College of Social Work and Department for Community Based Services honor Adoptive, Foster, and Kinship Families of the Year

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As the University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) celebrates National Foster Care Month in May, the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, alongside the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), hosted a Statewide Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Parent Appreciation event at the Kentucky Science Center on Saturday, April 25. 

The 2025 Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families of the Year were in attendance, as well as DCBS staff members, and College of Social Work Centers & Labs staff members.

Jennifer Wallace, CoSW Assistant Director for the Training Resource Center, gave the opening remarks, followed by DCBS’s Assistant Director, Division of Protection and Permanency, Kelli Root.

“This annual event highlights the importance of partnership, perseverance, and community. It is with deep gratitude that we honor and celebrate you today,” Wallace said in her remarks. “Your love and devotion have a profoundly transformative and lasting impact in the lives of children across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Families were provided lunch and tickets to spend the afternoon as a family at the Science Center. Family portraits were also taken and provided to the families, celebrating the hard work and commitment it takes to raise a foster, adopted, or kinship child.  

2025 Adoptive Families of the Year

2025 Foster Families of the Year

2025 Kinship Families of the Year

The CoSW provides many resources to foster and adoptive families through the Training Resource Center and the Kentucky Kinship Resource Center. Learn more by visiting the CoSW Centers & Labs website.