The Blog Center

Waiting Children

2012-01-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

There are about 500,000 American children in the foster-care system on any given day. Of these, 100,000 will be or already are available for adoption. Few are orphans. In fact, most still have at least one birth parent. However the parent is unable to care for his/her children through circumstance, such as having a tough addiction problem. Or maybe the parents neglect the children or, worst of

Medicating Children in Foster Care

2011-12-01T10:14:00.001-05:00

State child welfare systems are moving children from foster care to permanency faster and in greater numbers than ever. At the same time, we recognize that these systems struggle to achieve positive outcomes for the children in their care who have complex social-emotional, behavioral and mental health problems. Children in foster care represent only three percent of children covered by Medicaid,

Success Story - Lucas

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate the adoption of Lucas, a teen whose dream came true when his foster parents, Nancy and David, adopted him this year! Lucas was featured on Wednesday’s Child Philadelphia in 2008 and then again a year later. Wednesday’s Child Philadelphia, sponsored by the Freddie Mac Foundation, is a weekly child feature on NBC10 with former Philadelphia Eagle, Vai Sikahema. Starting

Changing the Foster Care Adoption Process

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

The September issue of Children and Youth Services Review provides a qualitative study of nine families going through the foster care adoption process; three of them have already dropped out. Researchers noted the factors that support completion: a caring, competent social worker; supportive family and friends; involvement in counselling or parent-support activities. They also identified

Importance of Recruitment

2011-11-11T10:05:00.001-05:00

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption released a new report outlining their 5-year rigorous, evidence-based evaluation and research, about their Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program (a child-focused recruitment model). DTFA's signature program, Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK), provides local adoption agencies (including us at the National Adoption Center) with grants to hire dedicated adoption

Gay Adoptions Are On The Rise

2011-11-03T16:42:00.002-04:00

this post contributed by our intern, Malini Ragoopath According to recent reports by the US Census Bureau and the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, the number of lesbians and gay men adopting children has tripled over the past decade and continues to be on the rise. There were 6,477 same sex couples who had an adopted child in 2000; that number grew to an astonishing 21,740 by 2009.

Steve Jobs: A Visionary and an Adoptee

2011-10-28T10:49:00.000-04:00

this post was written by our MSW Intern, Liz Mehaffey In 1955, unmarried graduate students Abdulfattah John Jandali and Joanne Carole Schieble gave their child up for adoption. Schieble hoped her baby would be given a better future. This child was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs, and grew up to become the legendary Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, Inc. On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs

Identity

2011-10-17T11:08:00.001-04:00

contributed by intern, Abbigail Facey Understanding one’s identity is a process that takes time to fully appreciate. For many it takes years to understand not only who they are but how their lives correlate to the functioning of the greater society. “How do I fit in the world?” is a question generations before us have pondered and one that will likely be contemplated for years to come. "What

The Bullying Problem

2011-09-29T15:59:00.000-04:00

this post contributed by our intern, Malini Ragoopath Children can sometimes be cruel to one another; especially to other children who are different in any way. Sexual orientation, physical appearance, family income status, and even being adopted are just some of the reasons children may be bullied by their peers. This behavior is detrimental to children’s self esteem and confidence and can

The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act

2011-09-26T16:40:00.001-04:00

this post was written by our MSW Intern, Liz Mehaffey A bipartisan bill entitled The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (S. 1542/HR 2883) has just been passed unanimously by the Senate. Earlier last week, the bill was passed by the entire House of Representatives. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of the president. This bill directly affects foster care

LGBT Adoption Issues

2011-09-14T15:41:00.000-04:00

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services recently stopped referring foster care and adoption cases to Catholic charitable groups and said it is planning to move all existing cases to other agencies. The action stems from a clash between Catholic doctrine and the state's new law granting the right for same-sex couples to seek civil unions. Catholic agencies have refused to license

Umps Really Do Care!

2011-08-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

Michael and Frank with Umpire Tichenor On Friday, July 29th, participants from the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program got the chance to not only attend a Phillies game, but also received the VIP treatment from the UMPS CARES Charities and Phillies staff. The day started off with a tour of the media room, where Michael and Frank (both New Jersey youth awaiting adoption) got the chance to sit

Economic Impact on Children

2011-08-04T16:44:00.001-04:00

While most Americans are breathing a sigh of relief that the debt-ceiling ‘crisis’ is over, the damage it could cause to U.S. children may be just beginning. Few mainstream economists believe the bill signed by the President will do anything to jumpstart a sluggish economy or create jobs. That means a continuing rapid rise in child poverty rates, and with that, more children and youth will be

A Family's Perspective on the Adoption Process

2011-07-08T13:11:00.001-04:00

It takes an incredible toughness to go through the adoption process. Our society likes to believe that those who adopt, simply get the idea, gather up a few hundred dollars and whisk out to their local ‘adoption agency’ or ‘birth person on the street’ to ask, ‘Can we have your baby?” If this is what you’ve thought adoption was about, you’re very wrong. The names below are fictitious, but the

We Are Not a Statistic!

2011-06-24T12:17:00.000-04:00

this post is a guest blog by one of our members of a program we run - the Teen Leadership Development Series... they had their final meeting of the season this past Wednesday and will resume in September Hey my name is Zhade. I am 17 years old and I am a part of the Teen Leadership Development Series (TLDS). We learn important things necessary for life. For example, we learn things ranging

Desire for a Family

2011-06-10T10:49:00.000-04:00

Today's post is from Malini, our Marketing Intern There was an interesting article on the Today Show website that introduced me to the concept of “Adult Adoptions”. Adult adoptions are supposedly on the rise in the US, although not every state currently allows them. There are many different reasons as to why people go through with adult adoptions; the main reason being a continued desire of

Fixing the System

2011-06-03T10:36:00.000-04:00

The story below from the Huffington Post is unfortunately very typical, and just about any state can be substituted for California. What can we do to make the system more user-friendly for prospective parents who want to adopt from the foster care system? from the Huffington Post May 25, 2011 For James and Stephanie, their experience with California's public agencies is where the adoption

Knowing Where You Came From

2011-05-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

Some time ago, I wrote a magazine article about Mary Lou who learned when she was 30 that she had been adopted. “I always knew I was different from other members of my family,” she told me, “but I couldn’t put my finger on what I was feeling.” From the moment she learned about her adoption, she became obsessed with wanting to find out more about her birth parents. Every time she stopped her

Responding to Match Party Comments

2011-05-09T14:36:00.000-04:00

The following was written by Chris Jacobs our Program Director. I would like to respond with some facts about National Adoption Center match parties. The children and teens who attend do know that they are coming to an event to meet families. The Center believes that not every child or teen is appropriate to attend a match party and no child/teen should be forced to attend. Children are prepared

Obama On National Foster Care Month

2011-05-09T10:51:00.000-04:00

May is National Foster Care Month!—“Across America, there are families who need these children as much as these children need families,” said President Obama in his Presidential Proclamation for National Foster Care Month. Obama stated the Administration’s commitment to achieve security for every child and raised visibility to permanency initiatives at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Match Parties - are you for or against?

2011-05-06T14:48:00.000-04:00

The National Adoption Center plans and executes multiple Match Parties throughout the year. These parties are a signature recruitment vehicle for the Center and a truly wonderful opportunity for children & youth looking to be adopted to interact with prospective parents in a safe, secure and fun environment. Our success rate is often as high as forty percent. Countless new “forever families” have

Finding Home

2011-04-29T11:35:00.000-04:00