The holiday season is upon us and with the holidays, I always think about family, making sure to spend time with them. Family has always been the most important part of the holidays for me. But for many Kansas children, their family is not a part of the festivities.
In the state of Kansas, there are about 6,000 children in DCF custody in foster care. Statewide the number of children awaiting adoption on Sept. 30, 2012, was 928, just under 400 of those children are without an identified resource (person or persons who have been identified as a possible adoptive family for that child). While many kids in foster care may be in a wonderful family environment, it is not THEIR family, and not the permanent family that they desire to have.
November is National Adoption month. While all adoptions are important, the particular focus of this month is the adoption of children currently in the foster care system. There are celebrations across the nation recognizing the children that have been adopted throughout the year and the families that have opened their hearts and homes through adoption. However one of the real focuses of National Adoption Month celebration is the education and awareness in regards to need for more adoptive homes. Tens of thousands of kids nationwide are awaiting their ?forever home? and it is never too late to adopt.
The first adoption awareness effort began in 1976 when then Gov. Mike Dukakis proclaimed Adoption Week and the idea then grew in popularity and spread across the nation. In 1990, President Gerald Ford made the first National Adoption week proclamation. That week has expanded to a month of awareness and celebration due to the number of states participating and the events planned.
Most of the time when people think of adoption, they envision a newborn baby or a toddler that has been given up for adoption by their birth family. While Infant and toddler adoptions occur they are definitely not the only types that occur nationwide. In fact, most of the children eligible for adoption are over the age of 5. Many have endured a time of upheaval as well as abuse or neglect. Additionally, some children may have special needs because they have medical conditions, physical, mental, or emotional needs; or be classified as special needs because they are older or part of a large sibling group that needs to be adopted together. But they all deserve a home to call their own; a home that is a safe base for them when life throws them a curve ball. They need a home to return to as an adult to spend holidays with family.
In many states across America, classes are taught to inform, educate and prepare families for adoption. In Kansas, the classes are called PS-MAPP, or for one on one training/consultation - Deciding Together. These classes are required for all foster parents or for any non-relative adoptions of children out of the foster care system. While these classes are not required for private adoptions, the information in the classes is invaluable to the care and well-being of children who may have suffered abuse, neglect and subsequent losses.
These classes fall in line with The Adoption and Safe Families Act Public Law 105-89 that was signed into law on November 19, 1997. That law is designed to balance family preservation and reunification with the health and safety of children, which is of paramount importance. It is designed to move a child to permanency at the earliest possible time, meaning that if a child cannot be reunified with their birth family safely, then the process must begin to look for a safe permanent home for the children through guardianship or adoption.
At this point, you are probably thinking that this is all about legal issues and bureaucratic red tape, but the real truth is that it is all about having permanent safe homes for children in which they can grow and thrive. It is about children who deserve a home that is safe and nurturing. It is about making sure that children do not linger in the system any longer than they have to, either returning them to their family of origin (birth family) safely, OR getting them into a home that they can live forever. It is about having a forever family that will love and support them, nurture them, care for them, and help them to be productive adults that can have a healthy family of their own some day.
Whether a child awaiting adoption is 4 or 14, they still need a home, a family, and a safe nurturing environment to grow and thrive. Many agencies across the state of Kansas are working with children and placement options to provide just that for children. To find out more about children who are waiting for a ?forever home? log onto www.adoptkskids.com or call Kansas Children?s Service League at (877) 457-5430 for more information. The Adopt Kansas Kids website also has links to local child placing agencies and the schedules for upcoming PS-MAPP classes. ?You don?t have to be perfect to be somebody?s hero? is the catch phrase on television and it is very fitting. Be somebody?s hero and consider adoption.
KCSL is dedicated to providing services and advocacy efforts that focus on keeping children safe, families strong, and communities involved.
Shape Up, Emporia!, is a weekly fitness and health column aimed at readers of all ages to get off the couch and get into shape. Each week will feature a fitness, health or nutrition professional from around the area who will share some friendly tips on how to improve your overall health. Our goal is to make getting in shape fun and easy to fit into your existing lifestyle and daily routine.
Source: http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2012/nov/27/family-more-dna/
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