The Children of America - Adopted And Foster Children

Many American families who wanted to adopt a child considered two groups of available children:

• Children, primarily infants, whose parents voluntarily gave them up for adoption. The parents generally worked through private adoption agencies or made private placements with adoptive families. The number of these adoptees was not tracked. Another source was children from other countries.
• Children who had been placed in foster care based on court determination that they were abused or neglected, and for whom placement with adoptive families would serve the children's best interests

FIGURE 3.1

Adopted Children

A number of laws have been enacted to make it easier for families to adopt children.

• The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (PL 103–3) enabled parents to take time off work to adopt a child without losing their jobs or health insurance.
• The Interethnic Adoption Provisions of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 amended the Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 (PL 103–382) to ensure adoption processes were free from discrimination and delays based on the race, culture, and ethnicity of the child or the prospective parents.
• The Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (PL 106–279) facilitated immigration of foreign adopted children and placed requirements on states for supportive services.
• The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (PL 106–395) provided automatic citizenship to both biological and adopted children of U.S. citizens who were born abroad and did not obtain citizenship at birth.
• The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (PL 107–16) permanently extended the adoption credit implemented in 1996 and increased the maximum credit from $5,000 to $10,000 per eligible child.
• The Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 (PL 108–145) reauthorized an adoption incentive program and provided additional incentives for adoption of children with special needs, including older children (age nine and up), from foster care.

The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (NAIC) estimated the 2004 cost of adoption from foster care at $0–$2,500. The cost of domestic adoption of a healthy infant ranged from $5,000 to $40,000, depending on the type of agency used and adoption circumstances. NAIC reported that fees to adopt a child from a foreign country ranged from $7,000 to $30,000, with additional fees possible depending on the country.

Intercountry Adoption

Many American families have chosen to adopt children from other countries. Because these foreign-born children required visas to enter the United States, the U.S.

FIGURE 3.2

Department of State maintains current records of the number of foreign adoptees. Foreign adoptions nearly tripled in the decade following 1993. That year, American families welcomed 7,377 foreign children. By 2003, the number of foreign adoptions had risen to 21,616 children. During that period China, Russia, South Korea, and Guatemala were the leading countries of origin for foreign adoptees.

Children in Foster Care

Foster care is an integral part of the child welfare system, designed to provide temporary respite and some stability for children whose families had difficulties parenting or are no longer able to care for them. Some children remain in foster care until their parents resolve their problems. Other children cannot safely return home, and arrangements for their long-term welfare are necessary.

In the 2003 Foster Care National Statistics, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that an estimated 542,000 children were in foster care on September 30, 2001. The report compared data for 1998 and 2001 to identify trends. The gender mix of children in foster care remained stable during the period with 52% male and 48% female. The percentage of African-American children in foster care dropped from 44% in 1998 to 38%

TABLE 3.3

Characteristics of children who co-reside with grandparents, by presence of parents, March 2002
(in thousands)
		With grandparents present
			Grandparent is householder									Grandparent is not householder
				Parent Present				No parents present				Parent is householder
Characteristic	Total	Total with grand-parents	Total in grand-parent's household	Total	Grandmother and grandfather	Grandmother only	Grandfather only	Total	Grandmother and grandfather	Grandmother only	Grandfather only	Total	Grandmother and grandfather	Grandmother only	Grandfather only	Parent is not householder
Total	72,321	5,601	3,683	2,409	1,204	1,021	184	1,274	614	591	69	1,801	258	1,231	312	118
Age of child
Under 6 years old	23,363	2,339	1,644	1,309	721	721	82	335	171	138	26	635	109	393	133	61
6 to 11 years old	24,623	1,770	1,118	656	307	293	56	462	240	201	21	619	90	428	101	33
12 to 17 years old	24,335	1,493	920	444	175	223	46	476	202	252	22	547	59	410	78	25
Race and ethnicity of child2
White	56,276	3,674	2,418	1,701	947	601	153	717	429	245	43	1,177	180	784	213	81
Non–Hispanic	44,235	2,408	1,617	1,130	624	405	101	541	332	169	40	707	88	481	138	30
Black	11,646	1,445	1,077	576	178	381	17	501	153	327	21	339	27	253	59	29
Asian and Pacific Islander	3,223	361	89	67	44	16	7	22	19	3	–	262	48	176	38	9
Hispanic (of any race)	12,817	1,341	787	591	328	210	53	196	101	87	8	504	93	324	87	51
Presence of parents
Two parents	49,666	1,706	477	477	255	155	67	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	1,217	164	840	213	12
Mother only	16,473	2,249	1,658	1,658	807	753	98	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	503	74	337	92	89
Father only	3,297	373	275	275	142	114	19	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	81	21	53	7	7
Neither parent	2,885	1,273	1,274	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	1,274	614	591	69	(X)	(X)	(X)	(X)	—
Family income
Under $15,000	9,516	611	508	178	33	132	13	330	59	256	15	88	—	78	10	14
$15,000 to $29,999	12,094	995	704	389	111	254	24	315	138	154	23	270	28	190	52	21
$30,000 to $49,999	15,140	1,278	911	626	249	307	70	285	161	113	11	330	66	217	47	37
$50,000 to $74,999	14,414	1,190	718	556	298	218	40	162	119	38	54	56	61	305	90	16
$75,000 and over	21,157	1,527	840	659	513	110	36	181	137	30	14	657	103	441	113	30
Poverty status
Below 100 percent of poverty	12,239	988	743	362	106	217	39	381	98	270	13	217	24	158	35	28
100 to 199 percent of poverty	15,686	1,512	1,088	696	287	357	52	392	174	192	26	382	59	256	67	42
200 percent of poverty and above	44,396	3,101	1,851	1,350	810	447	93	501	342	129	30	1,203	176	817	210	48
Health insurance coverage
Covered by health insurance	63,907	4,293	2,637	1,856	914	802	140	817	378	394	45	1,539	213	1,053	273	81
Not covered by health insurance	8,414	1,309	1,008	551	289	219	43	457	236	197	24	262	46	177	39	38
Household receives public assistance
Receives assistance	3,372	506	417	202	94	98	10	215	59	146	10	60	2	46	12	28
Does not receive assistance	68,949	5,096	3,265	2,206	1,110	923	173	1,059	555	445	59	1,741	256	1,185	300	92

—Represents zero or rounds to zero.
X Not applicable.
1All people under age 18, excluding group quarters, householders, subfamily reference people, and their spouses.
2Data are not shown separately for the American Indian and Alaska Native population because of the small sample size in the Current Population Survey in March 2002.
3"MSA" refers to Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Note: Data based on the Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.
SOURCE: Jason Fields, " Table 3. Characteristics of Children Who Co-Reside with Grandparents by Presence of Parents, March 2002," in Children's Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2002, Current Population Reports, P20-547, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau, June 2003, http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-547.pdf (accessed July 19, 2004)
Household receives food stamps
Receives food stamps	7,873	908	702	467	174	252	41	235	48	178	9	159	9	128	22	45
Does not receive food stamps	64,448	4,694	2,980	1,942	1,029	770	143	1,038	565	413	60	1,642	249	1,103	290	73
Household tenure
Owns/buying	48,542	4,091	2,723	1,818	1,019	647	152	905	528	329	48	1,304	202	870	232	64
Rents	22,512	1,448	925	564	165	368	31	361	84	257	20	474	51	349	74	49
No cash rent	1,266	62	34	27	20	6	1	7	2	5	—	22	5	11	6	5
Type of residence3
Central city, in MSA	20,971	2,042	1,376	893	346	487	60	483	189	279	15	602	104	409	89	63
Outside central city, in MSA	38,194	2,641	1,577	1,098	647	367	84	479	260	186	33	1,022	137	708	177	42
Outside MSA	13,155	919	727	417	211	167	39	310	165	125	20	178	17	114	47	15

FIGURE 3.3

FIGURE 3.4

in 2001. The percentage of other races increased slightly, to 37% white and 8% listed as other races. Seventeen percent of children in foster care were Hispanic.

The age of children entering and exiting the foster care system remained unchanged between 1998 and 2001. The median age of entry was 8.7 years and the median age of exit was 10.2 years. However, the median age of all children in the system rose from 9.5 years in 1998 to 10.6 years in 2001. The length of time children stayed in foster care also remained relatively stable with 19% of children remaining from one to two years in 2001. (See Figure 3.4.)

The distribution of children in the various types of placement settings remained relatively unchanged, although fewer children were placed with relatives in 2001 than in 1998. Almost half of all foster children (48%) were placed in foster homes with nonrelative families. Another 24% were placed in foster homes with relatives. Most of the other children were placed in group homes or other institutions. (See Figure 3.5.)

The primary goal for permanent placement of children in foster care was to return the child to his/her parents (referred to as "reunification"). Adoption was the second choice, followed by living with a relative or guardian, long-term foster care, or emancipation. Emancipation laws vary from state to state but generally allow a teenager to petition a court for the termination of parental rights and full independence. The most dramatic trend from 1998 to 2001 was a decrease in the number of children in foster care with no permanent placement goal. In 2001 11% of children lacked a permanent placement goal, a significant reduction from 23% in 1998.

While the number of children leaving foster care to live with relatives/guardians or adoptive families increased slightly between 1998 and 2001, the number of reunifications dropped five percentage points. Other outcomes, such as runaways and children transferred to other agencies, decreased one percentage point. Not all outcomes were successful. A median of 10.3% of children who entered foster care in 2001 reentered the system within twelve months of discharge.

Children Adopted from Foster Care

In 1997 the Clinton administration launched the "Adoption 2002" initiative with the goal of doubling the number of foster children adopted each year—from approximately twenty-seven thousand in 1996 to a projected fifty-four thousand in 2002. To this end, on November 19, 1997, President Bill Clinton signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (PL 105–89), which required, among other provisions, permanency hearings to be held no later than twelve months after a child entered foster care. The federal government offered financial incentives to states to increase adoption rates and provided technical assistance to states, courts, and communities in an effort to place children in adoptive homes within a shorter time frame.

Current or former foster youths sixteen and older could obtain government assistance during their transition to independent living through the Independent Living Program. This program provided grants to states for education and employment aid, training in daily living skills, and individual and group counseling.

CHILDREN WAITING TO BE ADOPTED. In fiscal year 1998, 36,000 children were adopted from the public foster care system and 117,000 foster children awaited adoption. With more than 129,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted in 2004, Health & Human Services Secretary

FIGURE 3.5

Tommy G. Thompson launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to increase public awareness. The new ads were part of a five-year, multifaceted initiative called "The Collaboration to AdoptUSKids." The PSAs focused on adoption of older children (ages eight to seventeen) who comprised 53% of the adoptable foster care population. Of these children, 44% were African-American. In announcing this campaign, Thompson noted that research showed that foster children who were not placed in permanent homes were less likely to graduate from high school and were at greater risk for homelessness, jail time, and reliance on welfare.

A Web site, www.AdoptUSKids, was launched in July 2002. It featured photographs and biographies of some seven thousand foster care children available for adoption. Within the first year, nearly three thousand children featured on the site were placed with adoptive families.