11月是全国收养月：美国卫生部儿童局呼吁为寄养青少年寻找永久家庭
11月是美国的全国收养月（National Adoption Month）。这项全民主题月活动由美国卫生与公众服务部（HHS）下属的儿童局（Children's Bureau）主办，儿童福利信息门户（Child Welfare Information Gateway）与AdoptUSKids协办，旨在提高公众对寄养系统中等待收养的儿童与青少年的关注，呼吁更多家庭考虑收养，为这些孩子提供永久、稳定的家。
今年的全国主题是「青年的声音：家庭为何重要」（Youth Voices: Why Family Matters），强调倾听寄养青少年的想法、理解他们的需求。儿童局指出，许多青少年因为过往创伤、对原生家庭的牵挂或对身份认同的担忧，对被收养心存顾虑；但研究显示，与一位关爱自己的成年人建立终身联系，对每个年龄段的孩子都至关重要，年龄较大的寄养青少年正是最容易在年满18岁退出系统时仍没有永久家庭的群体。
联邦《收养与寄养照护分析报告系统》（AFCARS）的数据显示，全美约有368,000名儿童和青少年处于寄养系统中，其中约109,000人在等待收养，平均等待时间约34.9个月；寄养儿童的平均年龄约为8岁。各州也在同步行动：特拉华州议会已通过决议，宣布2026年11月为该州的全国收养月，并表彰寄养家庭、收养家庭与儿童福利工作者。
公众可通过AdoptUSKids等官方渠道了解各州的收养流程、培训要求与支持政策。儿童局表示，收养月不仅是向已收养孩子的家庭致谢，也是提醒社区：每一个等待的孩子，都值得拥有一个可以称之为「家」的永久归属。
November Is National Adoption Month: Children's Bureau Urges Permanent Families for Foster Youth
November is National Adoption Month in the United States. Sponsored by the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids, the annual observance raises awareness of the children and youth in foster care who are waiting to be adopted, and calls on more families to give them permanent, stable homes.
This year's national theme, "Youth Voices: Why Family Matters," emphasizes listening to the perspectives of teenagers in foster care and understanding their needs. The Children's Bureau notes that many older youth hesitate about adoption because of past trauma, loyalty to their birth families, or fears about losing their identity, yet research shows that a lifelong connection to a caring adult is critical at every age. Older youth are also the group most likely to age out of the system at 18 without a permanent family.
Data from the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) show roughly 368,000 children and youth in foster care nationwide, about 109,000 of them waiting to be adopted, with an average wait of about 34.9 months; the average age of a child in foster care is around eight. States are marking the month as well: Delaware's legislature has adopted a resolution recognizing November 2026 as National Adoption Month in the state and honoring foster and adoptive families and child welfare professionals.
Members of the public can learn about adoption steps, training requirements and support policies through AdoptUSKids and state child welfare agencies. As the Children's Bureau puts it, the month thanks the families who have already adopted, and reminds every community that each waiting child deserves a permanent place to call home.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：法庭上的法槌，收养程序通常在法院完成最终裁定（Wikimedia Commons，Joe Gratz 摄，CC0） / Photo: A gavel in a courtroom, where adoptions are finalized (Wikimedia Commons, by Joe Gratz, CC0)
