long-term placement.

knowit
The Michigan Department of Human Services is part of a year-long
campaign to recruit foster and adoptive parents. The theme of this
year’s campaign is “Answering the call: You don’t have to be perfect
to be a perfect parent.” It is designed to appeal to families willing to
provide safe, permanent, loving homes for children in need.
Of the 16,000 children in foster care, about 4,000 are available for
adoption because they are state or court wards after their parents’
rights were terminated by a court due to abuse or neglect. We’re
working to return the other children home or to another appropriate

A partnership among DHS, the Michigan Federation for Children and

Families, the courts and other public and private partners will work
to increase the number of people who open their homes to foster or
adopt children and youths in Michigan.
In May, DHS will run radio spots and newspaper ads in media outlets
across the state. The spots and ads are part of an Ad Council
campaign developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services and Adopt Us Kids, which works to raise
awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families, and
supports states in their own efforts. They’ve allowed Michigan to use
their messages and materials, and to route interested parents who
!
contact them to the appropriate state contacts.
For more information, visit www.adoptuskids.org or call toll-free
888-200-4005. For Spanish, visit www.adopte1.org or call toll-free
877-236-7831. To see the public service announcements, visit
www.youdonthavetobeperfect.org.
For general information about foster care and adoption, visit
www.michigan.gov/fostercare and www.michigan.gov/adoption.

know it statistically on the back!

these years:
2005: 18,745
2006: 18,414
2007: 18,943
2008: 18,016
2009: 16,115
statistics
Children in foster care* as of Sept. 30 of each of

*That includes all placements (such as a foster home, mental health

facility, relative placements, legal guardian, independent living,
boarding school and other placements).
Homes licensed as of Sept. 30 of each year:
2005: 7,486
2006: 7,292
2007: 6,999
2008: 6,530
2009: 6,833
New foster home licenses issued for calendar years:
2005: 2,147
2006: 1,720
2007: 1,401
2008: 1,159
Projected 2009: 1,122
!
Net gain (or loss) of foster homes licensed vs.
closed for calendar years:
2005: -297
2006: -216
2007: -341
2008: -625
Projected 2009: -234

Number of adoptions from foster care for calendar years:

2005: 2,883
2006: 2,589
2007: 2,602
2008: 2,722
2009: 3,030