As we get ready to turn the page into 2025, it’s time to reflect on the Indiana adoptions in 2024. There have been changes to financial assistance, the path to foster, and uncontested adoptions. This year, Indiana also saw 1,630 successful adoptions with more families choosing open adoption than years prior. 2024 has been a year filled with hope, growth, and meaningful connections as families grew and lives changed through adoption. Let’s take a moment to look back at what made this year special.
Adoption by the Numbers
Across the United States, adoption remains a vital path to family-building, with thousands of children finding loving homes. Indiana continues to be a leader in facilitating adoptions, with countless stories of families embracing new beginnings. From infant adoptions to foster-to-adopt transitions, the number of successful placements this year highlights the dedication of agencies, attorneys, and adoptive families.
The Shift Toward Open Adoption
2024 saw a continued shift toward open adoption arrangements, reflecting the growing understanding of their benefits. Open adoption allows birth parents, adoptive families, and children to maintain communication. These agreements are different for every family and can include letters, phone calls, meetings, and more. Open adoption helps create transparency and a stronger sense of identity for the child. Indiana families embraced this trend, finding ways to collaborate in the best interest of the child.
Increased Financial Assistance
To help find permanent homes for children, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) announced that, beginning July 1st, families who provide through adoption or eligible guardianships to a child in the foster care system can receive financial support equal to 100 percent of the amount the child received in foster care. With this change, DCS hopes to remove barriers to adoption and help children find their forever homes.
Streamlining the Foster and Adoption Process
Efforts to make the adoption process more accessible and efficient were another significant milestone this year. In Indiana, reforms focused on reducing wait times, enhancing legal transparency, and ensuring adoptive families had the resources needed to succeed. As part of these changes, uncontested adoptions can be filed in any county in Indiana, preventing impacts from court backlogs. Additionally, foster parents now have the protected right to advocate for early permanency without risking their foster parent license. These changes helped to create smoother journeys for families while maintaining rigorous standards to protect children’s welfare.
Herrin & Leach Review
This year was also a successful one for Herrin & Leach as Nate Leach was named a 2024 Indiana Super Lawyer. Considered part of the top 5 percent of all Indiana attorneys, Nate has shown consistent dedication to adoption and surrogacy clients over the years. Looking forward, Nate and the rest of the team at Herrin & Leach are excited to continue to advocate for Indiana families.
There is no greater joy than welcoming a child into your family, and adoption is a beautiful testament to this joy and love. Whether you are an adoptive family, a birth parent, or considering adoption in the future, the stories of this year remind us of the hope adoption brings. As we reflect on the milestones of 2024, we celebrate the families created, the barriers broken, and the love shared. Here’s to another year of building connections, creating opportunities, and supporting families.