State gets federal award for increasing adoptions

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 30, 2010

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is receiving $1.5 million from the federal government for increasing the number of foster children adopted through the Department of Human Resources.

Gov. Bob Riley announced the federal award at a playground at a Montgomery park Wednesday. Riley said the award was the fifth largest given a state for increasing the number of adoptions.

The governor said the state would use the money to recruit additional foster and adoptive parents and to help with the cost of finalizing adoptions.

A total of 676 children were adopted last year through Alabama’s adoption system. That’s a record high number of adoptions for the state in one year. That was an increase from the 412 foster children adopted through DHR in 2008.