Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

The Need for Family and the Story of Adoption are Still Going Strong: National Adoption Day 2021

Every child has a story to tell. This is particularly true of children in foster care who have been recently adopted into new families or who will be soon, some of them as part of Washington state’s celebration of National Adoption Day on November 19. Dozens of children will be adopted this week — both in person and virtually — during court events highlighting the importance of adoption.

The public can take part in the stories of these children by viewing their adoptions or the celebrations of their adoptions during celebrations and virtual events at several courts this week. Adoptions and virtual public celebrations are planned in Thurston County on November 18, and in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties on Friday, November 19. Visit Washington’s National Adoption Day web page to find times and links to these virtual celebrations.

Members of the public can also learn the stories of children in foster care who need adoptive families by viewing youth-driven In-Depth Profiles created by the Northwest Adoption Exchange (NWAE). “In-Depth Profiles give children ages 9 and up the chance to develop creative storytelling projects, giving these youth a greater voice in the search for their potential adoptive families,” said NWAE Director Tyler Helbach. The organization works with the state Department of Children, Youth and Families to help children in foster care who want to be adopted find the permanency they deserve.

Approximately 6,680 children are currently in foster care in Washington — the lowest number in decades, for several reasons — and more than 1,080 of those children are legally free to be adopted into new families.

“Whatever else is happening in the world, children still need the nurturing stability of being part of permanent families, and adoptive parents still open their hearts and lives to these children to create new families,” said King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum, chair of the state National Adoption Day Steering Committee.

“That will always be worth celebrating any way we can. We hope residents statewide will join us in recognizing the importance of adoption, the need to support adoptees and the critical role of family in children’s lives,” Lum said. “We know that there are many adoption stories, and children and families come to adoption through diverse paths. It has been my honor and privilege to chair National Adoption Day these past 20 years.”

Judge Lum, who has spearheaded Washington’s statewide National Adoption Day celebration since its inception in 2005, will oversee King County’s 20th event this week, his last before retiring from the bench at the end of this year.

This will be Washington’s 17th statewide celebration of foster adoptions. Before the COVID pandemic, as many as 27 counties took part in the annual celebration, which is meant to raise awareness of the many children in foster care waiting to be adopted. Due to COVID, many Washington courts and child welfare offices are commemorating Adoption Day with deliveries of cards and gifts to children adopted this year and their families.

“All of Washington’s children and youth deserve a safe, healthy, loving permanent home,” said DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter. “It takes patience, flexibility, and a willingness to learn, to become an adoptive parent. We are grateful for all those who play a role in finding permanency for the children in our care.”

In addition to DCYF’s partnership with the Northwest Adoption Exchange, the agency also hosts Adoption Consortiums once a month to assist caseworkers in identifying adoptive homes for youth in need of permanency. This service also allows potential adoptive families to hear about youth in need of a permanent home and present themselves to the caseworkers as a possible match.

“By providing a voice to children and youth, we empower them and give them the opportunity to be seen for who they are, beyond their case notes,” Hunter said.

National Adoption Day was founded in the U.S. in 2000 by a handful of courts, child welfare agencies and businesses to raise awareness of the thousands of foster children awaiting adoption. It is celebrated the Saturday before Thanksgiving, though Washington chose to celebrate the Friday before. Washington’s statewide celebration was launched in 2005 by the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care and is co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Superior Court Judges’ Association, and by WARM 106.9’s Teddy Bear Patrol program.

CONTACT: King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum, chair, Washington State National Adoption Day Steering Committee, (206) 477-1397, dean.lum@kingcounty.gov;  Lorrie Thompson, Senior Communications Officer, Administrative Office of the Courts, (360) 705-5347, Lorrie.Thompson@courts.wa.gov; Nancy Gutierrez, Communications Consultant Manager, Department of Children, Youth and Families, 360-789-3451, nancy.gutierrez@dcyf.wa.gov