National Adoption Month 2018: Join the conversation

Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Month and Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health wants to shine a light on the urgent need to connect the thousands of children and youth in the U.S. foster care system with permanent, loving families.

This year’s National Adoption Month theme is “In Their Own Words: Lifting Up Youth Voices.” It focuses – for the third straight year – on teenagers and young adults who are still looking for their forever homes. The idea is to show how hearing from those who have spent time in foster care can help educate the public and shape child welfare policies and practices.

“Their stories can inform recruitment practices, training resources for families and other permanency support services,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Welfare Information Gateway website.

Startling statistics

The latest Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System data reveals that, in the United States, more than 435,000 children are in foster care (of which, 27 percent are 13- to 18-years-old), and more than 115,000 children and youth in foster care are waiting to be adopted (more than 13,000 are 15- to 17-years-old). Circumstances behind why these youth have been removed from their homes include: neglect (61 percent), drug abuse (34 percent), caretaker inability to cope (14 percent) and physical abuse (12 percent).

“Every child, no matter their age or background, deserves a loving family and a place to call home,” said Devereux Director of Foster Care Services Paul Davis. “All too often, when people are looking to adopt, they think of infants, when there are, in fact, thousands of teens and young adults in foster care who need the love, support and encouragement that families provide.”

Foster care services at Devereux

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health provides traditional foster care and treatment foster care services to a diverse population of at-risk children – and their families – in the following states: Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

Our foster care programs operate with the belief that all individuals deserve a loving, supportive and nurturing family – and a positive home environment – to help them reach their unique potential. We utilize a multi-disciplinary approach with an emphasis on innovative program development, teamwork and clinical excellence.

“Devereux’s foster care services, which include traditional care, kinship care and therapeutic care, are designed to help kids grow and thrive,” Davis explained. “Truly, we are here to find the critical support system these children need – and deserve – to feel loved, cared for and wanted.”

Click here for details on Devereux’s foster care services.

Learn more about National Adoption Month

National Adoption Month is an initiative of the Children's Bureau – part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – and is supported through a partnership with Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids. To learn more, click here.

Latest News

		Devereux video: Leaders share first jobs at Devereux and how ASCEND can propel your career Watch our latest Fireside Chat, in which Devereux President and CEO Carl E. Clark II introduces several leaders who share how they got their start at Devereux, what they are doing today, and how Devereux’s ASCEND Career Accelerator program can help anyone looking to advance their career.
		Celebrating Devereux’s Healthcare Heroes: Spotlight on Devereux Arizona Clinician Arnette Miller At Devereux, our employees are at the heart of everything we do – and are key to our success. Learn how Devereux Arizona Clinician Arnette Miller is serving and inspiring others every day.
		Season 2, Episode 6: ‘Not Your Average School Psychologist’ podcast Listen to the latest episode of the Devereux Center for Effective Schools’ podcast featuring Amanda Nickerson Ph.D., NCSP, who shares her work informing the National Association of School Psychologists PREPaRE model, which provides training to school crisis response teams. Dr. Nickerson is a professor and director of the Dr. Jean M. Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music/Audible.
		Servant Leadership Snapshot: Devereux New York Program Manager Denis Oswe Devereux New York Program Manager Denis Oswe leads by example, treats everyone with respect and demonstrates empathy with the individuals he serves, as well as his colleagues. Learn how he is motivating and inspiring all those around him.
		Devereux MA/RI gala raises $225,000 to benefit youth, adults with disabilities More than 200 guests gathered at the historic Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, for Devereux Massachusetts and Rhode Island’s annual gala to raise critical funds for children, adolescents and adults with emotional, behavioral and cognitive differences.