November is National Adoption Awareness Month

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

Updated for 2021

November is National Adoption Awareness Month when those who have opened their hearts and their homes to children are honored. It’s also a time to remember that there are thousands of children who still need a permanent home and loving family.

This year’s (2021) National Adoption Month theme is “Conversations Matter.” Incorporating youth engagement into daily child welfare practice can start with a simple conversation. Listen to what the young person has to say, what their goals are, and how they feel about adoption. Create an environment where they can be honest and ask questions. Youth are the experts of their own lives, so let them partner with you in permanency planning and make decisions about their life.

In 2017, 8.2 of every 1,000 children in Iowa are in foster care, higher than the national average of 5.5 of every 1,000.  All of these kids need families to provide loving care, support as they develop, and a home to come back to as they grow into adulthood. Creating families through adoption is a wonderful way to build families and to make meaningful contributions to the lives of children and youth.

Iowa has passed legislation and implemented policies that have strengthened supports to families who have adopted children from foster care. Throughout the month, local departments of social services and adoption placement agencies across Iowa are celebrating the joys and expressing the needs of adoption.

If you are interested in adoption, contact your local county department of social services for information specific to your community and speak to families who have adopted. Consider stretching beyond what you thought was possible and consider the impact your involvement may have in the life of a child. As revealed in Iowa Department of Human Services’ press release, “Older kids don’t outgrow the need for a family. Having a permanent family changes these children’s lives, and gives them the opportunity for a safe, stable and healthy future.”

For more information about National Adoption Month visit: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/about/.

Adoption and Foster Care Resources in Iowa:
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association