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.
There
were 398 children placed in adoptive homes during SFY 2001, up from 352 in SFY
2000. The following tables show the
breakdowns of these children by age, gender and race.
|
Age |
Number of Children |
Percentage |
|
0
to 5 years |
161 |
41.07% |
|
6
to 11 years |
149 |
38.01% |
|
12
to 18 years |
82 |
20.92% |
|
18
+ years |
0 |
0% |
TOTAL*
|
392 |
100.00% |
|
Gender |
Number of Children |
Percentage |
Male
|
183 |
46.68% |
|
Female |
209 |
53.32% |
TOTAL*
|
392 |
100.00% |
|
Race |
Number of Children |
Percentage |
Caucasian
|
248 |
63.27% |
|
African-American |
140 |
35.71% |
|
Other |
4 |
1.02% |
TOTAL*
|
392 |
100.00% |
*Demographic information has not been entered into CHRIS for
six children.
|
AR DHS Statistical Report SFY 2001 |
|
|
|
|
|
3-57 |
ADOPTION SERVICES
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.
There
were 293 children with special needs who were placed during SFY 2001. The following table outlines the number of
children with specific needs. The
number of children will exceed 293 due to the fact that many of the children
had more than one special need condition.
Total
children placed in adoptive homes in SFY 2001: 398
|
Special Needs Condition |
Number of Children* |
|
Race |
152 |
|
Age |
171 |
|
Medical
Problems |
79 |
|
Emotional
Problems |
162 |
|
Learning
Problems |
72 |
|
Member
of Sibling Group |
176 |
|
Total |
812 |
*A child may have more than one condition.
There
were 377 new subsidized adoptions approved in SFY 2001, with 324 federally
funded and 53 state funded.
A disruption of an adoptive placement
occurs when a family who had accepted a child for adoption decides not to
proceed with finalization and the child is removed from the home. Thirteen disruptions occurred in SFY 2001,
compared to 26 disruptions in the previous fiscal year.
|
Homes Awaiting Children at the
Beginning of the Year |
147 |
|
New Homes Approved During the
Year |
118 |
|
Total During the Year |
265 |
|
Homes in Which Children Were
Placed During the Year |
106 |
|
Approved Adoptive Homes Closed
at the End of the Year |
35 |
|
Number of Homes Awaiting
Children |
124 |
|
AR DHS Statistical Report SFY 2001 |
|
|
|
|
|
3-58 |
There are
currently 455 children waiting for adoption.
The following table describes the demographics of these children.
*Demographics
of Children Waiting for Adoption by Non-Foster Parents
|
Age |
Gender |
White |
Black |
AIAN1 |
ASIAN2 |
NAPI3 |
Other |
Total |
|
0-1 |
Female |
10 |
5 |
0 |
0 0 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
|
Male |
9 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
|
2-5 |
Female |
19 |
25 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
44 |
|
Male |
26 |
18 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
44 |
|
|
6-11 |
Female |
35 |
42 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
77 |
|
Male |
49 |
54 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
103 |
|
|
12-15 |
Female |
34 |
32 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
66 |
|
Male |
48 |
21 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
70 |
|
|
16-18 |
Female |
9 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
|
Male |
6 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
11 |
|
|
|
Total |
245 |
210 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
457 |
* Demographic data have not been entered into CHRIS for 8 children. As a result, they are not represented in the table above, bringing the number of children whose demographic data can be represented to 447. However, children may have more than one ethnicity selected. As a result, the total number of children shown in the table above (457) is greater than the actual number of children whose demographics can be represented (447).
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.
Source: Adoptions Unit, DCFS
|
AR DHS Statistical Report SFY 2001 |
|
|
|
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|
3-59 |