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 352 children placed in adoptive homes during SFY 2000, up from 305 in SFY
1999. The following tables show the
breakdowns of these children by age, gender and race.
|
Age |
Number of Children |
Percentage |
|
0
to 5 years |
161 |
45.87% |
|
6
to 11 years |
110 |
31.34% |
|
12
to 18 years |
79 |
22.51% |
|
18
+ years |
1 |
.28% |
TOTAL*
|
351 |
100.00% |
|
Gender |
Number of Children |
Percentage |
Male
|
180 |
51.28% |
|
Female |
171 |
48.72% |
TOTAL*
|
351 |
100.00% |
|
Race |
Number of Children |
Percentage |
Caucasian
|
217 |
61.82% |
|
African-American |
126 |
35.90% |
|
Other |
8 |
2.28% |
TOTAL*
|
351 |
100.00% |
*Demographic information has not been entered into CHRIS for
one child.
|
AR DHS Statistical Report SFY 2000 |
|
|
|
|
|
3-53 |
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 282 children with special needs who were placed during SFY 2000. The following table outlines the number of
children with specific needs. The
number of children will exceed 282 due to the fact that many of the children had
more than one special need condition.
Total
children placed in adoptive homes in SFY 2000: 352
|
Special Needs Condition |
Number of Children |
|
Race |
100 |
|
Age |
161 |
|
Medical
Problems |
62 |
|
Emotional
Problems |
139 |
|
Learning
Problem |
69 |
|
Member
of Sibling Group |
168 |
|
Total |
699 |
A child may have more than one condition.
Twenty-six disruptions occurred in SFY
2000, compared to nine (9) disruptions in the previous fiscal year.
|
Homes Awaiting Children at the
Beginning of the Year |
148 |
|
New Homes Approved During the
Year |
104 |
|
Total During the Year |
252 |
|
Homes in Which Children Were
Placed During the Year |
89 |
|
Approved Adoptive Homes Closed
at the End of the Year |
16 |
|
Number of Homes Awaiting
Children |
47 |
|
AR DHS Statistical Report SFY 2000 |
|
|
|
|
|
3-54 |
ADOPTION SERIVCES
At the end of
SFY 2000, 418 children were waiting to be adopted, with 314 of these children
awaiting adoption by non-foster parents and 104 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
|
Age |
White |
Black |
Mix B/W |
Mix (NB/W) |
Other |
Total |
|
0-1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
2-6 |
35 |
25 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
60 |
|
7-12 |
75 |
70 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
146 |
|
13-17 |
43 |
57 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
101 |
|
Total |
157 |
154 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
314 |
|
Age |
White |
Black |
Mix B/W |
Mix (NB/W) |
Other |
Total |
|
0-1 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
|
2-6 |
19 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
36 |
|
7-12 |
24 |
15 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
41 |
|
13-17 |
10 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
19 |
|
Total |
55 |
43 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
104 |
Source: Adoptions Unit, DCFS
|
AR DHS Statistical Report SFY 2000 |
|
|
|
|
|
3-55 |