Have you ever considered it? It changes/saves lives. Children age out of foster care in our country and have no one. No one. Life is difficult enough without someone to call family. A child who ages out of foster care might get himself arrested to have somewhere to sleep and shower and eat.
Here are two new ads for a coalition campaign that launches today, and the press release from the Department of Health and Human Services, right after.
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF), AdoptUSKids, and the Ad Council today launched a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) that encourage prospective parents to consider adopting teens from foster care. The new PSAs, created pro bono by advertising agency Barbarian, highlight the importance of adopting teens from foster care and emphasize that the rewards for doing so go both ways.
“As a case carrying social worker in Alabama, many of the young people I worked with were older teens in the foster care system,” says Jerry Milner, the Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau at HHS’ Administration for Children and Families. “Many of these young people are experiencing foster care through no fault of their own, and I believe we must do a better job of highlighting the importance a forever family has on these older youths’ wellbeing and the impact it plays on their transition to adulthood. Even with our stronger focus on primary prevention, we know that there will still be a need for foster care and furthermore, some of those young people becoming eligible for adoption. I am excited to see and proud to be a proponent of this continued focus on the need to adopt older teens from foster care. We know family, by any definition, is the best resource we have to create an environment for young people to be safe, healthy, and ultimately thrive.”
Now with an impressive 16 years of spreading awareness about this important issue, and contributing to more than 870,000 children and youth adopted from foster care, the campaign’s newest work uses anecdotes from real families to highlight the bonds that strengthen families and showcases some of the many moments that make teen adoption so rewarding.
“This campaign has made a lasting impact on so many lives since it first launched in 2004. However, no lives were more greatly impacted than the children who are now with permanent families,” said Michelle Hillman, Chief Campaign Development Officer of the Ad Council. “It’s our hope that this work continues to inspire and show prospective parents the love that can come from adopting a teen from foster care.”
Since 2013 the number of waiting teens to be adopted from foster care has continued to increase each year. No matter their age, all kids need a supportive, loving home, and the teenage years are an especially critical period for parental help and guidance.
This year’s campaign builds upon the success of last year’s theme, “You Can’t Imagine the Reward,” and features the bonds that cement a family together and showcases some of the many moments that make teen adoption so rewarding. Ultimately, the work illustrates that teens can have as much of an impact on their family’s life as parents have on theirs. Inspired by true stories and anecdotes from real families, the PSAs are filled with heartfelt memories that actual adoptive families have experienced after adopting a teen. Each PSA reminds prospective parents that teens in foster care can also help them grow in new ways.
“The power of this work comes in the true stories that inspired the creative—the small, but emotional interactions that connect us at a human level,” said Barbarian’s Executive Creative Director, Resh Sidu. “As we learned about each family’s unique situation, we realized there was always one beautiful consistency, the wonderful impact these kids had on their adoptive families’ lives. We focused every detail of this campaign to ensure their impact was shown in the same raw and understated way as it did in real life.”
The Ad Council has distributed the new PSAs to media outlets nationwide. Per the Ad Council’s model, the PSAs will run in time and space donated by the media. Since the initial launch of the campaign in 2004, the campaign has received more than $660 million in donated media support across television, radio, print, out-of-home and digital media. The work directs audiences to visit AdoptUSKids.org. The campaign is supported by longtime agency of record Media Kitchen, who is extending the reach of the latest creative by securing donated media placements. Parents can call 1-888-200-4005 to receive information about the foster care system and the adoption process. Potential foster and adoptive families can call 1-877-236-7831 for the information in Spanish.
For more information about adoption, or about becoming an adoptive parent to a child or teen from foster care, please visit AdoptUSKids.org or visit the AdoptUSKids social communities on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
This isn’t an easy ask, but then think of what it must be like to have been in foster care for years with no hope of being welcomed by a family because you are not a cute baby.
Not everyone is called to this, but more are, because there are children who need families.