National Adoption Day is set for November 17th. As part of the festivities, there are plans to finalize 20 adoption procedures taking place for West Texas families.
There are approximately 6,400 children in the Texas foster care system, and most of these children have been victims of abuse or neglect. The Child Protective Services for the state of Texas would like for all of these children to be adopted at the earliest possible moment.
Last year, just over 5,000 children were adopted in Texas. Unfortunately, this means that many children will likely remain in the foster care system long after National Adoption Day takes place. The children that often get left behind in the system are teenagers, brothers or sisters of children already adopted, and minority children.
One Texas family has adopted two children, but it took close to a year before they could be licensed to be foster parents. The two then went though the foster-to-adopt requirements set down by the state. However, the experience has been so positive for them that they hope to adopt one or two children more as well.
Attorneys that are experienced in the adoption of children understand the laws and the many complexities of this area of law. These professionals can assist individuals seeking adoption by helping with the paperwork and being present at any meetings or hearings that take place during the entire process.
Sometimes, the foster system does not always work out immediately for parents. Foster parents may take care of a child for a certain amount of time only to have that child placed elsewhere. Yet it is the parents that persevere, despite occasional disappointment, and are ready to make a commitment to do what is best for the child that courts and agencies are looking for when it comes to these adoptions.
Source: mywettexas.com, “Twenty adoptions to be finalized for West Texas families on National Adoption Day,” by Audrie Palmer, Nov. 9, 2012
