Vol. 9, No. 2• May 2005
A new resource for post-adoption support in North Carolina
by John McMahon
When it comes to finding adoptive families for children in foster care, North Carolina has a lot to celebrate. In 1990, there were just 126 foster care adoptions in our state. In 2000, there were more than 1,500. Thanks to this trend, there are now almost as many children receiving adoption assistance payments in North Carolina as there are in foster care.
Our achievement is echoed on a national level, where the annual number of adoptions from foster care increased from 25,644 in 1995 to 53,000 in 2002. What’s more, researchers project that nationally the number of children adopted from foster care will continue to grow faster than the foster care population for at least the next 20 years.
We should be proud. Our society is beginning to embrace the notion that there is a family for every child. More importantly, we are expressing this belief in new laws, policies, funding, and ways of working.
Of course, “our” success depends entirely on the willingness of families to open their homes and hearts to children in foster care. “These families really are miracle workers,” says Sandy Cook, executive director of Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. A lot of what they accomplish with their children, she says, “is simply through common sense and love.”
Foster parents, specifically, deserve a lot of credit. They make up at least 64% of those who adopt children from foster care.
But Cook and others familiar with adoption also know that for some adoptive families, love and common sense are not enough. To succeed with children adopted from foster care, the majority of whom have special needs and many of whom are older, families need ongoing support in various forms. Indeed, there seems to be a strong relationship between supportive services and the health, well-being, and stability of adoptive families.
The importance of post-adoption services is reflected in North Carolina policy, which says after the adoption agencies continue to have “a moral obligation and a social responsibility for the welfare” of the children they helped become adopted.
A New Resource
In July 2004 the NC Division of Social Services took an important step toward developing the infrastructure North Carolina needs to support its adoptive families. At that time it awarded a total of $1 million to four private providers to create a range of services that will make it easier for county departments of social services and others to support families in the years that follow the finalization of their adoptions. The money for this effort comes from federal Title IV-B funding, subpart 2.Grant recipients were Another Choice for Black Children, Children’s Home Society of NC, Martin County Community Action, and Mountain Youth Resources.
The overall goal of this program is to help adoptive families find parenting solutions and quality services in their communities. These agencies are committed to providing families and children the best support services possible in order to ensure happy and successful adoptions.
When this project is fully implemented, adoption professionals and parents who have adopted children from foster care in North Carolina will have access to:
- A toll-free “warm line” they can call for information and referrals
- A post-adoption support group in their region
- A variety of services customized to meet the needs of adoptive families in their region, including crisis intervention and preventive services
Presently these four providers are working to build strong partnerships with all professionals in the areas of the state they serve.
If you have adopted a child from foster care in North Carolina and believe your family could benefit from post-adoptive support, refer to the box below and contact the agency responsible for your county.
Additional Resources
To learn about the other forms of support North Carolina offers to adoptive families, read the article “Post-Adoption Support Efforts in North Carolina: An Overview,” which can be found online at <www.practicenotes.org/vol10_n1/NC_effort.htm>.
Mountain Youth Resources, Tel: 828/586-8958; (toll free) 866/586-6739
Serving Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey counties and the Qualla BoundaryChildren’s Home Society, Tel: 800/632-1400; (toll free) 800/632-1400
email [email protected]
Serving Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Montgomery, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, and Vance countiesAnother Choice for Black Children, Tel: 800/774-3534
Serving Bladen, Brunswick, Chatham, Columbus, Cumber-land, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Pender, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Wake, Warren, Wayne, and Wilson countiesMartin County Community Action, Tel: 866/803-0134
Serving Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, and Washington counties
Copyright © 2005 Jordan Institute for Families
