DECEMBER 2023

COVER STORY
protect them are more suspicious than others. They
may have coping mechanisms that don’t serve them
well, anger issues, or problems with authority. These
are the kids that need love and stability the most, and
unfortunately, they are also the ones most likely to
have given up on having a family of their own.
The Gift
of Family
Fostering, Adoption and
the Chaldean Community
According to the OOL, in recent years, the number of
Chaldean children experiencing the need for out-ofhome
placement into foster care has increased. We
know from research that keeping children in homes
with similar cultural and religious identity reduces
the trauma they will experience. The main goal is to
return children back to their homes when it is safe.
The OOL needs your help to provide a safe, nurturing
home for these children until they can be returned
to their families. They are also suffering from
the trauma of being removed from their families.
Children and youth enter foster care because
they have been abused, neglected, or abandoned
by their parents or guardians. All these children
have experienced loss and some form of trauma.
In other ways, foster children are no different from
children who aren’t in foster care: they are learning
and growing, like to play and hang out with friends
their age, and need the love and stability a permanent
home provides.
Hoping to highlight the need, the OOL is actively
working to recruit families willing to accept the calling
to become foster parents to children in need. In
some cases, these children may not be able to return
to their parents and becoming a foster parent will
give you the opportunity to provide a “forever home”
through adoption.
BY SARAH KITTLE
To quote St. Pope John Paul II in 2000, “To adopt
a child is a great work of love. When it is done,
much is given, but much is also received. It is a
true exchange of gifts…”
When, during a crisis pregnancy, a decision is
made to have the baby, a gift of life is given. When
the birth mother decides to place the baby for adoption,
that’s a gift of family.
There are approximately 11,000 children in foster
care in the state of Michigan, according to the Chaldean
Catholic Diocese’s Office of Life (OOL). Of those,
approximately 3,000 Michigan foster children are
available for adoption at any given time.
Children enter foster care when the state determines
that they are in danger in their family home;
at that point, the state agency intercedes on behalf of
the child and removes them from the home. The goal
of foster care is to eventually unite children with their
birth families. Adoption is different.
There are two paths to adoption. One is when the
court makes a decision that reunification with the
birth family is no longer possible. The other is when
the birth parents choose to relinquish their rights and
give another family a chance; a chance to provide all
the love and stability and material goods that a baby
needs to have a good start in life.
Maybe the birth mother is alone in this decision;
maybe she has no family support, no known resources
and sees no way to move forward. Maybe she’s in
denial, or maybe in complete acceptance. She (or her
family) may be worried about her reputation. But as
Destiny Delly of the Chaldean Diocese’s Office of Life
says, “Babies are born every day to single parents.”
If you are dealing with an unwanted or crisis
pregnancy, Delly wants you to know you have options.
“First of all, pray on it,” she says, “Then call
the Office of Life.”
Adopting a child of any age is not for the faint of
heart. Biological parents will tell you that creating
and birthing a child does not protect you from being
hurt by them. And children that have suffered abuse
or neglect at the hands of those who are supposed to
Types of Adoption
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
(MDHHS) searches for adoptive families that will
best meet the needs of the child. Whenever possible,
adoptive placements are made with relatives and foster
parents. Every effort is made to keep siblings together.
In addition to private adoption, when all points
are discussed and agreed upon through a lawyer,
there are three other types of adoption: open, which
means the birth parents are known by the child and
expected to be involved in their life; semi-open,
where adoptive parents send photos and updates to
the birth parents; and closed, where the adoptee is
able to get information about the birth parents from
the agency at age 18 if they so choose.
If you make the choice to give the gift of family
and adopt a child, your agency will ask you about the
types of children for whom you are willing to care.
The agency’s final recommendation will be based
on your preferences and the agency’s assessment
of your skills and abilities. Ongoing training opportunities
are offered to foster parents to increase the
knowledge and skills needed to meet the needs of the
children placed in their home.
16 CHALDEAN NEWS DECEMBER 2023