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22Jun

Immigrant Families Statement

The National Adoption Center is appalled that our government, built on the values of freedom and family, would wrest young children from the arms of their parents, creating a lifelong nightmare for all. We are concerned about the short-term effects (bewilderment, crying, sleeplessness, refusal to eat, to name a few) and the long-term fallout that these children will experience.

In more than four decades, we have seen that even for children who must be separated from their parents because of abuse, neglect and safety concerns, trauma follows them through life, resulting, for many, inability to trust, to form meaningful relationships and become fully-functioning, productive adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics has written: “Toxic stress in young children can lead to less outwardly visible yet permanent changes in brain structure and function…and (result in) functional differences in learning, memory and aspects of executive functioning.” It is unacceptable that instead of protecting children and families from the violence they are fleeing, this country is doing them irrevocable harm.

The National Adoption Center was founded on the premise that every child deserves to grow up in a loving and secure family. We know, based on research and our own experience, that children without nurturing families face a lifetime of adversity.

We must continue to be vigilant that this cruel, abusive practice ends and that the thousands of children who have already been separated be given appropriate treatment and returned promptly to their parents.

National Adoption Center
1500 Walnut Street, Suite #701
Philadelphia, PA 19102

3Oct

"Every Kid Deserves a Family" Public Service Announcement Launches

Release: Immediate
Every Kid Deserves a Family is the theme of a public awareness campaign just launched by the National Adoption Center, a non-profit organization that expands adoption opportunities for children who now live in foster care.

The professionally produced messages have been distributed through social media and will begin airing on national television in November, 2016, marking the beginning of National Adoption Month.

They focus on what families mean to children and how it feels not to have a family. The children in the videos say, for example:

“If I’m sad, my family always hug me up…”

“My mom and dad keep me safe…”

“Family is togetherness and making sure that everybody feels connected…”

“Without my mom and dad, I would be crying. I wouldn’t feel special anymore…”

A seven-year-old asks plaintively, “Can you adopt me?”

More than 100,000 children in this country who live in foster care will not be able to return to their birth parents. They count on being adopted into a loving and nurturing family.

Most of these children are school-age; often they are siblings who need a home together. Some have physical or developmental challenges. Since 1972, the Center has helped create families for thousands of children who now have permanent parents making a difference in the way they grow up.

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4Mar

Black Lives Matter: African-American Adoption Champions Needed

Black Lives Matter: African-American Adoption Champions Needed

Philadelphia, Pa: 26% of children in U.S. foster care are African-American, double the percentage of African-American children in the U.S. population. The National Adoption Center (NAC) is working with other leaders in child welfare to help create solutions to these issues. We are convening a meeting of academic, spiritual, governmental and community organizers and leaders to understand the racial inequality in the child welfare system and then to develop a national strategy to address this issue.

“While national attention has waned over the years, and the numbers of children in care goes up and down, racial disproportionality and disparity in services remains constant for African American children in foster care and for those in child welfare systems throughout the nation who are in need of permanent adoptive families” states Toni Oliver, MSW, President National Association of Black Social Workers. Likewise, Frank Perfinski, Adoption Program Manager Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, shares “every child deserves to be a part of a forever family. Currently in Delaware, there are 82 children in foster care needing permanency and 63% of those children are African American.”

NAC working with Dr. Charles Williams, NAC Board member and Director of the Graduate School, University City, Lincoln University, is bringing together a working group to address the disproportional representation of African American children in the child welfare system and the lack of adoptive parents of color. Dr. Williams grew up in foster care and was never adopted, thus he is passionate about the need for fewer children to grow up as he did without a permanent family.

About National Adoption Center: The National Adoption Center is a nonprofit based in Philadelphia. Founded over 42 years ago, the National Adoption Center expands adoption opportunities for children living in foster care throughout the United States and is a resource to families and agencies that seek the permanency of caring homes for children and since 1972 has created families for 23,000 children.

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16Jan

Wendy’s® Partners with National Adoption Center For a Sweet Fundraiser

Buy a Frosty Key Tag for $1 and Enjoy Free Jr. Frosty desserts through December 31st!

For just $1, customers at participating Wendy’s restaurants in the Philadelphia tri-state area can receive free Jr. Frosty® desserts through December 31, 2015 while supporting the National Adoption Center.

From January 1 to February 15 (while supplies last), customers can purchase a Frosty key tag for $1, then show the tag on subsequent visits to Wendy’s and receive a free Jr. Frosty with every purchase as often as they wish through December 31, 2015.

Wendy’s will donate the net proceeds of key tag sales to the National Adoption Center. The Center will use the funds to help find families for the hundreds of children in the Delaware Valley who live in foster care and wait to be adopted.
“We are grateful to Wendy’s for its support,” says Ken Mullner, Center executive director. “Finding families for these children is critical to their futures and to the future of society.”
“We strive to keep Dave Thomas’ ideals and beliefs at the heart of the Wendy’s culture,” says Sheri DeMarino, Wendy’s Philadelphia Co-op President. Thomas was the founder of Wendy’s. “One thing that Dave believed in was that everyone has a responsibility to give something back to help those who can’t help themselves. This key tag fund-raiser is one way of giving back to the community where we live and work.”

The National Adoption Center opened its doors in 1972 and since that time has found families for more than 23,000 children. But there are hundreds of children right here in our community who count on the Center for their futures.

For more information about the Center and about adoption, visit www.adopt.org

About the Wendy’s Company
Wendy’s is one of the world’s most successful restaurant companies with more than 6,600 restaurants worldwide. More information about The Wendy’s Company is available at www.wendys.com or www.aboutwendys.com.

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29May

Academy of Pediatrics endorses the Center’s policy on open adoption

In March, 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the Center’s policy on open adoption.  The policy reads:

The National Adoption Center believes that it is an inalienable right of all citizens, including adopted adults, to have unencumbered access to their original birth certificates. In keeping with this position, we believe that copies of both the original and the amended birth certificate should be given to the adoptive family at the time of finalization unless specifically denied by the birthparents. In any case, the National Adoption Center advocates that the adoptee, at age 18, be granted access to his/her original birth certificate.

The National Adoption Center also supports an adult adoptee's unencumbered access to all medical and historical records.* These records should be given to adopting families prior to finalization.

*Historical records refer to that information acquired about the child before coming into his/her final adoption placement. Such information includes, but is not limited to, foster care placements, childhood photos, information about siblings, number of moves before adoption, reason for entering foster care, details of school history and related school documents and any early history of development which may include pertinent medical records. 

The endorsement will appear on the Academy’s website beginning June 15.

20Jan

Wendy's Thank You!

18Oct

LGBT ADOPTION CAFE NOVEMBER 2 AT LIMESTONE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
For Immediate Release
LGBT ADOPTION CAFE NOVEMBER 2, 2013 AT LIMESTONE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
 
The National Adoption Center will hold its first Delaware LGBT Adoption Cafe on Saturday, November 2, 2013 from 10 am to 1 pm at the Limestone Presbyterian Church , 3201 Limestone Road in Wilmington.
  
The Café offers the opportunity to learn about the adoption process and to meet with adoption agencies to hear about children waiting for families. The free event features a panel of adoptive parents from the LGBT community and a special performance by the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware. There will be a complimentary brunch.
 
The Café is part of the initiative funded by Wells Fargo to:
  • Spread the word to members of the LGBT community about the children who need permanent families and encourage them to consider adoption.
  • Work with adoption agencies to create friendly environments for LGBT individuals and couple who wish to pursue adoption.
 
Registration is encouraged. Register at www.adopt.org. 
This event is free.