We celebrate National Adoption Month in November, and I want to take a moment to highlight the importance of adoption and recognize the Hoosier families who open their homes and hearts to children in need. Every child deserves love, stability and a place to call home, and adoption provides that foundation when it's needed the most.
Here in Indiana, we've taken meaningful steps in recent years to strengthen our adoption system and better support Hoosier families. I'm proud that my colleagues in the General Assembly and I have worked to make adoption more affordable and reduced delays that can create uncertainty for both children and parents.
We've doubled Indiana's adoption tax credit and created a $3,000 income tax exemption for adopted children to help ease financial pressures at the beginning of a family's journey. We also expanded eligibility for adoption subsidies to include more children with special needs, because no family should be discouraged from adopting simply due to the cost of necessary care.
Additionally, uncontested adoptions can now be filed in any county, allowing families to avoid long court backlogs. We've also shortened the window for contesting an adoption, helping bring clarity and stability to children at a critical time. And to help match more children with permanent homes, Indiana now allows the Department of Child Services to include a child's first name and photo on its adoption website when appropriate.
This past year, more than 1,600 children were adopted in Indiana. But currently, more than 190 Hoosier children in DCS' care are waiting for placement in an adoptive home, and the average age of a child waiting for placement is 12 years old.
Not everyone is in a position to adopt, but they can still play a role. They can attend awareness events, support local foster and adoption organizations or simply lend a hand to families who've welcomed children into their homes.
This month and every month, let's continue working to ensure every Hoosier child has the opportunity to grow up in a loving, permanent home. For more information about adopting and to view all of Indiana’s waiting children, visit indianaadoptionprogram.org/indianas-waiting-children.
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State Rep. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville) represents House District 60,
which includes portions of Johnson, Morgan and Monroe counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
