Did you know that until 1975, most States discouraged or directly prohibited foster parents from being considered as potential adoptive parents to children they fostered? It’s true. For the most part, these restrictions existed to protect against foster parents becoming too attached to children who may ultimately be returned to their biological families. Thanks to the educational efforts of advocates, policymakers soon learned that these well meaning laws and policies were, in effect, hindering children from finding a safe, loving and permanent home of their own. So, instead they put in place laws, policies and programs aimed at promoting foster adoption and today 67% of children adopted out of foster care are adopted by their foster parents.
This is just one of many examples of how law and policy can serve as a barrier to children realizing their basic right to a family. Realizing that federal policymakers had the power to overcome such barriers, in 2001, advocates for the world’s orphaned and foster youth founded the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). In founding CCAI, these advocates sought to match Members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption’s commitment to finding a home for every child with the information and resources needed to make that dream a reality. Since that time, CCAI has strived to be an objective resource for information critical to advancing the efforts of federal policymakers on behalf of children. Through its five core programs, CCAI’s goal is to educate federal policymakers about the need for reform; coordinate Congressional and community efforts to bring about change and facilitate opportunities for communication and awareness.
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