Change a Life.
You might just change your own.
On any given day in North America, nearly 550,000 children are in the foster care system, and more than 150,000 of them are available for adoption, just waiting for the right family to find them. They have been removed from their homes as victims of child abuse, neglect or abandonment and left without a family.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption works on behalf of these children, because we believe every child deserves a permanent home and loving family.
Foster Care Adoption Facts
•There are 463,000 children in the U.S. foster care system; 123,000 of these children are available for adoption. Their birth parent's legal rights have been permanently terminated and children are left without a family.
•More children become available for adoption each year than are adopted. In 2008, 75,000 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet only 55,000 were adopted.
•Children often wait five years or more to be adopted., move three or more times in foster care and often are separated from siblings. The average age of waiting children is eight years old.
•Each year, one in five children (29,516 in 2008) who are available for adoption turn 18 and leave the foster care system without a family.
•Adopting from foster care is affordable. Most child welfare agencies cover the costs of home studies and court fees, and provide post-adoption subsidies. Thousands of employers offer financial reimbursement and paid leave for employees who adopt and Federal and/or state adoption tax credits are available to most families.
•Every child is adoptable. Many children in foster care have special needs. All of them deserve the chance to grow up in a safe, loving, permanent home. Support and other post-adoption resources are available.
•Adopting from foster care is permanent. Once a child is adopted out of foster care, the birth parents cannot attempt to claim them or fight in court for their return. A family formed through foster care adoption is forever.
•According to a National Adoption Attitudes Survey commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 63 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of adoption and 78 percent think more should be done to encourage adoption.
•Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family.
NOTE: Statistical source is Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System; Department of Health & Human Services (October 2009), unless otherwise stipulated.
Get Involved:
Donate to Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
Considering Adoption? Order Free Adoption Resources.
A Child is Waiting: A Step-By-Step Guide to Adoption. Are you thinking about foster care adoption? A Child is Waiting: A Step-By-Step Guide to Adoption answers general questions about adoption and the foster care adoption process. The Guide explains how to begin the adoption process and walks you through the steps. You will discover a variety of additional resources, a glossary of adoption terms, adoption agency referrals and stories of adoptive parents and children. The Step-By-Step Guide to Post-Adoption is automatically included when ordering one to five copies.
Is this something you can do... can you help make a difference in the life of a child?
Source: Dave Thomas Foundation
No comments:
Post a Comment