Regional DCF Office Promoting

‘Adoption Month’ With Sandy Hook Event

Thanksgiving may be America’s quintessential family holiday. But for hundreds of Connecticut children waiting to be adopted, as well as individuals or couples who celebrate alone each Thanksgiving, there is an empty place waiting and wanting to be filled at the table.

With the hope of filling more of those empty places, the Danbury office of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is reminding local residents that November is National Adoption Month. The office is also hosting an informational open house Sunday, November 14, from 3 to 5 pm at the Demitasse Cafe in Sandy Hook Center.

The Adoption and Foster Care Open House at Demitasse will feature live music sponsored by Newtown Foot Care Group and Dr Joel Segalman. The Newtown Police Department will also be represented with its “stuff a cruiser” activity. Patrons who bring an unwrapped, new toy for foster children in the community will receive a voucher for a free refreshment during that open house.

Throughout the month, the DCF Office of Foster Care and Adoption together with community partners, are also reaching out in the hope of inspiring more foster and adoptive families to consider including local children who are currently under the state’s care.

On November 7, Bells of Hope will ring out at hundreds of churches across Connecticut joining the Department and its nonprofit community collaboratives to raise public awareness.

Kindermusik Family Centers will open up their doors to host adoption and foster care informational sessions; public libraries will become gathering sites to celebrate adoption; and probate courts will help create the permanency that foster children long for with November 19 being designated as Adoption Day.

Also, with DCF’s new “blue light initiative, local businesses and households will shine a blue light warmly through their front window or doorsteps as a visual symbol of adoption awareness.

According to the DCF, Connecticut has seen improvements in both the number and timeliness of adoptions. There are always additional children in foster care, however, who need a permanent family.

The percentage of children adopted within 24 months increased from 33.5 percent in 2008 to 36.5 percent in 2009. The average wait declined from 36.7 months in 2008 to 33 months in 2009.

Since early 2004, when ten percent of adoptions were finalized in 24 months or less, the percentage of timely adoptions has consistently exceeded the goal of 32 percent.

Between 1997 to 2005, an average of 615 permanent homes (adoptions and subsidized guardianships) were found annually for children in foster care — more than four times the number in 1996. In 2010, 690 adoptions were finalized and 213 guardianships were transferred for a total of 903 new permanent homes.

For the second consecutive year in 2010, Connecticut received a federal adoption incentive award for increasing the number of adoptions.

Families who qualify may be eligible for both a financial and a medical subsidy. Financial subsidies range from approximately $ 9,066 to $10,001 per year for most children who are adopted, depending on their age.

The subsidy for children with complex medical needs is $16,523. Adopted children are eligible for DCF’s post secondary education financial assistance program. (Financial assistance is offered up to the cost of the Connecticut State University system.)

In addition, families can receive help through the Adoption Assistance Program, or the Permanency Placement Services Program for emotional or behavioral issues after adoption finalization. For more information contact the Department of Children and Families regional office at 203-207-5267 or CTFosterAdopt.com.