Houston organization, Arms Wide Adoption Services, shares insight for National Adoption Month

For over two decades, National Adoption Month has been promoted and celebrated every November in communities across the country    

IN HOUSTON: More than 5,000 abused or neglected children were adopted from state care last year, but the need is as great as ever. As of September, more than 3,900 children and teens in state care were legally free for adoption. What that means for those children and teens is that if they are not matched with an adoptive family who legally adopts them, they will turn 18 and move into adulthood without a family to call their own.

Arms Wide Adoption Services has geared up for National Adoption Month and has scheduled at least one information meeting each week through the end of the year.

GETTING THE FACTS from Arianne Riebel, LMSW, LCPAA, Manager of Adoption and Foster Care Programs at Arms Wide Adoption Services

There is a statewide capacity crisis in Texas this year.  This means that there simply are not enough homes for children.

• 5,395 – The number of children adopted from DFPS in fiscal year 2017.

• 6,685 – The number of children in DFPS care who were awaiting adoption as of September 2017 (latest data). Some of these children are already matched with an adoptive family and some are not.
• 3,939 – The number of children awaiting adoption who were not living with a family or adult who intends to adopt them as of September 2017.

• 5,395 – The number of children adopted from DFPS in fiscal year 2017.
• 6,685 – The number of children in DFPS care who were awaiting adoption as of September 2017 (latest data). Some of these children are already matched with an adoptive family and some are not.
• 3,939 – The number of children awaiting adoption who were not living with a family or adult who intends to adopt them as of September 2017.

In the Houston area alone, in 2016 there were 1256 children available and waiting for an adoptive home.  Unfortunately, this number does not decrease from year to year.

How can a person start the process?    The first step is to contact an agency that provides adoption services and attend their information meeting.  At Arms Wide Adoption Services’ Information Meetings, we spend time discussing the differences between emergency foster care placements, foster to adopt placements and straight adopt or “matched adoptions.”  We also discuss the application process, provide the initial application and required paperwork and discuss the required training.

The most important thing in starting the process is to choose an agency that is the right match for your family.  This is an extensive, emotional journey and you have to feel comfortable with the agency that is going to walk through it with you.

Determining if it is better to foster first is not and easy question and differs for every family. Being open to foster care greatly increases a family’s opportunities for placement.

How does your organization support the children & the adults through the adoption process?  At Arms Wide Adoption Services, we walk with the family all of the way to finalization, or legal consummation, of the adoption and beyond. Arms Wide Adoption Services offers a Post Adoption program families can voluntarily participate in if they have adopted a child(ren) from the Texas child welfare system. This is a voluntary program that the adoptive parent makes the decision to enroll in. The participation in the post adoption program provides continued case management support until the youngest adopted child is 18. 

What should prospective parents know before taking the leap?   Prospective parents should definitely understand that adoption and foster care adoption are a commitment that cannot be taken lightly. The process is arduous and there are many rules to follow.

A child placed in your home through adoption can bring a lot of joy, but it is not necessarily smooth transition; everyone involved needs time to adjust and get to know each other. They all have to work together to be the best family they can be. Overall, becoming a parent through adoption is a lifetime commitment that will change your life, and the life of a child’s!

THE NELSON FAMILY SHARES THEIR STORY:

Kaysie Nelson, adoptive mom of three 

How did you come to the decision to adopt & how did you get involved with Arms Wide?  I was always open to adoption, but it took some time to introduce the idea to my husband, Jady. After I was diagnosed with PCOS, we realized it would be very difficult to conceive naturally and started talking to some of my coworkers who adopted. I heard about Arms Wide Adoption Services through a coworker. After meeting other families that had adopted, Jady agreed we should attend an Information Meeting at Arms Wide in March 2015. That first meeting sealed the deal for us. We decided fostering to adopt was the way we were meant to grow our family. We filled out our application that very night!

Was the process what you expected?  We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but most everything was explained at the informational meeting we attended. We were given clear steps to follow to become licensed foster parents and I feel everything went according to that outline.

Throughout the process of preparing to be foster parents, Jady and I liked how Arms Wide made each step simple and accommodated us when we had to miss a training event. Arms Wide helped us remember paperwork deadlines and set my mind at ease when I learned support services would continue even after the adoption was final.

Advice to prospective parents?  I want to dispel concerns. Questions like: “Will these kids love us back?” “Will they be good kids?” “Will all the work and stress and headaches be worth it?” are non-issues. They are drops in the bucket compared to the family we built.

What has this adoption meant to your family?   Adoption has been a no-brainer for my family. After Jady and I heard at an Arms Wide training about all the kids in foster care, adopting just made sense. Knowing what my kids came from made it simple.

Adoption is a beautiful way of growing a family. Sometimes we receive intrusive questions like, “Could you love a biological child more?” But I don’t know how we could love our kids any more. I don’t know how my family could love these kids any more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO www.armswideadoption.org.

photos courtesy of Arms Wide Adoption Services