Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge expands its adoption services statewide.
CCDBR announced that its adoption services are now available to people across most of Louisiana, including Shreveport, Monroe, Lafayette, and Alexandria.
“Within the last few years, the number of licensed adoption agencies in the State has declined,” said Paula Davis, CCDBR Adoption Clinical Director. “So we felt compelled to offer our expertise to people who otherwise couldn’t adopt simply because of where they lived.”
“We know there are families who want to adopt, and there are children who need families. We are doing this because of our commitment to Louisiana and our respect for life,” said Davis.
Adoption was the first service offered by CCDBR when it was formed in 1964. Since then, its staff has been at the forefront of innovative adoption practice. CCDBR became the first agency to receive Hague Accreditation, a requirement of many international placing agencies and countries. Now, CCDBR is the only Hague-accredited agency based in Louisiana.
This accreditation signifies that the agency meets international standards of practice based upon a treaty, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.
Juliet Granger, a licensed clinical social worker based in Lafayette, will be joining Davis in facilitating the process. Combined, they have more than 35 years of adoption experience, both domestic and international. Both are experienced at placing children age 6 months to 16 years old from countries like China, Columbia, and India. Ariel Ferguson, a licensed professional counselor, also joins the team and will be serving the Shreveport area. Ariel has experience working with children adopted from Foster Care and their families.
“Quarterly, we offer a free informational seminar on adoption, Adoption Matters. It’s basically an Adoption 101.” Our next Adoption Matters is March 9th from 1:00-2:00 pm at the University Church of Christ-Family Center located at 2045 E 70th St. Families can register by going to www.adoptccdiobr.org and clicking on Events.
“We also want to make sure that children are placed with families who are capable of caring for them,” said Davis.
Usually, children placed from other countries have special needs that can range anywhere from a birthmark to Down Syndrome. Davis stressed that the training and support they provide is crucial to a successful placement.
“Our job’s not done at the time of placement,” said Davis. “This is a lifelong journey and we’ll be there to walk with you and work through any tough times.”
Have questions or would like more information? Call 225-336-8708 or email Paula Davis, LCSW, Clinical Director and International Adoption Social Worker at pdavis@ccdiobr.org
