A family served by MSPCC’s ENCOMPASS program finalizing the adoption of their son
Director of Adoption Services Sybil Turk still remembers one of the first families she worked with in helping adopt a child from foster care.
“The child was a seven-year-old girl with a history of significant trauma,” she said. “The family was great because they were able to meet her where she was at. They once said to me ‘she might not see us as mom and dad but we can be her people.’ It was beautiful to see and something that has always stuck with me. That little girl really grew a great bond with them over the years. They became a family.”
November is National Adoption Awareness Month and Sybil is urging parents who have considered adoption through foster care to take that first step in becoming a parent. She has been working with MSPCC in adoption services for over 12 years now.
According to DCF, there are 3,000 kids waiting to be adopted in the Commonwealth. For children waiting to be adopted in Massachusetts, the average stay in foster care is 3.3 years. According to DCF, 35% of the children in foster care are between the ages of 12 and 17.
Sybil’s advice to potential parents is to do their research and reach out to people who have adopted through foster care.
“I would recommend reading everything you can. There are a lot of great resources out there,” she said. “Also, talk to people who have been there. Hear how things look from that perspective. There will be so many people in their lives that will not be able to relate to the experience they are going through so it is good to talk to people who can relate.”
She also highly recommends working with MSPCC in their adoption journey.
MSPCC is committed to finding permanent, loving, and stable families for society’s most vulnerable children. Children who are in the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) have been removed from their biological families due to concerns of abuse and/or neglect. We are welcoming and work with individuals or couples regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion or gender.
We offer a number of services including informational sessions for prospective adoptive parent(s) to discuss the process of adopting through foster care, MAPP training, and more. To learn more, please visit here.
“We also offer post placement support and post adoption services,” she said. “This is so families can receive ongoing training and support. At MSPCC, we are committed to being a part of the journey with you and will help you along the way. We can also connect you with great resources. You do not have to do this alone.”
Sybil knows that often potential parents can be hesitant to take that first step to adopt because they are uncertain if they are prepared. However, she emphasizes that some level of hesitancy is natural and that taking the first steps is the best way to find out if adoption is right for you.
“It is not always an easy road and being aware of that is helpful. A healthy dose of questioning is important. However, just because it has its challenging aspects doesn’t mean it is not worth it. Adopting can be rewarding and amazing. With permanency, these kids really find themselves. To provide a safe solid landing for children and watch them blossom can be a beautiful experience.”
For more information about our adoption services, please contact Sybil Turk, at sturk@mspcc.org.