Overview Early Childhood Centers Saint Dominic's 853 School TORCH OMH Office of Mental Health Program Community Based Services Foster Boarding Homes Adoption Department Developmental Disabilities Program Clinical, Health, Pastoral, Training Services

Adoption Department Saint Dominic's Home has been rated as an Outstanding Agency for nine of the past ten years according to the standards set by the Administration for Children's Services.   Saint Dominic's Home works diligently to reunite children who are in foster care with their biological families. However, when our casework efforts to work with these families are not successful, Saint Dominic's Adoption Department makes every effort to secure an appropriate adoptive family so that the child can grow up in a stable, secure and loving environment. If the biological family is unable to adequately plan for their child, the Adoption Department works in conjunction with Agency attorneys and caseworkers to legally free the child for adoption, so that he or she can be permanently placed in an adoptive home. During this time, we explain the steps involved in the adoption process to the child's current foster parents and, where they express interest in adopting, we assist them in working to finalize the adoption. Fortunately for our children, the vast majority of children who are freed for adoption by the Agency are adopted by the foster parents with whom they reside. For the remaining children, the Adoption Department works vigorously to secure another pre-adoptive placement. If we are unable to locate an adoptive parent within the Agency, we actively recruit by establishing contacts with specialized adoption agencies such as Downeyside and Family Focus, as well as by photolisting the child with the New York Office of Family and Children's Services. Saint Dominic's participates in the annual New York City Adoption Fair, as well as other citywide recruitment efforts. Such efforts have resulted in a very high placement rate for our children, as well as consistently high scores on New York City's adoption assessments. Saint Dominic's Home has been rated as an Outstanding Agency for nine of the past ten years according to the standards set by the Administration for Children's Services. Many of Saint Dominic's children are often difficult, even after they have been placed in a permanent adoptive home, because they have been victims of abuse or neglect through much of their lives. Even the most experienced adoptive parents often require ongoing support to take proper care of these children. This is particularly true as the children mature and encounter issues related to adolescence and identity. To ensure that adoptions provide our children with the security that they require, Saint Dominic's provides post-adoption services to its families. All adoptive families are informed of the availability of these services, which provide assistance with children's educational and emotional problems. Prior to adoption finalization, special attempts are extended to families adopting children with special needs to ensure that the families will be able to meet the needs of these children as they mature. Through its multi-faceted approach to adoption services, Saint Dominic's Home helps its children to establish the level of permanency the child welfare system is designed to achieve. Would you open your heart and home to one of our special children? For more information, contact: Laurie Margolin Adoption Department 718-993-5765 ext. 241 © 2004-2005 Saint Dominic's Home. All rights reserved.