ADOPTION SERVICES

 

 

Services are provided to birth parents, children, and adoptive families to establish and maintain permanent homes for children.  This unit is also responsible for the adoption subsidy program, the Arkansas Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry, and the Interstate Compact on Adoptions and Medical Assistance (ICAMA) program.

 

 

Characteristics of Children Placed in Adoptive Homes

 

There were 305 children placed in adoptive homes during SFY 1999.  The following tables show the breakdowns of these children by age, gender and race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1  Includes Native American, Alaskan Native, and American Indian.

2  Includes Indochinese, Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese.

3  Includes Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander.

 

 

 

 

 

ADOPTION SERVICES

 

 

Special Needs

 

During SFY 1999, 305 children were placed for adoption.  Ninety- percent (275) of the children placed in adoptive homes were children with special needs.  Children with special needs are defined by this state as children who are members of a sibling group of two or more to be placed together, and/or a child who has a physical, mental or emotional condition or is at high risk to develop such a condition.  The number of children will exceed 275 due to the fact that many of the children had more than one special need condition.

 

 

 

 

Disruptions

 

Nine disruptions occurred in SFY 1999, compared to 10 disruptions in the previous fiscal year.

 

 

Non-Foster Parent Adoptive Home

 

·         Homes awaiting Children at the Beginning of the Year.................................... 179

·         New Homes Approved During the Year.......................................................... 115

·         Total During the Year................................................................................... 294

·         Homes in Which Children Were Placed During the Year.................................. 64

·         Approved Adoptive Homes Closed at the End of the Year................................. 82

·         Number of Homes Awaiting Children…………………...................................... 148

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADOPTION SERVICES

 

 

 

Children Waiting for Adoption

 

At the end of SFY 1999, 332 children were waiting for adoption, with 237 of these children waiting for adoption by non-foster parents and 95 of these children waiting for adoption by foster parents.  The following tables describe the demographics of these children.

 

 

Demographics of Children Waiting for Adoption by Non-Foster Parents

 

 

 

Demographics of Children Waiting for Adoption by Foster Parents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source:  Adoptions Unit, DCFS