Editorial: Strong effort for children

Monday, June 13, 2005 | 8:55 a.m.

Last month Clark County partnered with the private, nonprofit Ad Council to bring public awareness to the surging need for more people willing to adopt children. The partnership generated numerous public service announcements carried by local media outlets. The announcements attracted hundreds of interested people, as did a public meeting about adoptions that was sponsored by the MGM Mirage. The county's initiative in working with the community and the Ad Council, a national organization that uses donated talent and money to publicize worthy causes, is laudable. Hundreds of children in the county's care stand to benefit.

The county's initiative was put into place quickly -- it has been responsible for local adoptions and foster care for only nine months. Before October 2004 the state of Nevada handled those services. The reason for the transfer of responsibilities was to make the services more efficient. Many children were languishing in government custody for too long under the old system. Even with the ads, however, the county faces a huge challenge. The number of children needing full-time government care has been growing rapidly over the past several years.

Between 2003 and 2004 the number of children removed from unsuitable homes in Clark County jumped 29 percent. The trend, largely blamed on parental drug abuse, is continuing. Today about 400 children a month in Clark County are removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. Many of these children will ultimately need a home, preferably with an adoptive family. Additionally, there are 800 children in foster care eligible for adoption.

The average age of a child in the county's care is 6. These are children whose whole lives can be influenced by how quickly they can be placed in good homes. The crucial need for adoptive parents is demonstrated by the number of infants in county care. In April there were 33 and today there are 40. It's almost unheard of for states and counties to have an increasing number of babies, as they are generally adopted quickly. "I never in my life thought I'd say, 'I don't have a home for an infant,' " Susan Klein-Rothschild, director of the county's Family Services Department, told the Sun.

Of the adults attracted by the ads, the county estimates that less than half will go on to complete the training to become adoptive or foster parents. That's why the county is also working with church leaders to publicize the need for adoptive parents, and to seek volunteers who will spend quality time with the children even if they don't take them full time into their homes.

The county is being proactive in trying to provide good lives for children in its care. It is an effort that we hope is greeted with widespread support.