Study Analyzes Best Practices in, Barriers to Adoption Throughout Country

November 19, 2004 — A study sponsored in part by the Freddie Mac Foundation provides an unprecedented analysis of adoption from foster care in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Foster Care Adoption in the United States: A State by State Analysis of Barriers and Promising Practices is the first research report to identify common barriers, as well as promising practices, to foster care adoption in the United States. The study, conducted by the Urban Institute and commissioned by the National Adoption Day coalition, was released in recognition of National Adoption Day – Saturday, November 20th. The study, conducted by the Urban Institute and commissioned by the National Adoption Day coalition, was released today in recognition of National Adoption Day – Saturday, November 20th.

The analysis was conducted utilizing the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) mandated by Congress to help states evaluate the services they provide to children through their state government agencies. It identifies the top barriers and the top promising approaches identified by states in the foster care adoption process. The report also includes an analysis of barriers and promising approaches in each state as well as a comparison across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

More than 90 percent of states report difficulty in identifying adoptive families for children currently in foster care. Specifically, many states report difficulty in finding families for older children, those with special needs, and Hispanic and African American children. The number of children of color in the foster care system is disproportionately high and states report difficulty in identifying families that reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the children in their systems.