National Adoption Month: The Benefits of Adoption

Every November, efforts related to National Adoption Month help children in foster care find families. The initiatives especially aim to help older teenagers find adoptive relatives.

Families aren’t just parents and children or other configurations of relatives. They’re often groups of our own choosing, and adoption can benefit children in many ways.

Emotional benefits of adoption

“For youth in foster care, adoption means that they belong and can feel connected to a family who will support them no matter what,” said Jerry Milner, an associate commissioner at the Children’s Bureau (an office affiliated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

Life is full of triumphs and challenges. Having relatives can help us face the difficult times and celebrate the good times. They can provide a little security in an insecure world.

Health benefits of adoption

Many children enter the foster care system because one or more of their parents are abusing drugs or alcohol. More than one-third of children entering foster care in the 2017 federal fiscal year did so because of their parents’ substance abuse.

If these children join new families, they’re not physically around drugs or alcohol or people who abuse them. They don’t see drug and alcohol addiction as normal behaviors and might be less tempted to use those substances themselves. They’re removed from the chaos and pain that an addiction could bring.

Economic benefits of adoption

Adoption provides support for children. Families can provide for young people financially and support their education.

With better educations, people might be able to find higher-paying jobs and build brighter futures.

Ultimately, adoption is about a child’s present and his or her future. This isn’t to say that all foster care situations are bad or that all adoptions are good. It’s just that adoptions can offer hope and possibility for children who need those things the most.

Sources

childwelfare.gov – 2020 National Adoption Month Children’s Bureau Message

sunshinebehavioralhealth.com – Inpatient Drug Rehab Centers | Top Inpatient Rehab

childtrends.org – One in Three Children Entered Foster Care in 2017 Because of Parental Drug Abuse

cornerstone.edu – Do College Grads Really Earn More Than High School Grads?