HHS
awards $236,000 to Illinois for increasing adoptions
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[March 19, 2010]
WASHINGTON -- On Monday the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services awarded $236,000 to the
state of Illinois for increasing the number of children adopted from
foster care. States use the funds from the adoption incentive awards
to enhance their programs for abused and neglected children.
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"Adopting a child from foster care is a wonderful way to enrich any
family's life," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We
congratulate Illinois on performing so well this year, and we thank
the parents who are providing loving and permanent homes." The
Adoption Incentives Program was created as part of the Adoption and
Safe Families Act of 1997. The original program authorized incentive
funds to states that increased the number of children adopted from
foster care. In order to get payments, states had to increase the
number of children adopted relative to baseline data.
Under the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351), the adoption incentives were
revamped to provide stronger incentives for states to redouble their
efforts to find loving adoptive homes for children -- particularly
older children and children with special needs.
In addition, the law introduced the concept of an adoption rate,
which is derived from comparing current year adoptions to the number
of children in care at the end of the previous year. States receive
additional money if they exceed their highest foster child adoption
rate for previous years back to 2002.
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The Adoption Incentive Program gives states $4,000 for every foster
child adopted above their 2007 baseline, plus a payment of $8,000
for every foster child age 9 and older and $4,000 for every other
special needs child adopted above the respective baselines. In
addition, states receive $1,000 for every foster child adopted over
and above the level of the state's highest foster child adoption
rate for previous years.
"We are pleased with the positive results Illinois achieved under
the new adoption incentive guidelines," said David Hansell, acting
assistant secretary for children and families. "Older children with
special needs are the hardest to find homes for, but they are
especially deserving of the safety and stability of an adoptive
family."
A complete listing of state adoption incentive award amounts
released Monday is posted at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2009/
fy09_adoption_incentive_awards.htm.
[Text from file received from the
Administration for Children and
Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] |