Adoptions

Adoption agencies across the U.S. seek to find loving families for foster youth.

Adoption is one of the best outcomes for children in foster care

For children and adolescents in foster care who cannot be reunited with their biological family, finding a new home with adoptive parents can be the best-case scenario. On any given day, over 100,000 of the more than 400,000 children in foster care in the U.S. are available for adoption. There are numerous public and private adoption agencies throughout the U.S. that work to find homes for foster children. Adoption is a great option for adults who want to experience the joy of raising a child or would like to provide a home for a child in need.

Did you know…

According to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey, almost 40% of U.S. adults, roughly 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child?

If just 1 out of every 500 of these did, every child up for adoption in foster care would find a permanent home1.

Adoption Facts and Figures

In FY 2014, 238,230 children in the U.S. left foster care

• Adoption accounted for 21% of all youth exiting the U.S. foster care system
• he average age of adoption was 5.1 years
• The average amount of time elapsed between termination of parental rights and adoption was 12 months.
• Approximately 14% of children adopted were taken by non-relatives, 52% by foster parents, 32% by other relatives, and 2% by stepparents2.

Who Can Adopt?

While adoption laws and age requirements vary from state to state, in most cases adoption is open to all adults regardless of marital status or sexual orientation. Prospective adoptive parents must complete a number of steps, including filling out an application, participating in a home study, getting matched with a child (or children), and receiving court approval for their adoption3.

Sources:

1Dave Thomas Center for Adoption https://davethomasfoundation.org/news_story/national-adoption-month-foster-care-adoption-statistics/

2AFCARS FY 2014 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport22.pdf

3Adopt America Networkhttp://www.adoptamericanetwork.org/about-adopting/