Adoption Support at Forever Parents » adoption news

Nassau County Adoption Scam

Joanne — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:23:12 +0000

Their dreams of adopting a beautiful baby girl were snatched from them before they could even hold the precious newborn. Joseph and Lisa Weiner of Port Washington claim they discovered the baby’s birth mother was a con artist with a criminal record who was duping two desperate families at the same time.

Background checks would have revealed 33-year-old Jessica Dreves has prior arrests for petit larceny, drugs and spent time in a Maryland jail for peddling counterfeit currency. The Nassau district attorney said Dreves illegally promised her unborn baby to two couples, who each paid her thousands for rent, food, and medical care. But when it came time to turn over the infant, investigators discovered she had fled to Florida and disappeared with the baby and the cash.

“This adoption scam is every would-be parent’s worst nightmare,” Nassau DA Kathleen Rice said. “The fact that a mother would scheme to sell her own unborn child when that child is already promised to another couple is incomprehensible.”

Read the rest of the article here

Tags: adoption attorney, adoption attorneys, adoption expenses, adoption fees, adoption news, adoption scams

Enjoy A Frosty This Weekend And Support Adoption

Joanne — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:52:33 +0000

This Father’s Day Weekend (June 20-21), Wendy’s is helping consumers treat Dad and help foster children at the same time. Wendy’s third annual Father’s Day Frosty Weekend provides an easy and tasty way to support the cause of foster care adoption and help the more than 129,000 children in the U.S. who are waiting for the love of forever families.

During Father’s Day Weekend, Wendy’s will donate 50¢ from every Frosty product sold to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA), a national, non-profit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the number of adoptions of foster children in North America. Also customers can stop by Wendy’s and donate to the cause by purchasing a Frosty pin-up for $1 each.

“The Wendy’s system is very proud to be involved with this special event that supports the cause that our founder, Dave Thomas, was most passionate about – finding a permanent and loving home for every child in the foster care system,” said Wendy’s President David Karam, who serves on the board of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

“This is our third year for Father’s Day Frosty Weekend and we’ve set our fundraising goal at $1.7 million! We hope families will find this an enjoyable way to celebrate Father’s Day while making a difference in the lives of foster children.”

After raising more than $1 million in 2007 and over $1.5 million in 2008 during Father’s Day Frosty Weekend, Wendy’s remains committed to supporting the cause of foster care adoption in the U.S.

The money raised during the weekend will support the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and its signature program: Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK). This program is filling a critical need by funding full-time adoption professionals at local agencies in all 50 states to match parents with waiting foster care children.

The success of WWK is due to the ongoing partnership between the DTFA, the Wendy’s system of 6,600 company and franchise operated restaurants and local adoption partners. The Foundation grants funds to qualified adoption organizations, and holds the agencies accountable for achieving agreed-upon results. The Wendy’s system raises more than $7 million annually to fund the local WWK programs.

“We’re very proud of how far the program has come in such a short time. But even with all that’s been achieved, there are still thousands of children in foster care still waiting to be adopted.” said Rita Soronen, executive director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

“We believe Wendy’s Wonderful Kids is the solution, and that the program will become even stronger with the support of Wendy’s customers during Father’s Day Weekend.”

Join Wendy’s in supporting foster care adoption – stop by Wendy’s during Father’s Day Frosty Weekend, June 20-21, for a special treat

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000 children in North America’s foster care systems ready to be adopted. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas who was adopted as a child, the Foundation leads programs such as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which puts adoption recruiters in all 50 states and Canada to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system, and Adoption-Friendly Workplace, which encourages employers to offer adoption benefits to their employees. The Foundation also works with adoption advocates and officials to streamline the adoption process and make adoption more affordable for families. As the only Foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, it is driven by its founder’s simple value: Do what’s best for the child. To learn more about the Foundation’s work, please visit www.DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption.org.

Thank you to the many folks across the nation for buying a frosty and helping children who wait for adoption. Last year’s efforts raised more than $1.5 million!

Tags: Adoption, adoption education, Adoption Events, adoption news, dave thomas foundation for adoption, foster care, Older Child Adoption, Special Needs Adoption, Transracial Adoption

Support Adoption And Send A Free E-card For Fathers Day

Joanne — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:56:43 +0000

It’s no secret around here that I am a big supporter of the work The Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption does. Now you can help and it won’t cost you a thing.

Create and send a free fathers days e-card, or choose a celebrity created one through their site Frosty Card and Wendy’s will donate 25 cents to
The Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption.

Father’s day is this Sunday so stop by their site and send a card today!

Reposted at the Forever Parents Adoption Forums.

Tags: adoptees, Adoption, adoption education, Adoption Events, adoption news, adoption resource, dave thomas foundation for adoption, foster care, Older Child Adoption, Special Needs Adoption, Transracial Adoption

Hugh Jackman Talks About Australia’s Adoption Laws

Joanne — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:19:09 +0000

HUGH Jackman has sent a message of support to Madonna after her failed bid to adopt a Malawian orphan while bitterly attacking Australia’s adoption laws.

The Aussie movie star and his wife, Deborra-Lee, have two kids who they adopted as babies from America – Oscar, eight, and three-year-old Ava.

But, like Madonna, their hopes of giving a home to a Third World child were crushed by rules that made it virtually impossible to adopt from Africa or Asia.

Speaking exclusively Britain’s The Sun, Hugh – who hit cinema screens this week as razor-clawed X-Men character Wolverine – said: “The adoption laws in Australia are too restrictive. Of course, checks need to be made. But they had a very negative approach.

“It was like they were trying to discourage you. There are 130million orphans in the world – who is looking after them? If you are a citizen of the world, on some level they are all our responsibility.

“And if you have got parents who want to adopt and there are children who need a home, it seems like a no-brainer.

“There are not that many children in Australia who need adopting, so we looked internationally and that is what is difficult.”

The couple turned to adoption after actress Deborra-Lee, 53, suffered repeat miscarriages. But they insist they would have done it regardless.

Hugh, 40, said: “We tried and it just didn’t happen for us. There was no particular medical reason.

“We had a few miscarriages, which was very upsetting. But we always planned on adopting anyway, even if we had our own biological children.”

He said he could understand Madonna’s desire to add to her brood – Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and three-year-old David Banda, who she adopted from Malawi in 2006.

And he is sickened by cynics who applauded an African judge’s decision to reject her bid to become mum to baby girl Mercy James earlier this month.

Hugh said: “I challenge anyone who thinks you adopt a kid for a publicity stunt. Anyone parent knows that would have to be the most intensive publicity stunt in the world. I am sure she is coming from a good place.”

However, unlike the pop queen, Hugh has no plans to expand his family.

Laughing, he continued: “We think about another adoption. Then every time we get on a plane with our two kids and are all crammed in together, we think maybe we will leave it at what we have.

Tags: adopting children, Adoption, adoption news, celebrity adoption, child adoptions, choosing adoption

Forever Families Weekend

Joanne — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:01:23 +0000

The Adoption Connection at Jewish Family Services of Greenwich in conjunction with the NJ Y Camps is thrilled to announce Forever Families Weekend, a family weekend experience for Jewish families touched by adoption.

Families will have the opportunity to think consciously about their roles in both the Jewish community and the adoption community while enjoying a weekend at one of the largest Jewish summer camps in North America. Since 1960, the Center for Jewish Family Life at the NJ Y Camps has provided top-rated programs for people looking for family fun and the chance to meet new people.

Parents will have the option to participate in workshops such as Children’s Books and Stories of Adoption, Identity Issues for Adoptees Approaching Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and Acceptance of Transracial Families in the Jewish Community, while their children participate in age-appropriate activities such as “W.I.S.E. Up workshops” or “Teen Adoptees Advocating for Adoption.” Adoption-specific workshops will be facilitated by Adoption Connection Director Steve Baranowski and Program Coordinator Debbie Schwartz, along with other adoption professionals who will share their experiences as Jewish parents by adoption, including Lisa Schuman, LCSW, director of Adoption Cooperative Consultants and staff psychotherapist for Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, Marcia Hochman, MSW, Jewish Program Coordinator at Ametz Adoption Program, Jewish Child Care Association of New York, and Ellen Singer, LCSW-C, Adoption Program Specialist at The Center for Adoption Support & Education, Inc., in Burtonsville, Maryland. Rabbi Lina Zerbarini, Director of Operations at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, will also be participating in the weekend program.

NJ Y Camps, which has been running Jewish summer camps in Pennsylvania for more than 80 years, will provide space and programming support. Participants will be able to take full advantage of the NJY facilities, including the high and low ropes adventure courses, boating, swimming, arts and crafts, athletics, and much more. Forever Families Weekend will take place at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah in Milford, Pennsylvania.

For more information about this program, or to receive Forever Families literature, please contact Debbie Schwartz at (203) 622-1881 or dschwartz@jfsgreenwich.org. The camp webpage is located at forever families.

Tags: Adoption Events, adoption news, adoption resource, adoption support

National Adoption Day 2008

Joanne — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:45:49 +0000

National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the 129,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. For the last eight years, National Adoption Day has made the dreams of thousands of children come true by working with courts, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, child welfare agencies and advocates to finalize adoptions and find permanent, loving homes for children in foster care.

Celebrated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, more than 300 events are held each year throughout the country to finalize the adoptions of children in foster care, and to celebrate all families who adopt. In total, more than 20,000 children have been adopted from foster care on National Adoption Day. This year, National Adoption Day will be Saturday, November 15, 2008.

Goals of National Adoption Day 2008
• Finalize adoptions from foster care in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
• Celebrate and honor all families who adopt
• Raise awareness about the 129,000 children in foster care waiting for adoption
• Encourage others to adopt children from foster care
• Build collaboration among local adoption agencies, courts, and advocacy organizations
• Communicate availability and need for post-adoptive services

History of National Adoption Day
In just eight years, National Adoption Day has truly grown from nine events in its first year to more than 300 events in 2007, with 4,300 adoptions finalized in 2007 as part of more than 300 events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

National Adoption Day Sponsors
A coalition of national partners – The Alliance for Children’s Rights, Casey Family Services, Children’s Action Network, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and Freddie Mac Foundation – sponsor National Adoption Day to draw special attention to foster children waiting for permanent families and to celebrate all loving families that adopt.

National Adoption Day Coalition Partners
The Alliance for Children’s Rights – The Alliance for Children’s Rights is Los Angeles’ only free legal
services organization devoted solely to helping children living in poverty and foster care. The Alliance’s mission is to ensure children get the support and services they need to become healthy, productive adults. Since 1992, The Alliance has worked together with the Los Angeles Juvenile Court and the Department of Children and Family Services to expedite and increase the number of children adopted from Los Angeles foster care.

Casey Family Services – Casey Family Services is the direct service agency of the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, the nation’s largest private foundation serving fragile U.S. children, families and communities, started by United Parcel Service founder Jim Casey. Casey Family Services has worked with foster and adoptive families for nearly 30 years and is dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children here in the United States.

Children’s Action Network – Formed in 1990 by leaders in the entertainment industry, the Children’s
Action Network (CAN) is dedicated to improving the lives of America’s children. Through extensive public education campaigns, community-based programs and policy initiatives, CAN uses the power of the entertainment community to increase awareness about children’s issues and make them a top priority in everyday life.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute – The Congressional Coalition on Adoption
Institute (CCAI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about children in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes; and to eliminating the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic need of a family. CCAI serves as an informational and educational resource to policymakers as they seek to draft positive adoption legislation and to focusing public attention on the advantages of adoption.

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a leading
partner of National Adoption Day, a collaborative national effort to raise awareness of the 129,000
children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families and to celebrate all families who adopt. By drawing attention to the joy of thousands of children who have finally found their “forever families,” the Foundation and its partners hope to encourage even more families to consider adopting a child out of foster care.

Freddie Mac Foundation – Created by Freddie Mac in 1991, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to making home a place where children and families thrive. As the largest corporate funder in the
Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested more
than $348 million in organizations serving the community.

Tags: adoptees, adoption education, Adoption Events, adoption news, Adoption Programs, advocate for adoption, choosing adoption, domestic infant adoption, foster care, Older Child Adoption, parents of adopted children, Special Needs Adoption, Transracial Adoption

Urge Senate To Reauthorize Adoption Incentive Program

Joanne — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:20:43 +0000

(rainbowmom thank you for passing this along from our adoption forums)

ACTION ALERT: Ask Senators on the Finance Committee to act NOW to reauthorize the Adoption Incentive Program and help support adoption and relative guardianship

Today, more than 127,000 children and young people in foster care are waiting to leave the system – for good – to join permanent families. Every day without a permanent family feels like a lifetime to a child.

The bipartisan Adoption Incentives Program has helped more than 443,000 children leave the uncertainty of foster care to join adoptive families – but unless Congress acts now, it will expire on September 30, 2008. The House acted unanimously to reauthorize the Adoption Incentives Program in late June and included provisions to provide relative guardianship as an additional way for children to exit foster care for permanent families. Please join us in urging the Senate to act before August recess begins.

Senators on the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s foster care system, will play a key role in promoting safe, permanent families for our most vulnerable children. Please call your Senator if you are from the following states (which has members on the Senate Finance Committee):

Arizona • Arkansas • Colorado • Idaho • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Montana • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Dakota • Oregon • Utah • Washington

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD BY forwarding this information to your friends, family, colleagues, and networks in these states and encouraging them to take action too.

If you have any questions, please contact Mary Boo at maryboo@nacac.
North American Council on Adoptable Children
970 Raymond Avenue, Suite 106
St. Paul, MN 55114-1149
651-644-3036
http://www.nacac.org • policy@nacac.org

Tags: adoption legislature, adoption news, foster care, Legislative, Older Child Adoption

Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery

Joanne — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:42:50 +0000

Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery coming to St. Joseph
by Sylvia Anderson

Donald J. is a 10-year-old boy who loves cats, dogs, semi-trucks, going to church and watching Sponge Bob Square Pants on TV. He’s much like other boys his age, except for one thing: Donald dreams of having a family. “Someone to love me and I get to stay there forever,” he told the Missouri Department of Social Services. Just looking at his sweet face with those puppy dog brown eyes — well, it’s enough to break your heart.

That’s kind of the idea behind the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery tour that will be coming to the Buchanan County Courthouse in St. Joseph July 21 and 22. Sponsored by the Adoption Exchange and the children’s division of the DSS, they hope to find homes for the 238 children depicted in the 185 photos on the tour. The tour will travel to 16 cities across the state to be on display in 22 venues.

“This is the third year,” says Sara Anderson, DSS spokesperson. “In the first two years, we had more than 100 kids who were placed with potential adoptive families. It’s something that’s working.”

And something that’s needed, considering there are 1,800 children needing homes in Missouri. Many of the children featured in the gallery were selected because they are harder to place, Ms. Anderson says. It’s usually because they are older or have siblings, like Emily Mathis. She was adopted when she was 11 years old, along with her brother, Billy, after being in foster care for two years. Emily was not sure she would ever have parents. “Nobody wanted to take on a kid that was older,” Emily says. “I’m not good enough for a family … you think that a lot.”

Foster parents took care of her physical needs, she says, but not the emotional ones. It’s different now with her adopted parents. They tell her every day how they love her, and she knows they will always be there for her. “It’s really helped me change my life,” she says.

One of the keys to the success of the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery has been the quality of the photos. They were taken and donated by professional photographers across the state. “The thing about these pictures is that they are not just kids sitting there,” Ms. Anderson says. “These photographers are able to capture the spirit of these kids and that’s what is speaking to people.”

So you’ll see the sparkling eyes and bright smile of 10-year-old Angela S. and learn how she loves to sing, dance and ride her bike; or the freckles on 8-year-old John P. and read how he enjoys fishing, camping and playing with Lincoln Logs. Then, if the photos tug at your heart strongly enough, you may consider what it would be like to love one of these children as your own.
For more information, visit Heart Gallery

Tags: Adoption Events, adoption news, foster care, Older Child Adoption, Special Needs Adoption

John McCain Adopted One Of His Children From Bangladesh

Joanne — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:09:36 +0000

I just read yesterday that The McCains adopted one of their children (a daughter) from Bangladesh and that was the first I had heard of it. Of course as a parent through adoption I found it interesting (not that it would sway my vote-just cool as a fellow adoptive parent).

I think this interview may be a few months old but here’s part of it. He talks about what led up to them adopting her and also transracial adoption. There’s a picture that follows, which may be a few years…I believe she’s a teenager now.

Dadmag: Your youngest daughter Bridget is adopted. Why did you decide to adopt Bridget?

McCain: Well it was primarily my wife’s Cindy’s idea. She was in Bangladesh and she and some of the medical personnel visited Mother Theresa’s orphanage to try and help the children there. There were two little baby girls there. One had a heart problem the other a severe cleft palate. Cindy was very concerned about their ability to survive and their need for medical treatment, so she decided to bring them here for medical treatment. She fell in love with both of them. We decided to adopt Bridget. Two close friends of ours, adopted Mickey, the other child.

Dadmag: During your campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination Bridget became something of an issue in South Carolina didn’t she?

McCain: Yeah. There were some pretty vile and hurtful things said during the South Carolina primary. It’s a really nasty side of politics. We tried to ignore it and I think we shielded her from it. It’s just unfortunate that that sort of thing still exists As you know she’s Bengali, and very dark skinned. A lot of phone calls were made by people who said we should be very ashamed about her, about the color of her skin. Thousands and thousands of calls from people to voters saying “You know the McCains have a black baby” I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those.

Dadmag: That must have made you pretty angry?

McCain: Yes, except that you have to consider the kind of people who do it. Getting angry doesn’t serve any useful purpose. But the calls increased my zeal for winning. (laughs)

Dadmag: There are an awful lot of African American children who could be adopted, but there are those who object, including African American organizations which have a policy against interracial adoption.

McCain: I see that barrier more and more breaking down. I think we are making great progress. We just need to make a lot more progress.

Dadmag: You had to go through an extraordinary process to adopt Bridget. A very intrusive process by the bureaucrats. They came to your home and rifled through your drawers. According to what I’ve read, adoption agency officials even asked about your sex life.

McCain: They were very intrusive. Unfortunately it is a disincentive to some parents because it’s so much easier to go overseas. And that leaves us, in this country, with thousands of children who want parents and thousands of parents who want children. One of the goals I’ve had for a long time is to try to encourage a much less convoluted process in order for parents to adopt a child.

Dadmag: Is this necessary or is it just the bureaucracy gone a little mad?

McCain: A little of both. They want to make sure that those who want to adopt are fit to do so. I think sometimes bureaucrats stretch it out for fear of getting in trouble or getting something wrong. And I also think that there are state laws, probably the result of some bad things having taken place, that are legislative overreactions. I just wish that every state would review their laws concerning the process of adoption, to expedite it but at the same time protect the child.

© 2011 Forever Parents

Share

Tags: adoption news, Special Needs Adoption, Transracial Adoption

Related posts

Support Adoption And Send A Free E-card For Fathers Day (2)

National Adoption Day 2008 (0)

Enjoy A Frosty This Weekend And Support Adoption (1)

Treat Dad To Frosty And Help Children In Foster Care (1)

National Adoption Month-2008 (0)

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Announces Top 100 Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America

Joanne — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:47:47 +0000

(Dublin, OH – May 1, 2008) It’s the list that prompted policy change. After the first Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America list debuted in 2007, more than 50 organizations nationwide established or enhanced their adoption benefits for 2008. As a result, employers who made the top 100 list released today by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption offered more robust adoption benefits packages this year to make it. Wendy’s International, Inc. ranked #1 and was among those who expanded benefits in response to the 2007 rankings. (Editor’s note: The foundation is not an affiliate of Wendy’s International, Inc.)

The benefits package that has Wendy’s topping the list offers employees up to $23,300 in financial reimbursement and six weeks of paid leave per adoption. In 2007, the company provided $7,000 and the same amount of paid leave.

“Supporting adoption and helping find permanent, loving homes for foster children was the vision of our founder Dave Thomas,” said Kerrii Anderson, chief executive officer and president of Wendy’s International, Inc. “There is no finer cause than the support of families who are trying to adopt children, and we’re proud that Wendy’s has been recognized for our efforts. Many of our employees have adopted children, and we hope to empower more employees in the future with meaningful benefits and support.”

Michelle has worked for Wendy’s for eight years. She and her husband adopted two teen sisters from foster care in 2006. Michelle said if more companies offered adoption benefits, more people would consider adopting. “The expense of adopting children can be determining factor for many people,” she explained. “If more businesses offer financial assistance, more forever families will be formed. Employers can change the life of a child by simply offering adoption benefits.”

The Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America list includes the top 100 organizations that provide exceptional support to employees who adopt. Rankings are based on the amount of financial assistance and paid leave provided. The foundation compiled the results from survey data collected from 919 U.S. employers. Several survey partners helped extend the survey’s scope even further by asking their subscribers/members to participate: Employee Benefit News, a SourceMedia publication that is the leading source of information for benefits decision makers; the National Restaurant Association; and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to ranking the top 100, the foundation also recognized the top 10 by size, the leaders of each industry, and companies who support the cause of adoption and adoptive families in other ways. Wendy’s also ranked #1 among large businesses and in the food, beverage, and restaurant industry. Go to www.AdoptionFriendlyWorkplace.org to view each of the lists.

Rita Soronen, the foundation’s executive director, said 157 additional employers participated in this year’s survey, and 26 of them are honored on the Top 100 list. “For years we’ve known employers care about helping employees and their families, but this year we learned they also care about being competitive,” she explained. “We found companies genuinely want to help families formed through adoption, but they also know it’s important to maintain a competitive benefits package. Further, we saw the list actually prompted some employers to enhance their adoptions benefits packages.”

National Trends
Adoption benefits are voluntary, employer-provided and include some combination of financial assistance, paid leave and unpaid leave. According to the foundation’s 2008 survey results, the average adoption-friendly employer has had a policy in place for eight years, offers up to $5,000 in financial assistance and five weeks of paid leave. The foundation, now celebrating its 16th anniversary, has seen a significant increase in the number of employers offering adoption benefits over the years, which mirrors an annual survey conducted by Hewitt Associates LLC, a global outsourcing and consulting company providing human capital management services. Of the 1,000 major U.S. employers surveyed, Hewitt reports a steady increase of companies offering financial adoption benefits, from 12 percent in 1990 to 47 percent in 2007.

Soronen noted another new trend among employers. “Now we’re seeing support for relative adoptions,” she said. “When a child is adopted by a grandparent or other relative, it is usually an emergency situation in which the employee can benefit greatly from financial help and paid leave.”

National Misperceptions
A national survey commissioned by the foundation and released in November 2007 by Harris Interactive reveals that the majority of those considering adoption are considering foster care adoption. In fact, 48 million Americans have considered adoption from foster care, yet the majority has misperceptions about the process and the children who are eligible for adoption. These misperceptions include the following:

· 67 percent of people considering foster care adoption are unnecessarily concerned that biological parents can return to claim the children. Once the court finalizes the legal termination of parental rights, the parents can never return to claim the child.
· 46 percent mistakenly believe foster care adoption is prohibitively expensive, when in reality there is very little cost to adopt from foster care, and there is financial support available for all adoptions.
· 45 percent believe children in foster care have entered the system because of juvenile delinquency, when in reality, the vast majority entered the system through no fault of their own, as victims of neglect, abandonment and/or abuse.
· 48 percent believe a single parent raising an adopted child can definitely provide a healthy and loving environment. However, 32 percent of children adopted from foster care in 2005 were adopted by single parents or unmarried couples.
· 37 percent believe a person over 55 can definitely provide a healthy and loving environment for a child, when in reality 23 percent of adopted children live with an adoptive parent 55 years or older.

“Misperceptions about foster care adoption create barriers that keep wonderful children from loving adoptive parents,” Soronen said. “We need to inform potential adoptive parents about the need, the affordability and the finality of foster care adoption so we can make strides toward connecting more waiting children in foster care with forever families.”
Survey Methodology
The Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America list was compiled using data collected from 919 U.S. employers. The foundation mailed survey invitations to 40,000 business leaders, surveyed human resource professionals at conferences and collected data from the online survey on the foundation’s Web site.

Survey rankings are based first on the maximum amount of financial reimbursement per adoption, which includes any additional support for special-needs adoption, and second on the maximum number of weeks of paid leave per adoption. Employers who offer both are ranked higher than those providing only monetary support. Employers who have identical ranking criteria are listed alphabetically.

The foundation offers free toolkits and technical assistance for employers who wish to create a policy and for employees who wish to propose one. The toolkit includes a sample proposal, policy, reimbursement form, frequently asked questions, news release and tax summary. Thirty-three of the survey participants established new adoption benefit policies in 2008, and 26 used the foundation’s free resources. Go to www.AdoptionFriendlyWorkplace.org to order the toolkit.

About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
This non-profit 501(c)3 public charity is dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems ready and waiting to be adopted. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted as a child, the foundation spearheads programs such as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which puts adoption recruiters in all 50 states and Canada to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system, and Adoption-Friendly Workplace, which encourages employers to offer adoption benefits to their employees.

The foundation also works with adoption advocates and officials to streamline the adoption process and make adoption more affordable for families. As the only organization dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, the foundation is driven by Dave’s simple value: Do what’s best for the child.
To learn more about the foundation’s work, go to Dave Thomas Foundadtion.
© 2011 Forever Parents

Share

Tags: adoption education, adoption news, Adoption Programs, foster care, Older Child Adoption, Special Needs Adoption

Related posts

National Adoption Day 2008 (0)

Support Adoption And Send A Free E-card For Fathers Day (2)

Enjoy A Frosty This Weekend And Support Adoption (1)

‘Jockey’ Adoption Services & Programs (4)

National Adoption Month-2008 (0)