National Adoption Awareness Month

National Adoption Awareness Month

National Adoption Awareness Month is observed each year in November. This awareness month focuses on the need to adopt children and give them forever homes. All adoption-related issues are important. The particular focus of November is the adoption of children currently in foster care. To call attention to National Adoption Awareness Month, wear a white enamel awareness ribbon pin. Personalized Cause also offers white fabric ribbons and white silicone awareness wristband bracelets.

National Adoption Awareness Month activities and celebrations kick off with a Presidential Proclamation. This adoption month is an initiative of the Children’s Bureau. The initiative seeks to increase national awareness of adoption issues. It also brings attention to teens in the U.S. foster care system and youth engagement.

Teens in foster care wait longer for permanency. They are also at higher risk of aging out than younger children. Teens need love, support, and a sense of belonging that families can provide. Securing lifelong connections for these teens, both legally and emotionally, is critical in determining their future achievement, health, and well-being.

Wear White Pins for National Adoption Awareness Month and Youth Empowerment

Empowering youth means that professionals make space for youth to take the lead in making decisions that affect their lives. Empowerment helps youth develop their own identity and recognize the talents and strengths that they have. When a teen is in the child welfare system and away from their birth family, developing an identity can feel like you’re on the journey alone. It’s important to help youth remain connected to their roots while also finding new connections and opportunities. We must also embrace and affirm the youth’s racial and cultural identity. This ensures that the youth’s holistic identity is considered when permanency planning.

Statistics

As of September 30, 2021, there were 114,000 children and youth waiting to be adopted who were at risk of aging out of foster care without permanent family connections.

• More than one in five children waiting for adoption was aged 13-17.
• The average age of all children waiting to be adopted was 7.5 years old.
• The average time in care for all children waiting to be adopted was 33.7 months.
• The average time in care for children waiting to be adopted after termination of parental rights is 19 months.

Demographics

The three races or ethnicities with the largest percentages of children waiting for adoption are White (43 percent), Hispanic (23 percent), and Black or African American (21 percent). Black or African American (non-Hispanic), multi-racial (non-Hispanic), and American Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) children are all disproportionately overrepresented among all children waiting to be adopted.

The 2021 U.S. child population data below is pulled from the U.S. Census:

• Black or African American children (non-Hispanic) represent 14 percent of the entire U.S. child population, but were 22 percent of those waiting to be adopted.
• Multi-racial children (non-Hispanic) represent 5 percent of the entire U.S. child population, but were 9 percent of those waiting to be adopted.
• American Indian/Alaska Native children (non-Hispanic) represent 1 percent of the entire U.S. child population, but were 2 percent of those waiting to be adopted.
• Black or African-American and American Indian/Alaska Native children ages 13-18 spend more time in care compared to all other children ages 13-18 waiting for adoption.

National Adoption Month Partners

National Adoption Month is an initiative of the Children’s Bureau. Its goal is to increase national awareness and draw attention and support for the thousands of teens in the U.S. foster care system who are waiting for permanent, loving families. The initiative is supported through a partnership with Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids.