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Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) recently released their data from FY2014.  There data shows that there was an increase of children coming into the system and a decrease of children leaving, making the population in the system grow.  From last year, the overall increase was 3425 more children waiting for permanency. We can't say why the number is increasing--it's too early to have any definite answers. Rafael Lopez, Commissioner of the Department's Administration on Children, Youth and Families said,   "We are concerned about any increases in the foster care number, and we are working hard with our state partners to better understand the reasons behind the increase". Some possible explanations are: Shift in focus from family preservation to child safety : There used to be a focus on reunification and now the system is focusing on the safety of the child.  Social workers are asking more questions and noticing more and more red flags w...

The Creating a Family website gives some excellent tips on what to expect when you are adopting siblings. Part of social worker's job is trying to keep siblings together if possible, and this priority of placement is statutory.  However, the child's best interest are paramount. Not all sibling placements are successful and sometimes, it is best for the emotional health of one child for the siblings to be separated. We have worked with sibling groups who have been adopted by one family successfully.  We have also worked with sibling groups who have each been adopted by different families and the adoptive families have done a great job of helping their child grow and change while maintaining the sibling bond with regular visits and communication. There are unique challenges and blessings of adopting siblings.  For the child, it is comforting to have a family member transition with them into the new placement who already knows them and their history well.  The child is ...