LEXINGTON, Ky. – This November, the College of Social Work (CoSW) recognized National Adoption Month, a month to reflect and honor the importance of familial bonds, as well as focus on creating and strengthening pathways for young people to have lasting bonds and connections.
Take a look back at how the CoSW honored National Adoption Month with its faculty, staff, students and community.
In Kentucky, there are over 8,000 youths in foster care. Of those, approximately one-third are waiting to be adopted. Whilst every effort is made to find adoptive homes for these youth, the unfortunate reality is that for many of them, particularly teens, the comfort of a safe, stable forever family will never be actualized.
Adoption is often viewed as the “happy ending” to a child’s story of loss, but the truth is that adoption is just the beginning of a new chapter, one that can be both rewarding and complex. Behind the smiles and celebrations, adoptive families often face unique challenges related to trauma, attachment, and identity that require continued care and understanding.
This November, Tara Pulaski, College of Social Work’s (CoSW) Children’s Justice Act Task Force and Citizens Review Panel program coordinator, is honoring how her family of three came to be and embracing their adoption and kinship journey. Pulaski and her husband adopted their son when he was 13 years old, navigating familial bonds as a kinship caregiver. Their son, now 15, was Pulaski’s husband’s biological nephew before he was adopted after nine months.
During the month of November, ASK hosted a virtual support group or training every day. Offering information on a range of topics including strategies for parenting teens, creating memories and meaningful family traditions for blended families, and trust-based relational intervention.
Since 1995, November has been marked as a time of deep introspect about adoption. This year, Adoption Awareness Month is focused on raising awareness about the importance of supportive networks for youth in and from foster care.