Adoption Services Branch
The Adoption Services Branch is responsible for program oversight and planning in the area of adoption services. The primary focus is timely permanency planning and achievement for committed children in out of home care.
The Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) is the primary adoption agency in Kentucky. DCBS places hundreds of children and youth for adoption each year. Most of these children were removed from their birth parents by court order for a variety of reasons. A majority of them have emotional scars from a background that includes abuse or abandonment. These children have been maltreated and exploited. Parental rights were terminated because the parents were unable or unwilling to provide proper care for their children.
The children are considered "special needs" because they are older, have brothers and sisters that need to be placed with them or they have moderate to severe emotional, physical/medical or mental disabilities. These are the most difficult to serve children in an adoption program. From a parenting perspective, your primary task is to teach the child to trust adults.
By Kentucky statute, DCBS is involved in every adoption that occurs in the state. In placements made by licensed private agencies and independent placements, the department receives and processes copies of the adoption application and/or petition.
The Adoption Section
Adoption allows adults to become the legal parents of children not born to them. In Kentucky, hundreds of children wait for the love and security of an adoptive family. Most of these children are older, have special physical, mental or emotional needs, or they are part of a sibling group. Adoption can give these children a brighter future.
For help with adoption please call (502) 564-2147
Special Needs Adoption Program (SNAP)
The Special Needs Adoption Program provides specialized child-specific recruitment for children in need of an adoptive family.
Special Needs Adoption Program Web Page
Special Needs Adoption Program Information
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Diligent Recruitment |
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The Cabinet for Health and Family Services diligently recruits adoptive parents and foster parents on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in becoming an adoptive or foster parent to a child in need, please call (800) 232-5437.
Resource Parent Handbook
The Resource Parent Handbook was created for the Department for Community Based Services' (DCBS) foster/adoptive parents for day-to-day use while caring for the foster children in their homes. It is designed to give practical information as well as guidance to making decisions regarding the care of the children in out of home care.
The Resource Parent Handbook
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