Adoption
Make a lifelong commitment to a child
Adoption is a lifelong commitment to a child. When children in foster care cannot be safely returned home to their parents, an adoption plan is possible.
Some children are placed with other family members or non-related adults with whom they have a significant attachment. Foster families may also choose to adopt the child in their care once the child is freed for adoption. Sometimes none of these options are available and a new family is found for the child. Adoption is a way to give children the security, a sense of belonging and the unconditional love they need. Adoptive parents have permanent, legal parental rights and responsibilities to the children they adopt.
Reasons you might make a good adoptive parent:
- Patience and a sense of humor are two of your greatest strengths.
- You are compassionate, open-minded, and reaching out to others comes naturally to you.
- You know the importance of being part of a family.
- Your entire family is committed to the challenge of parenting a special child.
- You want to make a difference in a child's life.
- You have room for a child in your heart and your home.
These children also need parents who can:
- Accept their sense of loss and need to heal
- Share their sense of humor
- Be self-confident, but not afraid to ask for help or support when needed
- Work with social workers, teachers, therapists and community partners
- Be willing to keep them connected to their birth family when appropriate
- Support racial and cultural diversity
- Accept and nurture a child not born to them
- Be patient, yet persistent
A family to call their own
Most of the waiting children are school-aged and many have special needs related to the abuse or neglect they've experienced. Some are part of a group of siblings who would like to stay together. What they all have in common is the desire to belong. They all want a place to go for the holidays, someone to share good news with or ask for advice, and people they can depend on. They want families.
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