FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — November is National Adoption Month, and while the Indiana Department of Child Services is reporting a drop in total yearly adoptions for the first time in at least 8 years, officials believe this is just a bump in the road for kids still in our foster system.
The Indiana D.C.S reports 1,577 Hoosier children have been adopted so far in 2020. It is a drop from 2019’s 1,967 children adopted in the state. Director Terry Stigdon said in-person court COVID-19 restrictions were a factor in the drop but not a roadblock for most families like Kiley and Theresa Knoblouch, who were able to continue the process without stepping inside the Allen County Courthouse.
“We actually were on the phone with the judge and the attorneys here in our living room because we weren’t allowed in the courthouse,” said Kiley Knoblouch. “Nonetheless, I think it was a special day for, I think, them and for our family.”