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Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Works to Find Permanent Homes for Foster Children
Since 2012, the number of foster children waiting to be adopted nationwide has risen by more than 23 percent. According to the Chronicle of Social Change, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption‘s program Wendy’s Wonderful Kids is helping adoption agencies place foster children into permanent homes with loving forever families by providing funding to hire recruiters whose model has been proven to be “up to three times more effective at serving children who have been in foster care the longest, including teenagers, siblings and children with special needs.”
The foundation has helped find adoptive homes for more than 9,000 children across the United States since it began in 2004. Before entering this program, 24% of children had unsuccessful adoptions and 88% had minimal or no recruitment efforts.
Approximately 20,000 teens age out of care each year without a permanent home, leaving them at a higher risk of homelessness, incarceration, early parenting and other negative outcomes. The average age of the children Wendy’s Wonderful Kids currently serves is 13 years old; 82 percent have a special need and 60 percent are part of a sibling group.
ASCI salutes Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and the many child welfare professionals working to place children in loving and supportive homes. Every child deserves permanency!