NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY 2007-SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2007
In 2006, all 50 states with hundreds of courts and communities across the nation came together to finalize more than 3,300 adoptions of children from our nation’s foster care system. This day brought together numerous lawmakers, judges, attorneys, adoption agencies, and adoption professionals, who are dedicated to creating forever families for waiting children.
About National Adoption Day
Every year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the National Adoption Day Coalition sponsors National Adoption Day to finalize the adoptions of thousands of children in foster care and to celebrate all families that adopt. On National Adoption Day 2006 – Saturday, November 18 – hundreds of courts and communities across the nation will come together to finalize thousands of adoptions of children from foster care. The day brings together hundreds of judges, attorneys, adoption agencies, adoption professionals and child advocates who are dedicated to creating forever families for waiting children.
For more information on National Adoption Day and to access a copy of Trends in U.S. Foster Care Adoption Legislation: A State by State Analysis, please visit the National Adoption Day Web site (www.nationaladoptionday.org) or the Urban Institute Web site (www.urban.org).
National Adoption Day (NAD) Study Shows State Lawmakers Active on Foster Care Adoption; Yet Raises Doubts About Whether Barriers to Adoption Are Being Adequately Addressed
National Coalition Calls on Legislators to Work with State Welfare Agencies to Ensure Legislation is Effective in Addressing Identified Barriers to Foster Care Adoption
A NAD study shows that between January 2002 and June 2006, legislatures have been active on foster care adoption issues; however, many states have not introduced legislation to address identified barriers to foster care adoption. While states may have taken non-legislative actions to address barriers, the study raises questions about whether states are considering all available actions to move children out of foster care and into permanent families.
Trends in U.S. Foster Care Adoption Legislation: A State by State Analysis is the first research report to provide an in-depth, 50-state analysis of legislative trends on foster care adoption. The study, conducted by the Urban Institute in partnership with the National Conference of State Legislatures, and commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition, was released in recognition of National Adoption Day – Saturday, November 18, 2006
“We are pleased that lawmakers are paying attention to foster care adoption but ask them to work more closely with experts to ensure that their efforts are addressing the most pressing needs in each state,” said Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Every year on National Adoption Day, we help connect thousands of children with permanent families in almost every state across the country, and we are calling on legislators to become active partners in the effort by ensuring that the state agencies, the social workers and adoptive families receive the critical supports they need.”
According to the report, between January 2002 and June 2006 state lawmakers introduced 1,000 bills on foster care adoption issues, with one in four bills being passed. During that time, every state introduced at least one bill addressing foster care adoption, and at least 39 states introduced legislation that addressed issues related to key stages of the adoption process.
While the report shows promising legislative activity throughout the stages of the adoption process, only a small percentage of the states that identified specific barriers to adoption have introduced legislation to address them. For example, only about 20 percent of the states that identified barriers in the areas of adoption recruitment and approving adoptive homes introduced legislation to address them.
According to a 2004 study, also commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition and conducted by the Urban Institute, the most frequently reported barriers to adoption are: recruiting adoptive homes, terminating parental rights, court case management and child welfare case management.
“Given that some passed legislation may exacerbate barriers to adoption, advocates need to do a better job of articulating the potential unintended consequences of well-meaning legislation,” said Rob Geen, a researcher working with the Urban Institute on the study. “This study also points to a need for more research on how state legislatures can impact the foster care adoption process and determine what barriers are best addressed by legislation so that the system can work better for the 114,000 children in U.S. foster care waiting for permanent families.”
Through interviews with state legislative staff and other key state officials, the Trends in U.S. Foster Care Adoption Legislation finds that states may be able to pass more effective legislation when legislative staff works closely with state agencies and local foster care organizations early in the process. The study also found that states’ funding constraints have hindered both the introduction and passing of more targeted legislation to address foster care adoption barriers – indicating a need to educate legislators about the positive outcomes of connecting children in the foster care system with permanent families.
“The Freddie Mac Foundation is honored to support research that we hope will serve as a tool for state legislators and local adoption agencies and child advocates to better address identified barriers to foster care adoption in their states,” said Maxine B. Baker, President and CEO, Freddie Mac Foundation. “Where barriers have not yet been addressed through legislation or policy change, this report provides state-level legislative examples that can help improve the lives of children in foster care.”
The study also takes a close look at how states are addressing post-adoptive services, the support and services that families receive after an adoption is final. The findings show that state legislatures have primarily focused on two types of post-adoption supports: medical insurance coverage and educational benefits. While these are clear needs for adoptive families, recent post-adoption studies indicate that families are in need of additional services such as respite care, counseling and in-home supports. Despite these needs, the research shows that many states are considering cuts to adoption assistance programs, rather than identifying ways to maintain and increase support to adoptive families.
“Legislators should reconsider any cuts to adoption assistance programs,” said Soronen. “Ensuring that adequate supports are in place to support adoptive families means potential adoptive parents will be more likely to take the step to adopt a child from foster care.”
The National Adoption Day Coalition works to draw attention to the 114,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted and to raise awareness of the need for more adoptive families. The Coalition includes seven partners – The Alliance for Children’s Rights, Casey Family Services/The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children’s Action Network, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®, Freddie Mac Foundation and Jockey International’s Jockey Being Family™ initiative.
National Adoption Day Coalition Partners
The Alliance for Children’s Rights — The Alliance for Children's Rights is Los Angeles’ only free legal services organization devoted solely to helping children living in poverty and foster care. The Alliance’s mission is to ensure children get the support and services they need to become healthy, productive adults.
Casey Family Services — Casey Family Services is the direct service agency of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the nation's largest private foundation serving fragile U.S. children, families and communities, started by United Parcel Service founder Jim Casey. Casey Family Services has worked with foster and adoptive families for nearly 30 years and is dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children here in the United States.
Children’s Action Network — Formed in 1990 by leaders in the entertainment industry, the Children’s Action Network (CAN) is dedicated to improving the lives of America’s children. Through extensive public education campaigns, community-based programs and policy initiatives, CAN uses the power of the entertainment community to increase awareness about children’s issues and to make them a top priority in everyday life.
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute — CCAI is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the tens of thousands of foster care children in this country and the millions of orphans around the world. CCAI strives to accomplish its mission by serving as an informational and educational resource to policymakers and works in collaboration with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, which is a bicameral, bipartisan caucus, with more than 190 Members of Congress.
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption® — Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's® Old Fashioned Hamburgers Restaurants, established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992 to help the thousands of children throughout the United States and Canada who are waiting to be adopted from foster care. In collaboration with national and local adoption, funding and policy partners, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption works to assure that adoption through the foster care system is streamlined, affordable and accessible to any family wanting to adopt.
Freddie Mac Foundation — Created by Freddie Mac in 1991, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to creating hope and opportunity for children and their families. As one of the largest corporate funders in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested nearly $250 million in nonprofit organizations serving children and families.
Jockey International — Jockey International has been dedicated to giving back to families for more than 130 years. In 2005, Jockey launched Jockey Being Family™, its citizenship initiative committed to strengthening adoptive families for successful futures. Jockey focuses its giving on organizations that provide critical post-adoption services necessary to build strong families and loving, permanent homes for children.
National Adoption Day 2005
Data Show 38 Percent Increase in Interest in Adoption Among Women in the United States
According to a report released on November 16, 2005, interest in adoption among women ages 18-44 rose 38 percent in the United States between 1995 and 2002 (from 13 million to 18 million) according to the most recent National Survey of Family Growth conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis, conducted by the Urban Institute and commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition, was released at the national launch event for National Adoption Day.
Of the women interested in adoption, approximately 760,000 reported they were currently seeking to adopt – up from approximately 500,000 women in 1995. Data also revealed an interest in adopting minority, special needs, and older children. Ninety-seven (97) percent of women would be willing to adopt a minority child while nearly a third (31 percent) would be willing to adopt an older child. Ninety (90) percent of women currently seeking to adopt said they would be willing to adopt a child with a mild disability.
While interest is on the rise, the portion of women interested in adoption who then actually took steps to adopt declined. Approximately 10 percent (1.9 million) of interested women took steps to adopt – down from 16 percent (2.1 million) in 1995.
“The rise in interest in adoption is wonderful news for the 119,000 children currently available for adoption in our foster care system,” said Maxine Baker, President and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation. “Now we must work to insure that the adoption process is accessible and easy to navigate so that we can connect these women and their families to waiting children.”
The new analysis was released at the Kings County Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York to kick off National Adoption Day. The event launched a week long series of adoption events, which culminated in hundreds of courts opening their doors on National Adoption Day - Saturday, November 19th - to finalize thousands of adoptions. This year, 3,325 adoptions were finalized at 227 celebrations in 45 states and the District of Columbia across the country.
Growing interest in adoption may be a reflection of the concerted efforts made by the federal government and states to raise awareness of the children in foster care currently awaiting adoption. Recruitment strategies across states include outreach through diverse media as well as faith communities, utilizing language appropriate materials, and leveraging the power of personal relationships.
“(On National Adoption Day) we celebrate those women and families who did take the next step and have chosen to adopt a child from foster care and create a forever family,” said Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Now, we need to focus on ways to encourage others to take that next step. We need to translate interest into action.”
Each year, on a special Saturday just before every Thanksgiving, the National Adoption Day Coalition sponsors National Adoption Day to raise awareness of the need to find permanent, loving homes for the thousands of children in foster care currently available for adoption and to insure that post-adoption services are available to families. At the heart of the Day are thousands of children, parents, judges, adoption professionals, volunteer lawyers and child advocates in hundreds of communities across the country who come together to finalize the adoptions of children from foster care and celebrate all families who adopt.
According to the most recent data available, there are approximately 523,000 children in foster care in the United States, and 119,000 of them are available for adoption. Since 1987, the number of children in foster care has nearly doubled, and the average time a child languishes in foster care has lengthened to nearly three years. Each year, approximately 20,000 children in foster care will age out of the system without ever being placed with a permanent family.
National Adoption Day events are sponsored by a coalition dedicated to improving the lives of children, including The Alliance for Children’s Rights, Casey Family Services, Children’s Action Network, The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Freddie Mac Foundation and Target.
To access the full report, please visit the National Adoption Day Web site or the Urban Institute Web site.
