November is National Adoption Month, and the State of Arizona is using the occasion to bring awareness to the growing need for adoptive parents.
“Every child deserves to thrive in a safe, permanent home,” Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday. “Adoption is a vital part of achieving that goal.”
To that end, a key goal of the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) under Director Mike Faust is to make it as easy as possible for people to learn about the adoption process and then to connect a child in need with a forever family.
“Adoption places children into permanent homes where they can flourish and grow up to become happy, healthy, productive members of our community,” Faust said. “I urge every person, community, and partner organization to renew their commitment to increasing the number of Arizona children who find permanency through a loving, adoptive family.”
According to DCS, there are five things for a prospective adoptive parent to know, starting with the simple fact that children enter foster care through no fault of their own. As a result, DCS adoptions do not require a payment to adopt and there is no cost for the services of an adoption attorney.
In Arizona, any adult resident aged 18 years and older is prospectively eligible to adopt, whether married, unmarried, divorced, widowed or legally separated. A certification process involving a written application, passing a child abuse background check, and undergoing a criminal history check is required prior to adopting a child. (A criminal conviction is not an automatic disqualifier.)
And, the adoption process is easy to start. Simply watch an orientation video on the DCS website at https://dcs.az.gov/foster for a more information or call 1-877 KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633).
