Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Children Finding Family: Public Welcome as Courts Complete Adoptions and Celebrate National Adoption Day Nov. 16-17

Several dozen children in Washington foster care will be adopted into new families this week as courts and child welfare offices across the state celebrate National Adoption Day by welcoming families and the public into courthouses, and many by completing adoptions during the celebrations.

At least 16 counties across Washington will celebrate the state’s 19th Adoption Day on Friday, Nov. 17th, with some courts celebrating Nov. 16 or 18. It is a day set aside to raise awareness among potential adoptive parents of the number of Washington children waiting to adopted.

More than 6,300 Washington children currently live outside their homes in foster or kinship care, and more than 1,050 children of those children are legally free to be adopted.

“We know that children need a safe and stable family to grow and thrive,” said Washington Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen, chair of the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care, which sponsors the statewide celebration. “Sometimes the best path for a child means creating a new family and we are grateful to adoptive parents and all who support the new family. Adoptive parents open their hearts, and a new family journey begins, and we celebrate.”

More than 2,600 children in foster care have been adopted during National Adoption Day celebrations in Washington courts since the state first started celebrating in 2005. Some counties, such as King and Spokane, began celebrating prior to 2005.

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. Washington’s statewide celebration is co-sponsored by the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Superior Court Judges’ Association, and by WARM 106.9’s Teddy Bear Patrol program.

Celebrations seek to highlight the critical role that families play in the lives of children as they move into adulthood, and to highlight how many children in Washington are free to be adopted. Celebrations are open to the public. Information on individual county celebrations can be found on Washington Courts’ National Adoption Day page.

Resources are available to help potential adoptive parents learn more about adopting from foster care include:

• Northwest Adoption Exchange works with the state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to help foster youth find their new families. They provide a Help Center, webinars, steps for adoption and much more;
• Profiles of children available for adoption can also be found on the Exchange web page, including new youth-driven “In-Depth Profiles” in which children ages 9 and up take a greater role in telling their stories and finding their new families.
• “About Adoption From Foster Care,” provides a comprehensive overview and answers many questions posed by potential parents.

CONTACT:  Lorrie Thompson, Senior Communications Officer, Administrative Office of the Courts, (360) 705-5347, Lorrie.Thompson@courts.wa.gov; Nancy Gutierrez, Communications Administrator, Department of Children, Youth and Families, (360) 742-6418, Nancy.Gutierrez@dcyf.wa.gov.