In honor of Novembers designation as National Adoption Month in the United States, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation in which he praised parents who have opened their lives to adopted children, and called for continued efforts to improve the lives of children in foster care.

The following excerpts are from the proclamation, the full text of which is available on the White House website:

All children deserve a safe, loving family to protect and care for them. In America, thousands of young people are waiting for that opportunity. During National Adoption Month, we honor those families that have strengthened America through adoption, and we recommit to reducing the number of children awaiting adoption into loving families. &

By continually opening up the doors to adoption, and supporting full equality in adoption laws for all American families, we allow more children to find the permanent homes they yearn for and deserve. &

This month, we also focus on children in foster care. & These young people have specific needs and require unique support. Federal, State, and local governments, communities, and individuals all have a role to play in ensuring that foster children have the resources and encouragement they need to realize their hopes and dreams.

The course of our future will depend on what we do to help the next generation of Americans succeed. This month, we celebrate those families brought together by adoption and renew our commitments to children in the foster care system.

Labels: awareness, foster_care, adoption_month

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Day-to-day life isnt very glamorous for Angela and Roger Wilmoth, as most of their time is devoted to raising the five children they adopted from foster care in Tennessee.

According to an Oct. 30 article by Janiell Ross of The Tennessean, the Shelbyville couple's dedication to their family has earned them a spot in a new campaign designed to encourage the adoption of foster children:

For all the attention that celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Madonna have brought to foreign adoption, child advocates and some government agencies are making an effort to gently remind prospective parents that there remain many orphaned children closer to home.

This week, the Ad Council and AdoptUSKids released a new series of ads depicting average Americans who have become parents of children adopted from foster care. ...

"I don't think there's any way we could have afforded all of the fees if we had tried a private adoption, and I can't imagine looking anywhere else, adopting a child from somewhere around the world when there are thousands of kids right here that need help."

Labels: adoptive parents, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Nov. 1 marks the beginning of National Adoption Month in the United States. Organizations, individuals and government agencies across the country will rally to support the National Adoption Month 2009 campaign.

According to information provided on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website, the theme of this year's celebration is "You Dont Have to Be Perfect to Be a Perfect Parent."

National Adoption Month, which has been observed during November since 1990, serves as a tool for reminding people about the thousands of children in foster care who are still waiting for permanent homes. Currently, about 130,000 foster children are available for adoption.

Labels: awareness, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Montana's Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Department of Human Resources Development (CSKT DHRD) is hosting a training session for foster parents, adoptive parents and kinship caregivers September 24 at the KwaTaqNuk Resort.

The topic of the training is therapeutic parenting, and the session will be led by author and licensed clinical professional counselor Kate Cremer-Vogel. A Sept. 17 article by Lailani Upham of the Char-Koosta News provided the following information about the training:

Vogel wrote What Every Adoptive Parent Needs to Know: Healing Your Childs Wounded Heart, a compelling real-life story of a family struggling to overcome the effects of early abandonment and neglect on their adopted children. The book addresses essential therapeutic keys that ultimately brought the family hope and healing.

Ms. Cremer-Vogel uses an empathic approach to help parents bond deeper with their adopted/foster child. Cremer-Vogel believes the primary parent and child relationship is vital to the childs development and complete brain growth. In her training she teaches relational therapy to lead the parent and child into a more meaningful connection and understanding, deepening their mutual trust.

The parenting training is offered to foster parents but open to all parents, social workers and child care providers and teachers that would like to gain more understanding and learn how to effectively reach children.

For more information call CSKT Foster Care Licensor Shaunda Albert at (406) 675-2700, extension 1087.

Labels: foster_families, foster_care, education, recruitment, montana

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

According to a Sept. 14 press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $35 million in grant funds to 38 states and Puerto Rico for the purpose of increasing the adoption of children who are currently living with foster families:

The states that receive the funds will use the federal money to support programs that promote the adoption of abused and neglected children, the release reported:

"Adopting a child from foster care is a wonderful way to enrich any family`s life," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We congratulate the states that performed so well this year and we thank the parents who are providing loving and permanent homes."

The Adoption Incentives program was created as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. The original program authorized incentive funds to states that increased the number of children adopted from foster care.

In order to get payments, states had to increase the number of children adopted relative to baseline data.

Labels: foster_care, financial_assistance

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

The South African Minister of Social Development is encouraging people to consider adoption. As the number of children orphaned by AIDS continues to increase, the need for loving, permanent homes increases, too.

The website of South Africa's Bush Radio 89.5 provided the following details about the minister's adoption appeal:

• KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng have the largest number of vulnerable children and with an estimated 1.5 million orphans in South Africa
• The number of vulnerable children is expected to reach two million by 2010.
• Minister of Social Development Edna Molewa said that the economic downturn has resulted in dramatic increases in cases of child abandonment, with the majority of children becoming vulnerable to poverty.

A general lack of information, combined with lengthy court proceedings, has led to a decrease in adoption, the radio station's website reported. As of July, 2009, more than 500,000 South African children were living in foster care.

Labels: international, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

When the Harrisburg Senators hit the field for their Sept. 3 season finale, team members were joined by a special group of young people: foster children in search of permanent adoptive placements.

A Sept. 3 article by Fox43 producer Jason Cowdell provided the following details about the Senators' efforts to call attention to the need for adoptive parents:

About 20 kids teamed up with the baseball players, who would play for them, and one child threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game. The event is designed to bring awareness of child adoption in the state. Michelle Lobaugh, of Aspers, Adams County, adopted a child. She says its nice to have events like these to help children.

The event was hosted by Diakon Adoption and Foster Care.

Labels: adoptive parents, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

According to the June 5 edition of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, a Hollywood, Fla., restaurant will be hosting a museum-quality photo exhibition that is designed to help connect foster children with adoptive parents:

Photos of about 100 foster children in search of permanent homes will be on display [June 13] at Dave & Busters as part of a state effort to encourage adoptions.

The Children's Trust Miami Heart Gallery and Broward Heart Gallery, a museum quality traveling exhibit, will feature the kids' photos from 4 to 6 p.m. at the restaurant, 3000 Oakwood Blvd., Hollywood.

"These are the kids who are looking for families to adopt them," said Flora Beal of the state Department of Children & Families, the free event's sponsor. The exhibit also will provide profiles of the foster kids and take-home cards to be filled out by prospective parents.

The Sun Sentinel reported that parents who adopt children that are featured in this exhibit will receive assistance with adoption costs, free training, and financial help for the adopted children's college education.

Labels: adoptive parents, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Overturned a lower court's ruling, the West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that an infant foster child should not be removed from the custody of a same-sex couple. The decision was the topic of a June 5 article by Tim Huber of the Associated Press:

In an unsigned opinion issued Friday, the court barred enforcing Fayette County Circuit Judge Paul Blake Jr.'s order that the girl should be taken away from Kathryn Kutil and Cheryl Hess. The girl has remained in the couple's custody throughout the court proceedings.

The court noted there was no reason to believe the girl wasn't thriving with Hess and Kutil, and said there was no legal reason to take her away from the couple.
Instead, the court said either Hess or Kutil, as qualified foster parents, "would at the very least need to be considered if not favored in the selection of the prospective adoptive home."

Born to a drug-addicted mother in December 2007, the infant had spent her entire life in the care of Kutil and Hess. But in November 2008, Circuit Judge Paul Blake ruled that the state's Department of Health and Human Resources could approve removing the infant from Kutil and Hess's care. The West Virginia Supreme Court was unanimous in its decision to overturn Blake's ruling.

Labels: same-sex couples, foster_care, court

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Children all over the country are in need of loving, stable foster care homes. Young people whose own families are in crisis need nurturing adults to care for them. The ability of foster care to meet this need was the subject of a letter to the editor that appeared in the May 26 edition of the Marshfield (Wisconsin) News Herald:

Most communities are urgently seeking more everyday people to help these youth overcome their troubled childhoods and realize their full potential.

No matter what their age, every young person in foster care benefits from a meaningful connection to a caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in his or her life.

Written by Liz Stern and Grace Bauer, who serve as foster care coordinators with the Wood County Department of Social Services, the letter also noted that May is Foster Care Month in the state of Wisconsin, and state officials are hoping this designation will encourage adults to explore the possibility of becoming a foster parent.

Labels: foster_families, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Author and adoptee Ashley Rhodes-Courter lived in 14 different foster homes in just nine years. She experienced abuse and separation from her parents. She will be sharing her experience Thursday, June 11, in San Angelo, Texas.

As her mother spiraled out of control, Ashley was left clinging to an unpredictable, dissolving relationship. ... In spite of being taken away from home, being juggled between caseworkers ... Ashley found the courage to succeed- and in doing so, discovered the power of her own voice. (Source: KKSA Radio)

Ashley will share her story, "Three Little Words: Breaking Free from the Past," at the San Angelo Convention Center from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free.

Even in the best of cases, adoption can be a traumatic experience for both the adopted child and the adoptive family. To help adopted children address challenges related to their adoption, Mt. Bachelor Academy (a private boarding school in Prineville, Oregon) features an innovative and highly effective adoption curriculum.

Labels: foster_care, adoption_experts

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Denis and Paula Pitman first met Emily when, at age five months, she came to live with them as a foster child. Three years later, her biological mother gave up her parental rights, and Emily was sent to live with her biological father.

"The father took her from the Pitmans'... home to northwestern Montana, but within days, he called the Pitmans because Emily was upset and wanted to come home. For three months late in 2007, the girl was passed back and forth between the families, with the Pitmans driving more than 700 miles round-trip to collect her each time her biological father asked for help."

Then, on New Year's Eve, Emily's biological father died of a drug overdose. There was red tape to cut through, but eventually the court approved the Pitmans as Emily's adoptive parents. Emily now calls Paula Pitman her "forever mommy." Source: Montana Standard

Labels: foster_care, parental_rights

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Supporters of a U.S. law believe that the legislation will help provide foster children with a brighter future. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act aims to move children out of foster care and into loving families.

"Among its major provisions, it will: Provide more financial incentives for adopting children out of foster care, especially older youths and those with special needs. One example: federal adoption assistance for special-needs children will no longer be limited to those who come from low-income families."

The act, which was signed into law Oct. 7, is expected to cost about $3 billion over the next ten years. Many of the added costs, however, would be offset by savings on foster-care casework, officials say. Source: The Associated Press

Labels: laws, foster_care, stability

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The New South Wales government has promised to ease adoption laws for foster and step-parents.

"[Community Services Minister Kevin] Greene says under a number of changes beings proposed, foster parents who adopt will be able to retain their carers allowance until the child turns 18... He says they will also make it easier and less time consuming for step parents and other relatives."

The Foster Parents Support Network estimates that the changes will cause up to a 30 percent increase in adoptions from foster parents. Source: ABC News

Labels: laws, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

In what's been hailed as a "critical milestone," the state of Michigan has reached a settlement with a child advocacy group that filed suit seeking foster care reform on behalf of the state's 19,000 foster children.

"As part of the settlement... the Michigan Department of Human Services would add as many as 700 children's services employees in the next five years, require no more than 15 cases per foster care and adoption worker and hire 40 specialists to license about 7,000 foster homes with relatives who provide for the children."

The settlement also requires the state to employ 200 "permanency specialists," whose sole focus will be finding adoptive homes for eligible foster children. Source: Detroit News

Labels: foster_care, adoptive_families, reform

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A budget shortfall in 2007 forced Florida lawmakers to trim $4 billion in state spending - cuts that resulted in the complete omission of new funding for adoption subsidies. On June 17, 2008, lawmakers agreed to transfer $21 million from state trust funds to adoption, foster care, and child protection programs.

"The [adoption] subsidies are the state's primary tool in encouraging parents to adopt foster children with special needs who may require extra health or psychological care.... Both the adoption and after-foster care programs would have collapsed this year without more money."

The money will help support adoptions that occurred during the last fiscal year, and will provide funding for the more than 3,000 adoptions the state is expecting to process in the coming year. Source: Tampa Tribune

Labels: special_needs, foster_care, financial_assistance

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Doug and Michelle have been foster parents for half a dozen children. Now, two of those children can call him dad.

"[Doug and Michelle] adopted Cameron from foster care when he was 2. In April, they adopted Breanna, who is 2 and has lived with them since she was 9 months old."

The transition took some time for Cameron, who used to call Doug "Daddy Doug." But now he's just "dad." Source: The Journal-News, Hamilton, OH

Labels: foster_families, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Arizona has a new adoption law, thanks primarily to the tenacity of two women who challenged the state's definition of family. Dawn Hurtt welcomed Angel into her home when Angel's foster care home didn't work out. Though Dawn and her husband wanted to adopt Angel, state law at the time prohibited adoption of anyone older than 18, so a Probate Court judge denied their adoption request.

"Attorney Kathleen Mucerino suggested they could appeal. But Dawn didn't have the patience. 'I said, "I'm not going to wait,"' [Hurtt] recalled. Instead, she followed Mucerino's other course of action and threw herself into getting the law changed."

Hurtt's situation caught the attention of Sen. Richard Miranda, D-Phoenix, and he drafted a new bill within a week. The state's governor, Janet Napolitano, signed the bill into law earlier this month. Source: The Arizona Republic

Labels: laws, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Adults who want to become foster and adoptive parents in South Lanarkshire in England will now be asked to sign a no smoking pledge. Current foster and adoptive parents will also be asked to quit smoking.

"Council leader Eddie McAvoy said : 'The council is committed to promoting the health and welfare of children and young people.' He added: 'The policy will result in better protection for vulnerable children and young people.'"

In 2007, the British Agencies of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) recommended that children under five not be placed in homes with smokers. The South Lanarkshire policy is a response to that recommendation. Source: BBC

Labels: foster_care, adoptive_parents, smoking

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A report released this week by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute recommends a significant overhaul in the way transracial adoptions are handled in the United States. The Institute's primary concern - a concern shared the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the Child Welfare League of America, and others - is that, while transracial adoption of foster care children is encouraged, adoptive parents are rarely equipped to handle the challenges associated with it.

"Of the black children adopted out of foster care, about 20 percent are adopted by white families. The Donaldson report said current law, by stressing color blindness, deters agencies from assessing families' readiness to adopt transracially or preparing them for the distinctive challenges they might face."

Critics of the report believe that allowing race to be any kind of factor in adoption will cause it to become the primary, if not the only, factor. Source: The Buffalo News

Labels: foster_care, trans-racial, recommendations

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

It's a common problem in every state; foster care kids who age out of the system without being adopted. Last week, an adoption coalition met in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to try and find solutions.

"A recent study by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families found that over the past five years, nearly 1,000 children in foster care aged out without ever having been adopted... Aged out foster kids often don't complete high school and face increased risks of becoming young parents, being homeless and criminal activities."

The best solution, of course, is adoption. Though most states provide some assistance for kids who age out of foster care, the assistance typically ends with the person turns 21. Source: KAIT Television, Jonesboro, Arkansas

Programs for troubled teens, like the one offered at Turn-About Ranch, can help teenagers and their families get past old hurts and move toward successful and healthy relationships.

Labels: advocacy, foster_care, homelessness

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

On Friday, April 25, New York Law School's Justice Action Center (JAC) will host a one day conference on adoption. The JAC is working in conjunction with the Center for Adoption Policy to gather some of today's leading adoption experts.

"This year's conference will focus on the structural, legal and societal barriers that delay adoption for children in the American foster care system who need families, and suggest measures to address problems that impede the formation of adoptive families for children in care."

Issues to be discussed include navigating the child welfare system, special needs adoptions, and choosing between international and domestic adoption. A $25 registration fee is required for the event. Source: PR Web

Labels: foster_families, foster_care, adoption_experts

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Adoption is a special subject to Paul Ury. Both he and his father were adopted as children. So when it was Paul's turn to have a family of his own, he wanted to adopt but didn't think he and wife Tina could afford it. Then a friend told them about Antioch Adoptions.

"It all started with a 12-year dream of Antioch's pastor, Dr. Ken Hutcherson. He desired to see all children from the foster care system adopted into loving homes. He also desired for more families to be able to afford infant adoptions. The services offered by Antioch Adoptions are free of charge."

Through Antioch, Paul and Tina were able to adopt 5-year-old Amanda and 4-year-old Hannah. Though Antioch Adoptions' free service is currently available only to Washington State residents, the church has started an awareness campaign to help churches in other states develop similar programs. Read more at CBN.com.

Labels: adoption_costs, foster_care, agencies

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

This week in Jacksonville, Florida, the adoptions of 69 children were finalized in a Duval County courtroom, making it the largest single-day adoption in the state of Florida.

"The children were in the foster-care system, but were given a fresh start just before the new year. One adoptive mother said the ceremony made official what she has felt for a long time."

Florida's Family Support Services also stated that, though it has yet to be verified, this could have been largest one-day adoption in U.S. history.

If you're looking for a comphrehensvie list of private schools, visit BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: foster_families, foster_care, adoptive_families

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Many people consider adopting a child, but stop short because the process seems overwhelming or drawn out. But Chrystal Main, social services chief for Nevada's Child and Family Services, says it's better than most people think.

"'I know there's a stigma about the paperwork and the background checks,' she said. But we have streamlined the process. We certainly like to say to adopt, it can take under a year - and could be faster than half a year. It doesn't take nearly the length of time people think it does.'"

Currently, in the rural counties of Nevada, more than 470 children are eligible for adoption. They range in age from infants to seventeen-year-olds who are about to "age out" of the foster care system.

Want to learn other ways you can help troubled teens? Visit ByParents-forParents.com for more tips and advice for parents of troubled teens.

Labels: foster_families, foster_care, adoption_process

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The Greenville, South Carolina news recently ran a story about Dakota Massullo, a young girl in foster care who was available for adoption. Her story helped raise awareness about and interest in adopting kids in the foster care system.

"'We got over 600 hits [to the website],' said J. Lynne Wilson Jenkins, president of the nonprofit organization that partners with agencies, attorneys and support groups to promote community awareness and provide families with training and support."

Dakota, adopted at age eight, first entered the foster care system when she was just three-years-old. Though she has been adopted into a loving family, there are currently 1,600 other children in the South Carolina foster care system that are eligible for adoption.

Looking for a boarding school in South Carolina? Visit the boarding schools directory, BoardingSchoolsInfo, for a comprehensive listing of boarding schools in South Carolina.

Labels: awareness, foster_care, media

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

November is National Adoption Month; a great time not only to give thanks for family, but consider opening your home to someone who has no family. Nationwide, there are over 114,000 children in foster care - waiting for a permanent home.

"You could be the refuge of a temporary home, or become their new family through becoming an adoptive parent. Adoption can also be a wonderful answer to infertility or an unwanted pregnancy."

So many children are waiting for permanent, stable homes. Adoption may not be for everyone, but even offering your house as a temporary home would be a tremendous blessing to many of these kids.

Not sure what to get your troubled teen this Christmas? How about sending your troubled teenager to a wilderness program where they can get away from negative influences and work on themselves? Visit 4TroubledTeens for a list of programs.

Labels: foster_care, holidays, gifts

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Stuart Griffiths didn't start out with the intent of adopting. As a history major at Kansas University, he was simply trying to help by picking up a young man at a group foster home and taking him to practice. Now, years later, Griffiths has a degree in social work and has adopted five of 32 kids he's cared for through the Kansas foster care system.

"On October 3, all of the Griffiths family traveled to Washington D.C. where Stuart was presented with the CCAI Angel in Adoption Award. He was accompanied to the ceremony by Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, who said in a press release: 'For over a decade now, Stuart has opened his home and his heart to children in need. His efforts are moving and truly inspiring and I'm pleased to have the chance to honor his caring work.'"

Stuart's life is a busy one, but a good one. No longer a foster care parent, he now focuses all his energy on caring for the five boys have become permanent members of his family.

Private college prep high schools can better prepare students for college and the real world than many public schools. The Academy at Swift River therapeutic boarding schools offer accredited academics and athletic programs for troubled teens.

Labels: support, foster_care, fathers

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Monday, November 19th is National Adoption Day; a day specially designated to raise awareness about the more than 114,000 children who reside in the foster care system, several hundred of which are available for adoption every year.

"For the last eight years, National Adoption Day has made the dreams of thousands of children come true by working with courts, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, child welfare agencies and advocates to finalize adoptions and find permanent, loving homes for children in state protective custody."

This will be only the second year that National Adoption Day is celebrated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Last year, more than 250 events were planned and over 3,300 adoptions were finalized.

Programs for troubled teens can help families in crisis. Find one today at 4TroubledTeens.com.

Labels: awareness, advocacy, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The Dave Thomas Foundation has awarded a generous grant to the Children's Home of the Wyoming Conference. The grant will allow staffer Linda Pipkin to devote herself full-time to the business of finding adoptive parents for the children in the home.

"She'll look first at foster families who have grown close to a child in their home. Maybe adoption is a possibility? She'll also determine which adults may have been significant in a child's life at one point or another. Perhaps those adults are able to commit to adopting the child. Actively recruiting families, she hopes, will result in more stable situations for those 89 children who desperately need stability and permanency in their lives."

The grant comes from a program called Wendy's Wonderful Kids. The program's specific vision is to help foster care and adoption agencies hire full-time recruiters who can devote all their time to matching children with adoptive families.

Therapeutic boarding schools offer stability and structure for troubled teens. Learn more at www.therapeuticboardingschool.com.

Labels: foster_families, foster_care, permanent_adoptive_homes

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has introduced legislation that would provide Indian Tribes with the same access to foster care and adoption funding that's currently available to states. Called The Tribal Foster Care and Adoption Act of 2007, the funding will allow Native American tribes to develop foster care and adoption programs.

"The Baucus proposal amends the Social Security Act to allow Tribes to receive direct reimbursement for eligible costs related to foster care services, adoption assistance services, employee training and education, administrative costs related to case planning and case management, and establishment and operation of required data collection systems."

Under the new legislation, Native American foster care and adoption programs would have to meet the same requirements as state programs. Read more at NativeTimes.com.

Miltiary Boarding Schools are rarely equipped to help teens who are suffering from emotional issuses such as grief and loss. Find a better alternative at TeenBoardingSchools.com.

Labels: adoption_costs, foster_care, adoption_programs

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Saturday and Sunday June 16th and 17th marked the first annual "Father's Day Frosty Weekend" meant to raise money to support foster care adoption. Though the final numbers aren't in yet, Wendy's Corporation estimates that it met its $1 million goal.

"The money will be used to support the Foundation and its signature program: Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK). This program is filling a critical gap by funding and supporting full-time adoption recruiters at local agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to match prospective parents with waiting foster care children."

WWK first launched in 2004 with seven pilot cities. Today, there are 106 recruiters in 88 cities across North America.

Read more at BusinessWire.com.

Labels: support, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Couples in Boulder County, Colorado have several adoption options available to them. One that the county is trying to draw more attention to is a program called Fost-Adopt, in which couples take in children who may or may not be available for adoption.

"Typically, biological parents stripped of custody have a year to straighten out drug problems or mental health issues and convince a judge their home is a safe place for kids. If they can't, the child's foster parents have the chance to adopt him permanently."

This can be a difficult option, because there's no guarantee that the child a couple bonds with will stay with them long-term. Of the approximately 44 kids who are placed in foster care every month, only five of those become available for adoption. Still, County officials want couples who are considering adoption to be aware of this option, as they could potentially provide a safe, temporary home for kids who badly need it, until the right circumstances allow them to adopt a child. Read more at LongmontFYI.com.

Children and teens with problems with alchol and drug abuse can get help at residential treatment centers like Island View. Learn more about the ways Island View can help teens with substance abuse issues.

Labels: foster_care, adoption_options

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The Times West Virginian newspaper had a Mother's Day contest in which it asked people to submit letters about their mothers. One of the entries came from Melanie Carpenter, who wrote about her mother Rosemary.

"My mother is a very special lady. She has been a mentor and inspiration and a blessing to me for the past 50 years. Although she is up in years, she is the one I can still go to for guidance, comfort and love. Let me explain why she is so special, see I was chosen by her. I am an adopted child."

Rosemary is also mother to two other adopted children, and has housed more than 20 foster children. Melanie recalls all the times her mother has been there, and is still there for her and her children, guiding them on the "right road through life." Read more at TimesWV.com.

Labels: foster_care, parenting, mothers

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The state of Iowa served over 11,500 kids last year in the Iowa foster care system. This year, the Department of Human Services wants and increased focus on foster care and adoption, and so, they've embarked on new initiative called KidsNet.

"This new network consists of almost a dozen agencies. Four Oaks in Cedar Rapids is the lead agency in this new effort to recruit and retain resource families who are interested in foster care and adoption of Iowa children."

There are currently over 5,000 children in Iowa that need either a foster or permanent adoptive home. Read more at IowaKidsNet.com.

Labels: foster_care, adoptive_parents, permanent_adoptive_homes

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's fast-food chain, had a dream of seeing every child in the United States foster care system placed in a loving home. To help that goal become a reality, he started the Dave Thomas Foundation and its signature program - Wendy's Wonderful Kids.

"Wendy's restaurants, their customers and other partners raise funds for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Foundation awards grants to local adoption organizations to hire recruiters to execute aggressive child-focused recruitment programs targeted exclusively on placing foster care children with adoptive families."

Wendy's Wonderful Kids started with just seven recruiters in seven states. Today, it boasts more than 87 recruiters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada who have helped place over 1,000 kids into permanent homes. Read more at DaveThomasFoundationForAdoption.com.

Labels: support, foster_care, services

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A Minnesota based youth advocacy team helped lead a day-long retreat in Eau Claire designed to empower local fostered and adopted youth to speak out and make their voices heard. Read more online.

Labels: advocacy, foster_care, retreat

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Senate bill 140 has recently been passed by the House Health and Welfare committee, and will go to the full House for consideration. It is a revised version of Senate bill 141.

"In the revised legislation, [Kentucky State Rep. Tom] Burch calls for a panel of top state child-protection officials to carefully review every recommendation to terminate parental rights before that recommendation is sent to a judge."

The bill addresses concerns that child in foster care are too quickly removed from their homes and parental rights are too quickly terminated.

Read more online.

Labels: legislation, foster_care

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments