Teen Matching Event Wrap Up!

We’ve been very busy here lately with our SWAN teen matching events. On April 10, 2010 we hosted a Teen Party in Lancaster, PA. 20 teens and 21 families approved to adopt attended and had a very good time getting acquainted and doing a variety of activities. After the party, we exchanged additional information between the families’ social worker and the youth social workers so that they can follow up.

On May 1st we had the chance to do some additional follow up. The youth and the families joined us for a laser tag party where we played laser tag, ate lunch, played arcade games and saw a laser show. This gave the youth and families an opportunity to spend more time together in a fun environment.

As of now, many of the families have expressed interest in the youth. We are very hopeful that in the near future we will know of the new families that have been created as a result of the SWAN teen matching events!

Match Party in the News!

This Wednesday the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article about our most recent Teen Match Party. To read the article, click here. The article not only covers the day's events, but also probes the reasons why those who were there participated.

One story which touched me was about a couple with a college-aged child who felt they wanted to help more children, but didn't want to change diapers. Adopting a teen is perfect for them, allowing them to contribute while not putting them through challenges they do not feel prepared to handle.

We also have a few match parties coming up, so look on our website for more information regarding those. They will be held in Pittsburgh and in the Delaware Valley region in the upcoming months.

Accompanying the story online is a poll regarding adoption. At this point in time, 67% state that they would be interested in adopting a teen or child. Another 7% would adopt a child. Remember we at the National Adoption Center are here for you. You can view our resources online: we offer information, via our online course and reference materials; support via our social network; and referrals, online or call us at: 1-800-TO-ADOPT.

Foster Children In and Out of Care

According to a new report compiled by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide child-advocacy group, Philadelphia children who leave foster care re-enter the system at “extremely high rates.” Many child welfare experts believe that enough isn’t done to strengthen the children’s families so that the children may return to their homes safely and receive loving care.

While no one wants to see children taken away from their parents permanently, the facts show that some parents will never be able to take care of their children, no matter the supports they are given. Little seems to have changed in three decades…we continue to see children who are returned to their family homes again and again only to be abused and neglected, sometimes to the point of death. Indeed, the first option for these children should be living with their parents, but only when the parents demonstrate that they will nurture and care for them. If that can’t happen, the children should be freed to be placed with adoptive families.

We have helped find adoptive families for more than 21,000 children and we know that there are families who want— who will even advocate for-- these children. Every one of them deserves the chance to grow up healthy and happy. It is up to those of us in child welfare, those who are responsible for these children’s futures, to know when enough is enough…when children, in order to survive and thrive, must leave the parents who gave birth to them and move on to parents who will cherish and nourish them.

What do you think?