Since 1799, children and families in Massachusetts have found help from various children's agencies that now form The Home for Little Wanderers, also known as "The Home".
A petition drive is underway in Arkansas to force a vote on lesbian and gay parents. An ultra-conservative group wants to prohibit minors from being adopted or placed in a foster home in which a would-be parent is “cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of a marriage which is valid under the constitution and laws of this state.”
The group's called the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, and it's seeking signatures throughout an established network of churches. It's a political wing of the Family Council.
A ban on gay adoptions has been in effect in Florida since 1977. This video introduces Curtis Watson and his partner, Scott Elsass, who tell the story of how they came to foster Francesca and Angelina, two girls whom the state could not place anywhere else.
According to the ACLU, the girls went from being “problem” children to harmonious members of a loving family. But - after a judge awarded the couple legal custody of Francesca and Angelina - the state tried to remove the girls from their home because Watson and Elsass are gay.
National Adoption Day is a collective effort to raise awareness of the 114,000 children in the U.S foster care system - all waiting to find permanent, caring families.
This year's theme is "Answering the Call - You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. There are thousands of teens in foster care who would love to put up with you."
The ACLU recently released a video production called “Freedom to Parent”.
The two-part video series follows two families as they fight for their right to remain together - to receive equal treatment under the law. Child welfare experts show support for the families and detail the horrific effects of anti-gay laws. The piece describes decades of research on the suitability of lesbians and gays as parents.
Three weeks ago, in Utah County, a niece asked her uncle to take her 4 kids. To care for them because she can't. She's dealing with drug-related criminal matters - and the kids are aged 11, 6, 2-years, and 10 months. The father's not able to care for them either.
The uncle happens to be gay, and in a long term relationship. Michael Valdez and Michael Oberg have been together for about 5 years. They have steady jobs, a nice home, and no criminal record - but they aren't allowed by law to take-in the needy kids.
The number of single men adopting has more than doubled since 1998, according to a USA TODAY analysis of government statistics. Single men account for just 3% of all adoptions from foster care, but their share has risen.
Fost adopt may be the best bet for single men who want to adopt. Although single men are typically chosen less by women putting babies up for adoption, they are often welcomed in the foster care system.