day means to him through his blog post.

The New Orleans Saints also recognized the importance of the day by playing the National Adoption Day PSA and announcing to the 70,000 fans present at their November 21st game about the need to step forward and make a difference in the life of a child.

Numerous TV stations across the country featured stories about local families’ adoption on National Adoption Day.  In Atlanta, one boy shared what his adoption means to him. “There is no sadness here,” he said of his new home.

While 2010 presented many new successes for foster care adoption, there is much work to be done.  Thank you all for your efforts surrounding National Adoption Day.  We are looking forward to even more forever families to celebrate next year!

For the official National Adoption Day press release, click here.

how lucky that little boy is…

Tens of thousands across the country will be celebrating National Adoption Day tomorrow.  While I could reiterate the magnitude of this effort, I wanted to focus on what National Adoption Day means beyond the balloons, press releases, proclamations, dress clothes, and photographers of tomorrow’s events.

The love of a mother or father is fundamental to our lives.  Well into my twenties, I’m realizing that my need for parents is no less now than before.  It’s a loving parent that gives children a sense of security, a knowing that they have a place to call home, a reality that they are not in this world alone.  A parent is a child’s biggest fan.  A parent is who will fight any battle for that child.

As a trained social worker I couldn’t let tomorrow come without addressing the significant impact on the emotional development of the child.  Research and common sense tell us that the best place for a child to grow and develop is in a family.  Children need stability and a sense of security in order for a healthy physical, psychological, and social development.  Childhood experiences forever impact the people we become and the success of later life.

As I was driving to work this morning, I was thinking about the courtroom celebrations that would be taking place tomorrow.  But my mind wandered to one adoption day story I will never forget.  Last year, my boss was attending a young boy’s foster care adoption finalization along with one of our Foster Youth Interns who had aged out of foster care himself.  Now this intern would remind you of a football linebacker, and would never be pegged for a bleeding heart.  But as the judge was leading the ceremony before signing the adoption decree, “do you agree to be adopted?  will you provide a suitable home for this child?  this child will now have all of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of being your child.”  The new mother, so overcome with emotion, could barely spell her name aloud for the court reporter.  As my boss sat next to our intern, she looked over and noticed tears in his eyes.  He leaned in to her and said, “I’m sorry, I’m usually not emotional…but I can’t help but think how lucky that little boy is.”

With tears streaming down my face remembering this story, it was then that I was reminded just how important tomorrow is.  We all work in this field because we are passionate and hope to see not one more youth age out of the foster care system with that longing for a family unfulfilled, wanting nothing more than a parent to be proud as they walk across the graduation stage, wanting a parent to call them on their birthday, or knowing they always have a place to go for the holidays .

As we leave our National Adoption Day celebrations tomorrow, we cannot fail to remember the 114,000 children and youth still waiting for a family to call their own, and the 30,000 youth who will age out of foster care this year.