New strategies to promote the adoption of older children out of foster care

Abstract

The proportion of older children in foster care is increasing. In order to ensure that these children do not age out of foster care into a life of poverty, it is imperative that more is done to find these children permanent adoptive homes. There are many more potential adoptive homes available than is commonly thought and there maybe even more homes available due to the increased attention from public and private initiatives focusing on foster children that need adoptive families. In order for these efforts to be successful, the most important steps that need to be taken are those that will decrease the numerous inter-jurisdictional barriers to adoption. Next, adoption practitioners need to focus on finding homes for older children that have empirical data that show they are unlikely to result in adoption disruption. Lastly, both the federal government and state governments need to mobilize funds to create networks of post-adoption services that will provide adoptive families with the support that will enable them to succeed as life-long caregivers.