(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – More than 110,000 children are waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. Unfortunately, more than 20,000 of them will grow up and leave the foster care system without being adopted, putting them at risk for homelessness and incarceration.
But a new national survey is offering new hope. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption commissioned the survey, which found that, among those looking to adopt for the first time, nearly 80 percent say they would consider adopting children in foster care. That number represents an impressive jump from just five years ago and a continued shift in the attitudes about foster care adoption.
“These children are just like any other child. They’ve simply had a rough start in life,” said Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption “But they are available for adoption, and they deserve to find a permanent family and a safe home.”
Soronen says the Foundation works to find adoptive families that match each child’s individual needs, especially in cases that can make adoption more challenging, like children with special needs, siblings who would benefit from being adopted together and older children who have been in the foster care system for years.
“We use a child-focused approach that allows caseworkers to really dive into the lives of each child and assess their background, behaviors and challenges,” she said. “This allows them to seek out a family that perfectly fits that child’s unique needs.”
