Spaulding for Children
1999 Annual Report

1999 was a banner year for Spaulding for Children. Here is a brief account of our major activities and accomplishments for the year.

The Year at a Glance: We are happy to report that Spaulding for Children experienced tremendous growth and success in 1999! The following is a one-page, general summary of the organization's progress throughout the year. More detailed, individualized accounts of the year's activities in each of the organization's programs and services may be found below.

The Adoption Program reported the highest number of permanent adoptive placements ever in 1999 ­ 84! ­ demonstrating a 68% improvement over 1998's previous record of 50 children placed. Finalizations (70) were also the highest in the agency's 23-year history. Serving 52 children, the Foster Care program nearly tied the record it set just the year before in 1998. Also, through our Foster to Adopt program in 1999, 16 children were moved from foster care to permanent homes. The Post-Adoption Program set another agency record. Providing over 2,000 hours of services to families with abused and neglected adoptive children, the program ended the year with several adoptive families on "wait list" status for its services. Plans are already underway for expansion of the program in 2000 to accommodate the increased demand.

Spaulding for Children also continued to blaze new territory by taking a leadership role in promoting innovative partnerships such as the Cooperative Adoption Resource Endeavor (CARE). This ground-breaking collaborative effort greatly aids in cutting "waiting time" for at-risk children by introducing mediation programs into the Juvenile Court system where their futures are being determined. Twelve new mediators were trained and began working with birth, foster, and adoptive families in 1999 to speed the resolution of these children's placement issues. The PRIDE education program continued to provide quality training for foster and adoptive parents. 108 families participated and were provided with 3,240 hours of training utilizing the PRIDE curriculum. The Adoption Program continued the major expansion begun in 1998 as a result of federal legislation which turned a nationwide spotlight on the foster care and adoption needs of at-risk children. Taking advantage of a growing national focus on these issues, Spaulding for Children continued its collaborations with agencies and programs across the state in an effort to place even more waiting, at-risk children with permanent new families.

One major example of this type of collaborative effort, the Texas Collaborative Adoption Network (Texas CAN!), saw its first full year of operation in 1999, facilitating the placement of 22 children. Another project exemplifying collaboration on a local, state and national level is the federally funded PACE Privatization Project, which in 1999 enabled Spaulding for Children to find adoptive families for an additional 14 children.

Adopt2000 is yet another major collaborative effort spearheaded by Spaulding for Children. This partnership undertook several initiatives in 1999 to prepare for the launching of its first major campaign in April 2000.

All in all, 1999 was a banner year for Spaulding for Children, and therefore for each of our community's abused and neglected children awaiting a new permanent, loving family and a "fresh start" in a new and more hopeful life.