County Commissioners observe National Adoption Month

November 8, 2021

Right to left: Joetta McCruter—Polk, Foster Care Recruiter, Cliff Mears, Richland County Commissioner and Brigitte Coles, Community Engagement Specialist.  Polk and Coles gave the commissioners a buttercream pound cake and holiday cut out sugar cookies on behalf of RCCS thanking them for the proclamation.

Mansfield, OH - The Richland County Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation Thursday, November 4, designating November as National Adoption Month in the county.

The theme for 2021 is “Every Conversation Matters,” this year the focus is on the teenagers in foster care who need unconditional commitment, love, and support from a family long-term.

Commissioners Darrell Banks, Cliff Mears and Tony Vero presented a resolution calling on all citizens to       ensure that every child has a safe, nurturing and permanent family.

During the meeting, RCCS community engagement  specialist Brigitte Coles and foster care recruiter Joetta McCruter—Polk told the commissioners that when a child cannot remain with their birth family, adoption provides that permanent family. Through RCCS adoption services we create families by placing children in their forever homes.

In Richland County, there are currently 15 teens in  foster care who face a future without stable, permanent, and caring families to guide them into adulthood.

Studies have shown that having a close relationship with a caring adult is key to improving a child’s opportunities for success, but older youth are much less likely to be adopted than younger children.

Richland County Children Services (RCCS) finalized 24 adoptions in 2020, and the overwhelming majority of those were children under the age of 10.

At any given time, over 16,000 children in Ohio are being cared for away from their parents, and more than 9,000 are living with foster parents. While most of these children will be eventually reunited with biological family         members, over 2,600 are currently waiting to be adopted. More than 1,000 of them are teenagers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

« Back to News