I have blogged about the Nebraska Safe Haven Law here and here. This was a bad law that is backfiring in ways in that are going to hurt children.

In the latest case, a sibling group of nine children were left by their father at the Creighton University Medical Center on Wednesday. The children were between the ages of 1 and 17. So far sixteen children have been surrendered since the law took... more

I don’t remember how I wound up on this website, but a few weeks ago I stumbled across a website for Every Child Matters. Every Child Matters is a bi-partisan group trying to get political reform for kids. Since we are in an election year, the “theme” is “I’m Voting for Kids.” The website is extensive in the information that it offers and can make you think twice about what your state is doing for children.

I ordered a promotional packet that had great information in it and things that I will certainly... more

Florida is one of two states that have specific law prohibiting “gay” adoption. This week this law got a shot that wasn’t expected.

A gay man and his partner in Florida were approved to adopt the 13 year old boy that they had been foster parents to for the last seven years. The boys social worker recommended the adoption and the judge upheld the workers decision.

Personally, I agree with the decision. It’s in the best interest of the child. These are the only parents this boy has known for the past seven years, or over half his life. Would it be better for him... more

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.

About three weeks ago I blogged about the new Safe Haven law that Nebraska instituted allowing parents to leave a child up to the age of 19 without fear of prosecution. Well, it has already happened. Not once, but twice in the same day.

Two boys, ages 11 and 15 were left at two different medical centers. The boys are not related it just happened that these occurred on the same day. One boy was dropped off by his... more

Arkansas will be voting on a referendum to ban unmarried couples from becoming foster or adoptive parents. This will be one of the issues they vote on along with the presidential election in November.

In order for the issue to make it to the ballet proponents had to gather at least 61,974 signatures. They submitted more than 85,000. In 2006 the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned a decision that specifically banned gay or lesbian couples from becoming foster parents. It seems the bickering is continuing and now it will be up to the voters to decide.

I... more

This is an interesting discussion on the adoption.com board, and there are some great answers.

The full question is:

Let's assume YOU made the rules, how long would you give biological parents to COMPLETE their case plan goals before you sent the case to TPR?

I know there can be all kinds of extenuating circumstances, but let's assume there are no insurmountable obstacles preventing the bios from completing... more

Here in Wisconsin we are rather sick of snow. We’ve had over five feet of snow and the bill for having my driveway plowed is only slightly more than the cost of the fuel oil to heat my house.

However, there is a wonderful story involving snow coming out of New York. The Children’s Aid Society of Algoma is building snowmen. What’s so special about that? They’re building over 200 snowmen; one for each child who needs a home. What a wonderful way to garner attention for children. Kids love... more

I blogged previously about the Indian Child Welfare Act. The blog explained how the tribe can take custody of a child if the child’s heritage is part of a federally recognized tribe.

This proposed legislation takes this act a step further. It would allow the tribe to receive federal foster care funds to care for the child. Previously the tribe would take custody of the child, but did not receive federal funding.

You can find a summary of the bill here.

The... more

A new bill (HB122) is being proposed in Utah that would allow foster parents to give permission for their foster children obtain a driver’s license.

One of the proponents of the bill is Senator Karen Mayne, who is a foster mother.

While on the surface this looks like a good bill, I have a few problems with it. First and foremost being my own child. Sammy will be eligible to begin driver’s training in about a year. There is no way I would want this child behind the wheel of a car.... more

Now that the race is narrowing down and it looks like we have some front runner candidates for the Republicans and the Democrats, let’s take a look at their positions on adoption.

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing any candidate, nor am I saying you should vote for someone based on their position on adoption. Hillary Clinton has the most extensive list of a plan for adoption and foster care on her website. Among her suggested programs are:

1) Reward... more