WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar
(Minn.), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Adoption Caucus, encouraged Health and
Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary of Administration for Children and
Families (ACF) Lynn Johnson and Department of State (DOS) Assistant Secretary
for Consular Affairs Carl Risch to raise awareness for National Adoption Month,
which begins today, November 1.
“Like so many, we share the belief that every
child should have a safe home and a loving family,” the senators wrote.
“With countless children in the world without a permanent home, including over
437,300 children in foster care across the country – 125,400 of those children
waiting for adoption – we urge HHS and DOS to help these children find
permanent homes through adoption from the foster care system, domestic private
agencies, intercountry adoption, and family guardianship.”
As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Adoption Caucus,
Blunt and Klobuchar have been leaders in the fight to give every child a
permanent home. In May 2019, they introduced the
Supporting Adoptive Families Act to
support adoptive families and to help provide pre- and post- adoption support
services, including mental health treatment, to help adoptive families stay
strong.
In February 2019, they introduced legislation to
improve the intercountry adoption process. The bipartisan
Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee Act provides the Secretary of
State the authority to establish an Intercountry Adoption Advisory Committee
within the Bureau of Consular Affairs to focus on coordinating the development,
refinement, and implementation of policy and programs on intercountry adoption.
Last year, they sent a letter urging the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the U.S.
Department of State (DOS) to ensure that the dialogue between the DOS,
Congress, and the Adoption Service Providers (ASPs) continues and that members
and experts in the adoption community are consulted in efforts to develop and
implement policies that advance intercountry adoption.
The full text of the letter can be found
here and below:
Dear Assistant Secretary Johnson and Assistant
Secretary Risch:
As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Adoption Caucus,
we urge you to take action to raise awareness of the importance of adoption as
National Adoption Month begins. During this month, we encourage the Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of State (DOS) to highlight
and advocate for much-needed support and resources for foster youth and
children waiting to be adopted both domestically and internationally, as well
as for the people working to find children loving and permanent homes.
Like so many, we share the belief that every child
should have a safe home and a loving family. With countless children in the
world without a permanent home, including over 437,300 children in foster care
across the country – 125,400 of those children waiting for adoption – we urge
HHS and DOS to help these children find permanent homes through adoption from
the foster care system, domestic private agencies, intercountry adoption, and
family guardianship.
With the help of HHS and DOS, we can continue to
increase awareness and build support for those who provide the resources,
services, and partnerships that help better the lives of our children. All
children deserve much more than just a roof over their heads and a bed to sleep
in – every child deserves a loving home, a nurturing family, and a brighter
future.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
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