|
STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106 |
M. Jodi Rell Governor |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 19, 2010
|
Contact: 860-524-7313
|
Governor Rell: State Earns $520,809 Federal Award
For Progress Made in Child Adoptions
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that for the second straight year the state’s progress in improving adoptions for Connecticut children in foster care has resulted in an "adoption incentive award" of more than $500,000.
The funds are from the federal Adoption Incentives (AI) program, created by Congress in 1997 and overhauled in 2008 to provide stronger incentives for states to find adoptive homes children, particularly those with special needs. Connecticut was one of 38 states awarded the federal grant this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"Whether it is the number of children adopted, the timeliness of achieving permanent, loving homes in general, or the dramatic 25 percent decline in the number of children in state care since 2007, we are seeing a variety of signs that real reforms have taken hold," Governor Rell said.
The state Department of Children and Families finalized 690 adoptions in Fiscal Year 2010 and 643 the year before, well above the annual average of about 470 adoptions from FY2003-2007. This marks the third year in a row that Connecticut has exceeded 600 adoptions. In addition, the amount of time it takes for a child to be adopted has decreased as well.
DCF Commissioner Susan Hamilton said that more timely permanency and a reduction in the number and rate of children removed from home due to abuse and neglect are working together to safely reduce the number of children in state care.
"Children deserve to be safe, and they deserve a family," Commissioner Hamilton said. "If we cannot keep a child safely with their parents, then we are striving very hard to find them a permanent family as quickly as possible. So this federal grant for our improved adoption outcomes is gratifying and will allow us to invest further in the efforts to find families for children in need.”
In addition to more children achieving permanency through adoption, the timeliness of all three forms of permanency – reunification, adoption and transfer of guardianship – for children in foster care also has improved. DCF official say the percentage of children reunified within 12 months increased from 61 percent in 2008 to 65.9 percent in 2009. The average wait declined from 12.5 months in 2008 to 12.3 months in 2009.
The percentage of children adopted within 24 months increased from 33.5 percent in 2008 to 36.5 percent in 2009. The average wait declined from 36.7 months in 2008 to 33 months in 2009. The percentage of children whose guardianship was transferred within 24 months increased from 69.9 percent in 2008 to 76.7 percent in 2009. The average wait declined from 22.8 months in 2008 to 18.6 months in 2009.
Governor Rell has offered precedent-setting legislation that provides funding for college tuition for foster children who are adopted, improves case management and services for families experiencing difficulty in an adoption and increases subsidies for new adoptions in Connecticut.
The Governor has also strongly supported DCF outreach efforts to encourage more families to consider adoption, including open houses held at various locations around the state, the 7-year-old Heart Gallery – a traveling photo display of children available for adoption – and the use of innovative tools such as targeted advertising on the Google search engine.
More information about adoption is available at www.CTfosteradopt.com or by calling 1-888-KID-HERO.