November is National Adoption Month. This month highlights the need for families to foster and adopt youth in the foster care system. In particular, there is a critical need for families to foster and adopt teens.

According to the 2016 Annual Report on Foster Care by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), 56 percent of youth in foster care across the region are between the ages of 11 and 21. Children who are not adopted by the age of 21 are more likely to experience negative outcomes such as early pregnancy, incarceration, housing instability, or homelessness, which can lead to lifelong hardships. While youth in foster care are extremely resilient, they need the love and support of a permanent family.

COG is striving to spread awareness of the need for families to foster and adopt youth who are waiting for a family like yours. To learn more about the process of becoming a foster or adoptive parent, please contact COG Child Welfare Program Manager Surina Amin at samin@mwcog.org or visit Kids Need Families on Facebook.

COG’s Child Welfare Program is currently accepting donations for the 2017 holiday season to support youth in foster care. Learn more or donate here: https://mwcog.networkforgood.com/projects/20841-cog-adoption-and-foster-care-programs/.