DCCH Center for Children and Families finalized its 150th adoption.
“What a blessing and privilege it is for us here at DCCH to be part of the process of bringing long-term hope, stability, and love to these amazing kids!” said Bob Wilson, DCCH Executive Director.
DCCH first began a therapeutic foster care program in 1999 – recruiting, training, and supporting families willing to open their home to foster children with a history of trauma. The program trains families in Trauma Informed Care and provides case management to support successful outcomes for both the child and family.
A natural extension of their mission to care for Kentucky’s most vulnerable children, DCCH’s Adoption Program was licensed in 2001 and brought to fruition in 2003 when DCCH’s first adoption was finalized on May 28, 2003. Since then, this program has blossomed and DCCH celebrated adoption number 150 on November 23.
The Mosley boys
Kenton County couple Michelle and Mike Mosley have adopted seven children from DCCH’s Foster Care and Adoption Program. In November 2017 they adopted two teenage boys. In July 2019, the adoption of their, then, eight-year-old son was finalized. The Mosley family felt there was room in their hearts and home for more children. In November 2020, Mike and Michelle finalized the adoption of their four youngest biological siblings, ages four, six, nine, and ten. In addition to their seven children brought to them by adoption, Mike and Michelle have an older son in his early 20’s.
Michelle says, “My husband and I always wanted to help children and we also wanted more children. Adoption through foster care felt like the right fit for us. If you were to ask my oldest adopted son, he would say he was the one who made us decide to adopt more children because we loved him so much.”
Mike and Michelle feel the best part of adoption from foster care has been the completion of their family, the amount of joy they have in the home, and how each of their children have been a part of the process, from becoming foster parents to adoptive parents.
When asked how life has changed since adopting from foster care, Michelle says, “I would love to say it has been easy however we have had our struggles. Our life has changed in so many wonderful ways. We are now a family of 10 and we have learned so much about our children. We have learned how to be a different family from ways of coping and learning and we have all had a huge lesson in trust. Our family has also grown by adding grandparents and aunts and uncles. It has been amazing meeting so many new family members and building stronger relationships for us and our children. Looking back, we can not see our life any different.”
What Mike and Michelle would tell someone who is considering fostering or adopting from foster care is, “If you believe it is something you are called to do, please move forward. There are so many children in need of loving homes, even if it’s just for a short time. We would also say don’t shy away from the teenagers in need. Our teens are what started our adoption journey!”
Making it official — a happy day.
As of December 6, there are 9,278 children in Kentucky’s out-of-home care population – 1,293 in Northern Kentucky alone. Children are removed from their homes by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services for a variety of reasons, including abuse, neglect, parental incarceration, and fallout from the opioid crisis. In some circumstances, parental rights are terminated by a judge, which leaves children in need of loving adoptive homes.
Older children in foster care, particularly teenagers, have a hard time being adopted from foster care. Of the estimated 437,000 youth in the U.S. foster care system, 118,000 youth are currently waiting for adoptive families. In Kentucky, there are 3,076 children waiting for adoptive families; 478 of them in the Northern Bluegrass Region, where we live.
“We are blessed to have celebrated 150 adoptions since the inception of our program – especially during National Adoption Awareness Month! The need is great and DCCH relies on loving families willing to search their hearts and open their home to adopt a child. We have an especially significant need right now because child abuse and neglect do not pause for a pandemic,” saidRon Bertsch, Therapeutic Foster Care & Adoption Director
DCCH Center in Fort Mitchell serves survivors of child abuse and neglect by providing around the clock Residential Treatment and Behavioral Therapy. They also offer Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption, outpatient therapy at The Therapy Center, and Independent Living and Targeted Case Management programs that provide wrap-around services designed to support children aging out of the foster system and families staying together.
“DCCH Center provides residential treatment for children ages six to 14 with significant behavioral challenges, most of whom have been removed from their home due to extreme neglect and/or sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. DCCH also provides intensive residential treatment and therapy, foster care and adoption services, and outpatient therapy, which is open to the public. Founded in 1848, DCCH strives to improve the lives of children who have been impacted by childhood trauma and bring families together for a bright, healthy, and happy future.”
