Governor Mike Pence has issued a proclamation declaring the month of November as Adoption Awareness Month in the state of Indiana.
“Adoption Awareness Month is an important time to celebrate those around the state who have opened their hearts and their homes to Indiana’s foster children,†said Governor Pence. “We owe many of these success stories to the important work of adoption agencies and attorneys from around the state who help connect Hoosier families with some of our most vulnerable children. While our administration has made strides to improve the adoption process in Indiana, each of us must continue to play a role in seeing that every child in Indiana finds a loving home.â€
In 2014, Governor Pence signed into law House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1222, which created a nonrefundable $1,000 tax credit per adopted child beginning taxable year 2015. It also created an Adoption Study Committee to look at ways to make adoptions easier and more affordable for Hoosier families. The Governor’s Adoption Study Committee completed its work and issued its final report with recommendations on June 30, 2015.
Currently, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) is actively recruiting adoptive families for between 75 and 100 children, and more than 100,000 children in the United States foster care system are waiting to be adopted. In 2014, DCS completed more than 1,100 adoptions.
The proclamation, which can be found attached, coincides with an Information & Awareness Adoption Fair that Governor Pence and First Lady Karen Pence are hosting on Monday, November 16 in the North Atrium of the Indiana Statehouse. The Adoption Fair will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. EST, with a short program beginning at 4:30 p.m. EST that will feature remarks by Governor Pence and Indiana Department of Child Services’ Director, Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, as well as a closing prayer offered by First Lady Karen Pence. Representatives from the Indiana Department of Child Services and sixteen adoption agencies and associations will be in attendance to provide information on both public and private adoptions, post-adoption services, how to afford adoption, as well as additional available resources. Information regarding adoption in Indiana can also be found here: http://www.in.gov/dcs/2730.htm.
