Hundreds of Georgia children and teens need of homes
(ATLANTA) — November is National Adoption Month and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) is working to find homes for 350 children in the state – more than half of them teens.
This year’s theme “Teens Need Families, No Matter What,” highlights the importance of connecting older youth with families who are equipped and well-prepared to parent teens.
“Older youth in foster care are less likely to be adopted because many families prefer to adopt an infant or a younger child,” says outgoing DFCS Director Bobby Cagle. “Research tells us a forever family can make all the difference in the world as an older child transitions into adulthood.”
Cagle, who was also adopted, says he knows first-hand the impact of being adopted by a loving family.
“We must do everything we can to ensure our older youth are connected to loving and supportive families who will be there for them into adulthood,” says Cagle. “No child should grow up without some sense of family.”
Recently the Division has increased the number of adoptions by around 40 percent through an initiative called “There’s No Place Like Home” that focuses on eliminating any barriers standing in the way of an adoption finalization such missing paperwork or pending administrative tasks.
DFCS says over 1,200 successful adoptions were finalized in Georgia over the last year.
To learn more about the children and youth who are looking for an adoptive family, visit www.itsmyturnnow.dhs.ga.gov.
