NEWS RELEASE
FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 8, 2016) – Kentucky’s First Lady Glenna Bevin and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Sec. Vickie Yates Brown Glisson today announced a new website aimed at helping families more easily navigate the foster care and adoption process.
“We want to make the foster care and adoption process as easy as possible for families,” First Lady Bevin said. “Every child deserves a loving home.”
The new site at adopt.ky.gov and is linked to the CHFS site to provide helpful adoption and foster information.
First Lady Bevin said her office worked closely with the CHFS Department for Community Based Services to create a website that clearly shows each step to becoming a foster or adoptive parent.
“It’s much more user-friendly, with better organized information, making it easier for families to navigate the foster care system,” First Lady Bevin said.
First Lady and Gov. Matt Bevin are advocates of adoption and foster care. The Bevins have nine children, and four are adopted.
Sec. Glisson said the new website is an important first step toward making the adoption process less stressful and confusing.
“For prospective parents wanting to complete their ‘forever families,’ the steps of adopting can seem endless,” said Sec. Glisson. “This improved website is meant to make the process understandable from the start by explaining options and providing contacts to ask for help.”
DCBS Commissioner Adria Johnson said there are about 8,100 children in Kentucky foster care, and many of them are awaiting adoption.
“Foster care is meant to be a temporary setting until families can be safely reunified,” Commissioner Johnson said. “But when children cannot return home, we work to find loving, permanent homes for them. This new website has revitalized the entry point for families to learn about opening their hearts and homes to a vulnerable child.”
The new site also includes regional contact information – for families in every county – and a link to the Special Needs Adoption Program photo search database, where families can use criteria like gender, age and siblings to search the listings of children awaiting adoption.
“It’s important that families seeking to adopt find the child match who is right for them.” Commissioner Johnson said. “This initial database search, with guidance from DCBS caseworkers, can help parents find children who are a good fit for their families.”
Families can also learn more about foster care and adoption by calling 1-800-232-KIDS (5437).
The website was designed in conjunction with the First Lady’s Office and Kentucky Interactive at no additional cost to taxpayers.