Sunday, October 31, 2010
November Adoption Awareness Month
KENTUCKY...
Governor Steve Beshear has proclaimed November Adoption Awareness Month in Kentucky and is reminding Kentuckians to consider opening their hearts and homes to the state’s more than 800 waiting children.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ (CHFS) Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) is responsible for the state’s child protection efforts, including foster care and adoption.
Secretary Janie Miller said that while the state’s success in the area of adoption requires strong collaborations among adoptive parents, the state and local communities, the heart of the program is the adoptive families.
Most of the state’s adoptions – 85 percent -- are by families who serve first as foster families, DCBS Adoption Services Branch Manager Mike Grimes said.
Adoption Support for Kentucky (ASK) – one of the primary resources for adoptive families -- received an Adoption Excellence Award from the Children's Bureau this year. ASK is a University of Kentucky-based consortium of parent-led adoptive parent support groups throughout the state, and the group works closely with DCBS and its Special Needs Adoption program (SNAP).
Of the more than 6,900 children in state out-of-home care, more than 1,800 children have the goal of adoption. Almost 800 children have had their parental rights terminated, which means they have no identified family available to care for them and are awaiting adoption.
Families who are interested in adoption are encouraged to let caseworkers know about the kinds of special needs they can be prepared to handle and if they are interested in caring for one or more than one child. Grimes said it can sometimes be challenging to find a permanent home for sibling groups or children with special needs.
Governor Steve Beshear has proclaimed November Adoption Awareness Month in Kentucky and is reminding Kentuckians to consider opening their hearts and homes to the state’s more than 800 waiting children.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ (CHFS) Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) is responsible for the state’s child protection efforts, including foster care and adoption.
Secretary Janie Miller said that while the state’s success in the area of adoption requires strong collaborations among adoptive parents, the state and local communities, the heart of the program is the adoptive families.
Most of the state’s adoptions – 85 percent -- are by families who serve first as foster families, DCBS Adoption Services Branch Manager Mike Grimes said.
Adoption Support for Kentucky (ASK) – one of the primary resources for adoptive families -- received an Adoption Excellence Award from the Children's Bureau this year. ASK is a University of Kentucky-based consortium of parent-led adoptive parent support groups throughout the state, and the group works closely with DCBS and its Special Needs Adoption program (SNAP).
Of the more than 6,900 children in state out-of-home care, more than 1,800 children have the goal of adoption. Almost 800 children have had their parental rights terminated, which means they have no identified family available to care for them and are awaiting adoption.
Families who are interested in adoption are encouraged to let caseworkers know about the kinds of special needs they can be prepared to handle and if they are interested in caring for one or more than one child. Grimes said it can sometimes be challenging to find a permanent home for sibling groups or children with special needs.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 1:08 PM 
