DCS Celebrates National Adoption Month in November

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The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services is celebrating National Adoption Month, recognized annually in November throughout the nation as a time to raise awareness about the need for adoptive families for children and youth in foster care. While DCS encourages adoption and subsidized permanent guardianship throughout the year, this month is an opportunity to focus special attention to the continued need for more foster and adoptive families for teens and sibling groups.

In Tennessee, there are approximately 350 children and youth in the state’s full guardianship who are looking for a home to call their own through adoption. The majority are older teenagers in foster care who face futures without stable and caring families to guide them into adulthood.

“It’s time to shine a light on the need for more adoptive families, especially for teens and groups of siblings in foster care,” Commissioner Jennifer Nichols said. “Helping children find permanency with a loving and caring family is one of the most important things we do as an agency, that’s why November is so special as we celebrate Tennessee’s adoptive families. This year, we have even more to celebrate as our staff worked with the courts during these trying times to make sure adoptions didn’t stop and children and teens were still able to find paths to permanency through the support and love of forever families.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Tennessee experienced an increase in both adoptions and subsidized permanent guardianship in state fiscal year 2020. The number of adoptions finalized increased from 1,166 in fiscal year 2019 to 1,186 in fiscal year 2020. Subsidized permanent guardianship increased from 387 in fiscal year 2019 to 431 in fiscal year 2020. Many court hearings have proceeded by videoconference, allowing judges and families to connect virtually to finalize the adoptions and guardianships.

Tennessee is a foster-to-adopt state, meaning one must foster for at least six months before proceeding with an adoption. Approximately 80 percent of children who are adopted from foster care in Tennessee are adopted by the families who already are, and have been, their foster parents. Some families choose the path of subsidized permanent guardianship to create a forever family with a child who is a relative.

For more information on fostering and adoption in Tennessee visit tnfosters.gov or tn.gov/dcs.

For Information on National Adoption Month visit https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/nam/.