Family
demonstrates care that's needed for thousands of
children
By
Larry Davis / The Detroit News
Thelma and Henry Perkins are doing
way more than their share when it comes to being
adoptive and foster parents.
The couple have adopted four
children and are the foster parents of two more.
"It all started out with us
being foster parents," said Thelma Perkins,
46, who has two adult biological children.
"I was home from work and I didn't want to
sit around and do nothing. So we got into being
foster parents, and, after awhile, you don't want
them (the foster children they cared for) to go
to another home when it is time for adoption.
"I learned their ways and they
know me as Mom and I don't want to traumatize
them with new parents. You build that love with
them and I just didn't want to lose that.
"It is a lot of work caring
for these children, but you get used to it,"
Thelma Perkins said. "We love it."
The Perkins are the exception when
it comes to adoption and foster care, but they
help highlight the need for foster and adoptive
parents during National Adoption Month, said Ann
Carpenter, director of Adoption for Orchards
Childrens Services.
"When couples are planning
their families, adoption doesn't usually surface
as an option," Carpenter said. "But
unfortunately, there are thousands of children
out there who have been removed from their
biological parents because of neglect and abuse.
And there is nothing more beautiful than seeing a
child who's been through that type of hardship,
gone through the foster care system and then
finally end up in a home with two loving parents
who care for them."
That is not happening enough to
satisfy officials at Michigan's Family
Independence Agency.
"We can always use additional
foster homes and adoptive parents," said
Karen Smith, FIA spokeswoman. "In the last
few years, we have adopted kinship care, which is
an emphasis on getting relatives of children in
the foster care system to take care of them or
adopt them. It is a lot easier for a kid to be
adopted if they are related to the foster
parent."
The initiative has been so
successful that the Clinton administration this
year awarded Michigan's FIA a $250,000 grant for
significantly increasing the number of children
adopted the previous year. In 1995, there were
1,860 adoptions in Michigan. By 1998 there were
2,254.
Still, all is not going well with
adoptions.
According to figures cited by the
Michigan Foster and Adoptive parent Association,
5,591 new homes have opened for foster children
since May 1996, but 6,118 homes have closed.
Since June, more than 18,700 Michigan children
have been placed in homes away from their
parents. That is a 5 percent increase from last
year, reports the state FIA.
In the Detroit area, many of these
children are black, said Carpenter.
"We have a big disparity in
the number of African American kids in the
system," Carpenter said. "We don't seem
to have as many African-American families coming
forward to be foster and adoptive parents.
"I think part of the reason is
that some people think there is a long waiting
list, which isn't true for African-American
children, and that it takes a long time to adopt
and it costs a lot. It doesn't take months to
adopt and fees vary by county, but they are not
that much. For example, in Wayne County the court
filing fee is $110 and $26 for a new birth
certificate."
For information about adopting or
foster care, call Orchard's Children's Services
at (248) 258-0440.
Giving more love
Here are some area adoption
agencies:
Bethany Christian Services, 1435 E.
12 Mile, Madison Heights, (248) 414-4080.
Catholic Social Services of Wayne
County, 9851 Hamilton, Detroit, (313) 883-2100.
Christian Family Services, 17105 W.
12 Mile, Southfield, (248) 557-6420.
Ennis Center for Children, Inc.,
2051 Rosa Parks Blvd. (313) 963-7400.
Homes for Black Children, 511 E.
Larned, Detroit, (313) 961-4777.
Jewish Family Services, 24123
Greenfield, Southfield, (248) 559-1500.
Methodist Children's Home Society,
26645 E. 6 Mile, Detroit. (313) 531-4060.
Orchards Children's Services, 30215
Southfield Rd., Southfield. (248) 258-0440.
Spaulding for Children, 16250
Northland Dr., Southfield, (248) 443-0300.
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