November is National Adoption Month. At the end of 2022, in the United States, there are approximately 109,000 children in foster care awaiting an adoptive home.[1] In Nevada there are 758 children and young adults who do not have a forever home.[2] This month, Nevada CASA Association would like to highlight the need for adoptive homes. Adoption is not as common as you might think for children in foster care. As children become teenagers it becomes more difficult to find adoptive homes and many of these children enter a phase we call “aging out” where they are moved to Independent Living programs and prepped for a life as an adult outside the foster care system.
The brutal reality is that children who age out of the system are 20% become homeless the day they age out of the system. Young children and teens who are not adopted and age out of foster care are less likely to graduate high school or attend college. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “if aged out foster youth had the same outcomes as youth who didn’t age out, the US taxpayers would save $4.1 billion.”[3]
Children with a CASA Volunteer have a fighting chase. With a CASA volunteer, the best interests of that child or children are advocated before the court during their time in foster care. If a family cannot be reunified, a CASA Volunteer can help navigate the child through the adoption process and be a constant advocate for the best interest of the child during this tumultuous time.
What you should know about adoption:
- It is not as common in foster care as you might think. Too many children languish in the system in between not being able to be reunited with their parents and finding a new adoptive home.
- Many children in foster care are adopted by relatives which is a positive outcome and the best opportunity to stay connected to siblings and their extended family of origin.
- Adoptive families can qualify for financial assistance
- Teenagers need to be adopted. They are at a higher risk of ending up homeless without having a permanent home.
- We need more adoptive homes and you can help.
If you are interested begin by reaching out to the following resources for more information.
If you cannot adopt at this time, consider becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) – a voice for children in foster care. Also, considering support the work of Nevada CASA as we work to open new programs across the state and grow existing programs. Currently in Nevada only 24.3% of foster youth have a CASA/GAL we need to bring that to 100%.
Nevada CASA also needs your financial support to ensure there is a CASA/GAL volunteer for every child in care.
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[1] Children’s Bureau. (2024, March 20). Trends in Foster Care and adoption: FY 2013 – 2022. The Administration for Children and Families. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/report/trends-foster-care-adoption
[2] Department of Health and Human Services. (2024, August 10). DCFS Data Book Adoptions . DCFS Data Book Page 22 Adoptions. https://dcfs.nv.gov/Programs/Data/DCFSDataPage/
[3] Finally Family Homes (Ed.). (2022, Ocober 17). 42 Aging Out of Foster Care Statistics. Finally Family Homes. https://finallyfamilyhomes.org/the-problem/#:~:text=20%20percent%20of%20foster%20youth,college%2C%20or%20get%20a%20degree.