{"id":29012,"date":"2024-11-22T15:41:23","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T22:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/co4kids.org\/?p=29012"},"modified":"2024-11-25T14:32:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T21:32:42","slug":"national-adoption-month-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co4kids.org\/es\/child-welfare-blog\/national-adoption-month-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"DCW Updates for National Adoption Month 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Back to Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Child Welfare Blog<\/a><\/div>\n\n

DCW Updates for National Adoption Month 2024<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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By Sheila Dalton, Adoption Program and ICAMA Administrator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

November is National Adoption Month and this year’s national theme is Honoring Youth: Strengthening Pathways for Lasting Bonds. This message from the Children’s Bureau<\/a> discusses the 2024 initiative to increase awareness of adoption issues across the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Division of Child Welfare\u2019s goal is for children and youth to remain and or return home to their families, and we know that this is not always an option and so this leaves many children and youth in need of a permanent legal family. Children and youth are often adopted by kin or their foster parents, while others are in need of recruitment to identify permanent caregivers. While we are overjoyed when our children\/youth achieve permanency and can leave our system, we cannot forget that adoption also comes with significant challenges, trauma, and loss. For those children and youth still waiting for permanency, connection, and belonging, our counties, caseworkers, and recruiters are doing their very best to help them achieve these significant milestones every day and assist in navigating the challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In State Fiscal Year 2023-2024, our Colorado counties finalized 709 adoptions, which is only three less finalizations than last year. Out of those, 260 were kinship adoptions (37%). As of November 1, 2024, Colorado has 355 legally freed children\/youth waiting for permanency, which is 40 fewer waiting children\/youth than last year at this time, but we can do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past year, DCW has tried to remain consistent and improve our practice statewide. Here are a few highlights of what we have been doing at DCW and the continued partnership with our county departments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n