The Adoption Project Announces 2023 Legislative Priorities
Recommendations will help make Tennessee the best state to build strong families through adoption and foster care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2023
NASHVILLE, TN – The Adoption Project today announced its 2023 legislative priorities, recommending public policy changes that will help make Tennessee the best state in the country in which to build strong families through adoption and foster care. The recommendations are the result of nearly a year of extensive research and conversations with stakeholders from across the adoption and foster care systems in Tennessee and around the country.
"Our priorities focus on the best interest of children and helping them reach permanency faster, while respecting the dignity of all parties involved, including birth parents," said Jeremy Harrell, founder, president and CEO. "We are encouraged by the leadership and vision of Governor Lee, Commissioner Quin, Senator Haile, Representative Littleton, and so many others who have made child welfare a priority in Tennessee, and look forward to working with them to advance our shared goals this session.”
The Adoption Project's legislative priorities include the following recommendations:
PRIVATE/AGENCY ADOPTION:
Streamline the process for voluntary surrender and placement of a child being adopted.
Reduce the time to finalize an adoption and expand the venue options for finalization.
Reduce the cost of adoption by streamlining and unifying the home study process for both foster care and adoptive homes.
Strengthen enforcement against unlicensed adoption facilitators who take advantage of birth and adoptive families.
Extend the length of time post-birth during which birth-parent expenses can be paid by an adoptive family.
FOSTER CARE:
Encourage and expedite the adoption of older children.
Complete faster and more efficient searches for close family and social contacts.
Where possible, create statutory timelines that reduce the current time to permanency for children in foster care.
Make it easier for foster families to effectively care for the children in foster care placed in their homes by improving support systems available to them.
Give foster parents a larger role in the process, including the right to be present, participate and speak at all court proceedings, and elevate their status in decisions regarding permanency.
"Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every child has a safe, loving and permanent family. Other states have made tremendous progress, and we believe that, if enacted, these proposals will help children and families across Tennessee," Harrell added.
The Adoption Project will continue to work with Gov. Bill Lee's administration and the Tennessee General Assembly to advocate for these proposals and support additional legislation to improve the adoption and foster care systems.
ABOUT THE ADOPTION PROJECT
The Adoption Project is a non-profit 501(c)4 organization focused on adoption-friendly public policy. We are working to build a policy model which destigmatizes placing a child for adoption, streamlines the adoption process, fosters strong bonds and permanence for families, and encourages support for birth parents so that every child finds a family. Visit AdoptionFriendly.org.
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