Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services celebrating record number of adoptions

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services is celebrating a new record for the number of foster children who now have adoptive homes.

According to CPS, 657 adoptions were finalized between July 1, 2018 and June 30th of this year. 647 adoptions were finalized the previous year.

So far this month, another 23 adoptions have been finalized, with 129 more waiting for final approval by courts.

Marcus Davenport, Director of Adoption and Permanency, says instead of statistics, they see 800 smiling faces and celebrate the fact that hundreds of children are now safe and cared for with forever families.

In 2017 CPS identified almost 1,500 children who were lingering in foster care while their adoptions had been stalled. The agency worked with local courts and the State Attorney General’s office to examine each case and assigned staff and attorneys to resolve obstructions and address problems preventing the cases from moving forward.