JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Navigating the foster care and adoption systems in Arkansas – or in any state – is anything but easy. However, some of the most rewarding things in life can also be some of the toughest.
In February 2023, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order to improve the state’s adoption process and foster care system. A strategic plan addressing that order was released alongside it. More than a year and a half later, children and families are seeing the positive impact of that executive order, though they may not quite be to the proposed standards yet.
“If we can reduce processing times and speed up foster family licensing, we can get kids placed in homes in less than two months,” Sanders said during a Feb. 28, 2023, news conference announcing the executive order.
As of this writing, two months is still a goal, not a reality. However, since the order was signed, the time it takes to adopt has decreased.
Tiffany Wright, director of the Arkansas DHS Division of Children and Family Services, says the average wait across the state is closer to six months.
“There has been a lot of work going on. There is still work to do. We still acknowledge there is work to do across our state,” Wright said. “We are also (trying to reduce the adoption timeframe) with the mindset of not compromising safety.”
Wright said one specific item in the executive order establishing a working group of various state agencies alongside Every Child Arkansas has been crucial to their success.
Every Child Arkansas is a collection of organizations across the state supporting the recruiting and retaining of foster and adoptive families.
Now, getting information on the process is easier than ever.
“It has been huge for us, in just a way of getting everybody together in the room to do the same work. That’s been pivotal,” Wright said. “It’s a one-stop place to learn about fostering or adopting.”
Though the focus is to connect children with adoptive or foster families, not every person or family that wants to help is in a position to fill one of those roles. Thankfully, Wright says, there are options for everyone.
She suggests volunteering for organizations such as DCFS, Project Zero, or Together We Foster. She said those organizations are vital resources that help organize events, donate clothes and school supplies, and even cook meals for foster families as needed.
“There are so many ways to plug in,” Wright said.
She added that there is information on connecting with those organizations on the Every Child Arkansas website.
Alternative avenues for helping foster children are crucial. However, the goal remains to connect these children with their forever homes. Executive Order 23-18 has brought the state closer to that goal.
Wright said the number of children in foster care has been trending downward since February 2023 but added it has been a multi-faceted accomplishment with plenty of work still to do. Currently, the state has 3,500 children in foster care.
“I contribute that decline to both the work that is happening around permanency, but also our work that’s been happening with our prevention of foster care, how we keep children safely with their families and communities, and how we wrap them with community support,” Wright said. “While we have seen a decline since the day the executive order was signed, it has been a whole system’s effort to make that happen.”
Closer to home, we have featured 21 children in “A Family for Me” since June 2022. Of those children, 12 have found permanency as of this writing. Though that is a great start and a life-changing event for those 12 young lives, there is still work to be done to decrease the overall number in the state from 3,500 to zero.
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Publish date : 2024-09-12 20:30:00
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