HHS awards $655,000 to South Carolina for increasing adoptions

COLUMBIA, SC – September 15, 2010 – The U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services today awarded $655,440 to South Carolina forincreasing the number of children adopted from foster care.  States usethe funds from this adoption incentive award to improve their childwelfare programs.

“All children deserve loving, safe and permanent homes,” said HHSSecretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “It is gratifying that most statescontinue to excel in promoting the adoption of children from fostercare. I sincerely thank every adoptive family in the state SouthCarolina that has welcomed a child into their home.”  

States receive $4,000 for every child adopted beyond their best year’stotal, plus a payment of $8,000 for every child age 9 and older and$4,000 for every special needs child adopted above the respectivebaselines. The year 2007 is the baseline.

This year’s incentive award recipients completed more adoptions in 2009 than in the 2007 baseline year.

“America’s communities benefit when children grow up in stablefamilies,” said David A. Hansell, HHS acting assistant secretary forchildren and families. “We’re very pleased that the adoption incentivesprogram is helping South Carolina improve their programs and place morechildren into homes that are theirs forever.”

States and territories receiving today’s funding are: Alabama, Alaska,Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, NewHampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, WestVirginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

A list of each state’s adoption incentive award amount can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2010/fy10_adoption_incentive_awards.htm.