Indiana's National Adoption Month Kickoff Celebration November 3

Last updated on Friday, October 28, 2016

(INDIANAPOLIS) - Indiana will kickoff National Adoption Month on Thursday, November 3 at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

This will be the first of more than 25 adoption celebrations statewide to support and raise awareness of adoption programs for children and older youth in foster care in Indiana.

Kickoff Celebration, November 3

The National Adoption Month kickoff will begin with a private reception for foster/adoptive families at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The reception will begin at 3:00pm and will include a short video about the adoption journey of an Indiana family as well as remarks from the Department of Child Services (DCS) Deputy Director of Permanency & Practice Support, Reba James, and the President and CEO of Children's Bureau, Inc., Tina Cloer.

After the private reception, families are encouraged to enjoy the public reception with free admission to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. The Indiana Adoption Program booth will have giveaways for adoptive families while supplies last.

November National Adoption Month Kickoff

Location: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208

Date and Times: Thursday, November 3, 2016 from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Private* Reception for foster/adoptive families 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. - Free admission to the museum (Open to public)

More than 25 Adoption Month Celebrations

Throughout November, DCS Indiana Adoption Program in partnership with the Children's Bureau, county courts, and other community organizations, will host more than 25 National Adoption Month celebrations throughout the state. These celebrations will honor Hoosier adoptive families, and provide information to others on how they can take the first steps toward becoming foster and/or adoptive parents.

A link to the upcoming celebrations is listed on the DCS website. www.in.gov/dcs/adoptionevents

Additional Adoption Information

The 2016 National Adoption Month will focus on the adoption of older youth currently in foster care - because "We Never Outgrow the Need for Family."
DCS and our partners focus year-round on finding permanent families for older youth through resources such
as the Indiana Adoption Program's Picture Book and the Indiana Heart Gallery. Both profile and share stories of older youth currently in foster care and available for adoption. These stories and additional information about the Indiana Adoption Program are on the DCS adoption web page at adoptachild.in.gov, or you can call 888.25ADOPT.
There has been a steady increase in adoptions since State Fiscal Year 2014 (SFY) when there were 1,038 adoptions, compared to SFY 2016, when the total number of finalized adoptions was 1,509. A report on DCS Adoption Statistics can be found at http://in.gov/dcs/3139.htm
While this is good news, the number of children in recruitment for an adoptive family has also steadily increased to the highest we've ever seen. On average DCS is actively recruiting adoptive homes for 120 - 150 youth statewide. Of those, 80 percent are over the age of 11 and a 25 percent are a part of sibling groups.

The Indiana Adoption Process: training, paperwork and home visits

Training: Potential parents must go through four Resources for Adoptive Parent Training (RAPT) sessions. These are a total of 16 hours, with the second session online and the rest at various training sites throughout the state.
Paperwork: Forms, background checks, and other state-statute required paperwork must be submitted and processed to qualify.
Home visits: To ensure each new adoptive home is prepared for the new child, adoption personnel conduct home visits to ensure safety.

Indiana has regional representatives, also known as Special Needs Adoption Program (SNAP) Specialists, who serve as liaisons throughout the adoption process, a list of SNAP Specialists by region is available at www.adoptachild.in.gov or call 1-888-25-ADOPT.

About Indiana Department of Child Services:

The Indiana Department of Child Services protects children from abuse and neglect and works to ensure the financial support of children. Indiana

Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline: 800.800.5556. Child Support Customer Service Kidsline: (800) 840-8757 or (317) 233-5437. www.in.gov/dcs

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