Adoption forum to urge child welfare agencies to include gay families

SDGLN.com, november 29, 2011

WASHINGTON – Bryan Samuels, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, will be joining the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), LGBT families and representatives from area child welfare agencies for an adoption forum on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

The forum will recognize the close of National Adoption Month and call on child welfare professionals to include LGBT families, year-round, in their efforts to expand the pool of families for foster youth.

A new video by the HRC Family Project on LGBT adoption will be premiered at the forum. The event will stream live at 10 am ET/7 am PT
Wednesday HERE.

HRC has celebrated adoptive families throughout National Adoption Month and is offering a wealth of resources related to adoption and other issues important to LGBT families HERE.

“As we end National Adoption Month, the work of finding permanent families for children and youth continues — it’s everyday work for child welfare professionals,” said Ellen Kahn, HRC Family Project Director and a professional social worker.

“Today we are recognizing several public agencies that have expanded their efforts to find families by reaching out to the LGBT community, a largely untapped resource. By partnering with HRC’s ACAF, these agencies have improved their practice with LGBT families and as a result are seeing an increase in foster and adoptive parents.”

This month, HRC issued All Children-All Families Seals of Recognition to Alameda County, Calif., and to the state of New Jersey’s Resource Family Division, which join Los Angeles County as the only public social services agencies to earn the seal for their success in implementing the ACAF policies and practices.

To read the complete article, go to: http://sdgln.com/news/2011/11/29/adoption-forum-urge-child-welfare-agencies-include-gay-families