Overview
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The Michael Reagan Center for Advocacy & Research, operating from a Christian worldview, conducts research in order to effectively advocate for public policies that benefit the safety, stability and well-being of children and families, particularly those served by public and private child welfare systems.
Tell Me What You Think
We desire reform of a foster care system that fails to provide a permanent family for every child. That’s why the heartbeat of our founder and Michael Reagan have come together to address two specific areas of America’s foster care system.
Adoption
Did you know there are nearly 480,000 children in our nation’s foster care system on any given day, and more than 123,000 of them are available for adoption right here in America?
Did you know right here in America, the number of children awaiting adoption exceeds that of children actually adopted. In 2008, parental rights were terminated by the courts for 75,000 children, yet only 55,000 were adopted.
Why must these children continue to wait for a family of their own? And why do so many families seemingly pursue international adoptions first?
Aging-Out (Emancipation)
Did you know approximately 22,000 youth age-out of foster care every year? With the exception of incarcerated youth, foster youth are the only group that is involuntarily separated from their families through government. The consequences of being raised by a system void of permanence is staggering. For those leaving foster care without a family...
- 1 in 4 will be incarcerated within the first two years
- 1 in 5 will become homeless
Did you know on average, those who age-out of foster care will have spent nearly five years in the system without securing a permanent family of their own.
If we discharge a child without a family, can we not create for them a better opportunity for learning and independence?
What do you think? We’d like to hear from you. Share your thoughts and experiences below, and join us in advocating for reform. Our children of America deserve so much more.
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