Children's Home Society: Central Florida Division

Angels in Adoption 2005 - Florida

Selected by Representative Tom Feeney

While most foster children that are reunited with their parents of are placed with relatives never become available for adoption, foster children whose birth parents' parental rights have been terminated by the courts may be adopted. At Children's Home Society of Florida, we are able to work with the miracles of "Special Needs: and non-special needs children. The main goal of CHS this year was to increase the numbers of special needs adoptions of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect or who have been abandoned. "Special needs" refers to those children in the care and custody of Florida's Department of Children and Families or a licensed private child-placing agency, and children who meet at least one of the following criteria: 1) The child has significant emotional ties with his foster parents or relative caregiver, 2) is at least 8 years old; 3) is mentally, physically, or emotionally handicapped; 4) is black or has racially mixed heritage. or 5) is a member of a sibling group being placed for adoption as a unit. While many teens have experienced multiple rejections and are hesitant to try adoption, it is important for them to have a family to assist them through the remaining years of adolescence and to be supportive into their adult years. Family ties do not end at age 18. In order to increase the effectiveness with special needs adoptions, CHS initiated several public awareness efforts including radio spots on all ethnic radio stations, TV spots, specifics on our We sites, flyers at doctors' offices, community events, and so on. The result was a 55% increase in the number of finalized adopations in one year, with the number of special needs adoptions increasing from 9 during 07/03 - 06/04 to 50 from 07/04 - 06/05.