Waiting

Originally Posted By CynicThe average mean age of children waiting to be adopted is 8 years. Over a quarter of the children are over the age of 10. The mean length of time that these children have been in foster care is 46 months.(AFCARS 2000). ------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------Adoption in the United States------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------For statistics for individual states, click here For information on how to order Adoption in the United States: A Fact Sheet and other publications from the Adoption Institute click here. Updated October 2000 Overall Adoption StatisticsIn 1992, the last year for which total adoption statistics were available, 127,441 children of all races and nationalities were adopted in the United States (National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, 1996). Of the adoptions that occurred in 1992: 42% were stepparent or relative adoptions; 15.5% were adoptions of children in foster care; 5% were adoptions of children from other countries by US families; 37.5% were adoptions handled by private agencies or independent practitioners such as lawyers. (National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, 1996). The number of adopted individuals is not known. One writer has estimated that about 1 million children in the United States are adopted. (Stolley, 1993). Others, however, believe that the number is much higher, in all probability between 2.5 and 5 million. (Hollinger, 1998). It is estimated that between 2% and 4% of all American families have adopted. (Moorman and Hernandez, 1989; Mosher and Bachrach, 1996). Adoption and Children in Foster Care As of March 1999, there were 547,000 children in foster care in the United States. (AFCARS 2000).Children of color outnumber white children in foster care. Of the children in foster care as of March 1999: 43% were African American; 36% were White; 15% were Hispanic; 1% were American Indian/Alaskan Native; 1% Asian/Pacific Islander; and 4% were of unknown or other racial/ethnic background. (AFCARS 2000). The average (mean) age of children in foster care as of March 1999 was 9 years. The average (mean) length of time that children had been in foster care was 33 months. (AFCARS 2000). As of March 1999, The United States Department of Health and Human Services estimates that as many as 117,000 children currently in foster care need adoptive families. The ethnic backgrounds of these children are as follows: 51% were African American32% were White 11% were Hispanic 2% were Native American/Alaskan Native or Asian/Pacific Islander5% were of unknown/unable to determine ethnic backgroundsThe average mean age of children waiting to be adopted is 8 years. Over a quarter of the children are over the age of 10. The mean length of time that these children have been in foster care is 46 months.(AFCARS 2000). The Department of Health and Human Services reported to the North American Council on Adoptable Children in February 2000 that an estimated 39,156 children were adopted in FY 1999 (NACAC 2000). The age at which these children were adopted was as follows:Under 1 year: 2% 1-5 Years: 46% 6-10 Years: 37% 11-15 years: 14% 16-18 Years: 2% The children who were adopted in FY 1999 were adopted by:Non-relatives: 21%Foster parents: 64% Other relatives: 15%The family structure of the families adopting children in FY 99 were:Married couples: 66%Unmarried couples: 2%Single Females: 30%Single Males: 2%(AFCARS 2000) The number of adoptions finalized for children in foster care in each fiscal year between 1982 and 1999 were: FY82 -- 22,000 to 24,000FY 83 -- 19,000 to 21,000 FY 84 -- 18,000 to 20,000 FY 85 -- 17,000 to 19,000FY 86 -- 17,000 to 19,000 FY 87 -- 18,000 to 20,000 FY 88 -- 19,000FY 89 -- 16,000FY 90 -- 17,000FY 91 -- 16,680FY 92 -- 18,725FY 93 -- 19,686FY 94 -- 21,306FY 96 -- 28,000FY 97 -- 31,000FY 98 -- 36,000FY 99 -- 42,375 (est.)(Voluntary Cooperative Information System, 1993). Children in foster care tend to wait for long periods of time for adoptive families. According to one study, children wait for adoption, on average, between 3.5 and 5.5 years. (McKenzie, 1993). It is primarily younger children who are adopted from foster care. As children age, they are less likely to be adopted. In FY 1990, for example, almost 55% of all finalized adoptions were of children between birth and five years of age. About a third [37.4%] of the adoptions were of children between the ages of 6 and 12 and only a small 7.7% of the adoptions were of children between 13 and 18 years of age.(Voluntary Cooperative Information System, 1993). Adoptions tend to be more stable when a child in foster care is adopted at a younger age. In a recent study of adoption disruption among older children, the researchers found a very low disruption rate for children ages 3 to 5 years - only 4.7% - but increasingly higher rates when children are placed at older ages. The disruption rate for children placed between 6 and 8 years of age is 10.4%, for children placed between the ages of 9 and 11, 17.1%, for children placed between the ages of 12 and 14, 22.4%, and for children placed between the ages of 15 and 18, 26.1%. (Barth, Berry, Yoshikami, Goodfield & Carson, 1988). Children in foster care are adopted by three types of families: former foster parents, relatives and unrelated in families. In FY 1997, about 64% of the adoptions of children in foster care were by foster parents to whom the children were not related; 14% were by relatives; and 21% of the adoptions were by families to whom the children were not related. (USDHHS, January 1999). There is no definitive source of information on the number of transracial adoptions of children in foster care. Various studies have reported that transracial adoptions constitute: 1% of all adoptions of children in foster care (Stolley, 1993) 4% of all adoptions of children in foster care (Child Welfare League of America, 1995)11% of all adoptions of children in foster care [New York State only](Avery and Mont, 1994). International AdoptionIt is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 children are adopted each year worldwide. (National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, 1996). The number of children adopted by US families from other countries has grown each year, with few exceptions. The number of international adoptions over the past several years is as follows:1990 7,093 1991 9,008 1992 6,536 1993 7,348 1994 8,195 1995 9,679 1996 11,316 1997 13,620 1998 15,774 1999 16,396 (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services and U.S. Department of State). The primary sending countries for children adopted internationally in 1999 were Russia [4,348 children], China [4,101], Korea [2,008] and Guatemala [1,002]. (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and U.S. Department of State). We do not know how many children from the United States are adopted each year by families who are citizens of other countries. The US Immigration and Naturalization Service does not maintain statistics on US children who leave the US for adoption by citizens of other countries. Infant Adoption The rate at which women relinquish their infants for adoption has declined dramatically. Between 1989 and 1995, 1.7% of white women relinquished their children for adoption, dropping from 19% in 1965-1972. The rate of relinquishment among black women has consistently been under 2% for unmarried births and is now less than 1%. The rate of relinquishment among Latina unmarried women has also been consistently at or under 2%. (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999). Who Adopts? In 1995, about 232,000 married women had taken steps toward adopting a child. Only about 100,000 have applied to an agency in order to adopt (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999). Research shows that 11% to 24% of couples with infertility problems take a step toward adopting a child. (Mosher and Bachrach, 1996). The groups most likely to consider adopting a baby are: Childless womenWomen with fecundity impairmentsWhite womenWomen with higher levels of income and education(Mosher and Bachrach 1996) There are approximately 5 to 6 adoption seekers for every actual adoption. (National Center For Health Statistics, 1997; Hollinger, 1996). Single parents are adopting in greater numbers. Prior to the 1990s, only a small percentage of adoptions were by single parents - ranging from 2.5% to 5%. (Meezan, 1980; Shireman, 1995). Studies now show that single parents represent a significant percentage of adoptions, ranging from 12% in some communities to one-quarter or more in other communities. (Shireman, 1995). The Costs of Adoption In general, the cost of adoption tends to depend on the type of adoption and the type of agency or intermediary who is involved. Adoptive Families of America estimates the average costs of a domestic adoption as follows: Religious Agencies: A few hundred dollars to $8,000 or more Non-denominational Private Agencies: $10,000 to $20,000 Independent [Private] Adoption: A few thousand dollars to $15,000 but may be higher if there are extremely high medical bills Public Agencies: Usually none to minimal [there may be attorney fees to finalize the adoption] The cost of an international adoption varies by agency, but typical fee ranges for selected countries are: China: $6,500 to $12,320Columbia: $7,000 to $12,000Ethiopia or Mali: $5,000 to $5,500Guatemala: $9,000 to $14,500Haiti: $3,100 to $7,200Korea: $6,890 to $11,195Romania: $9,250 to $13,000Russia: $9,000 to $14,000Vietnam: $6.050 to $12,100(International Concerns for Children, 1996).Waiting time to adopt varies depending on the type of adoption and any unforeseeable circumstances that may arise. Estimates of waiting time are:Healthy infant: 1 up to 7 yearsInternational: 6 up to 18 monthsChild waiting in foster care for an adoptive family: 4 up to 18 months(National Endowment for Financial Education, 1997)