Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

1,574: The reason Washington courts will celebrate National Adoption Day around Nov. 18

1,574 -- The population of a small town, or a fairly large high school. Enough to fill up about 26 school buses or a convention center.

It's also the number of children in Washington state who have no parents or permanent guardians, nowhere to call "home". The rights of their biological parents were terminated by courts, or relinquished by the parents themselves. They live in limbo, waiting for a family to want them enough to adopt them legally and forever.

By the end of November, that number will be smaller. Washington courts and child welfare workers will celebrate the state's seventh statewide National Adoption Day on or around Nov. 18 with more than 140 adoptions of foster children into new families, and dozens of other non-foster adoptions as well. The media and public are invited and welcome to attend any and all celebrations, talk with adoptive parents, judges, child welfare workers and more.

Although adoption hearings are generally closed, National Adoption Day events provide a rare opportunity for the public and media to be present as new families are being formed. The goal is raising awareness among potential adoptive parents of the children who are still waiting.

Celebrating counties include:
 

"We can't say enough about the adoptive parents who open their homes and hearts to children who need love, stability and family," said King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum, Chairman of the Washington State National Adoption Day Steering Committee, who was himself an adopted child. "Without these parents, many thousands of children would never have that special foundation to carry them through their lives."

Washington National Adoption Day celebrations will also pass the 1,000-child milestone in 2011. As of last year, 961 children had been adopted into new homes during NAD events in Washington since courts began celebrating statewide in 2005.

National Adoption Day was founded by a handful of courts, child welfare agencies and businesses in 2000 to raise awareness of the thousands of foster children awaiting adoption. Washington's statewide celebration was launched in 2005 by the state Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care and is co-sponsored by the Department of Social and Health Services Children's Administration, the Superior Court Judges' Association, and the Administrative Office of the Courts. The 2011 celebration is also sponsored by WARM 106.9's Teddy Bear Patrol program.

Quicker resolution for foster children is the primary goal of the Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care, which was established in 2005 and includes judges, child welfare workers, foster parents, current or former foster children, legislators, school officials, tribal officials and attorneys.

In the past three fiscal years, the annual average number of foster adoptions has increased (1,701 in 2009, 1,533 in 2010 and 1,676 in 2011) from a previous average of 1,100 - 1,200.

As of Oct. 31, 2011, there were 8,287 children living in foster care in Washington, with 1,574 of those available for adoption. By comparison, when Washington state courts first began celebrating National Adoption Day in 2005, more than 9,500 children lived in foster care and far fewer (about 1,080) were available for adoption.

"Since 2009 more than 1,500 children have been adopted each year from foster care," said DSHS Children's Administration Assistant Secretary Denise Revels Robinson. "I am pleased that during National Adoption Month, we can celebrate the legal adoption of 1,676 children and youth this year who now have forever families."

CONTACT: King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum, Chair, Washington State National Adoption Day Steering Committee, (206) 296-9295, dean.lum@kingcounty.gov; DSHS Children's Administration Assistant Secretary Denise Revels Robinson, (360) 902-7892; retired Supreme Court Justice Bobbe Bridge, co-chair, Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care, (and founder of the Center for Children and Youth Justice), (206) 696-7503, ext. 10.
 

Washington State National Adoption Day

November 18, 2011