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1998 U.S. Adoptions from Foster Care Projected to Exceed 36,000
By Joe Kroll, Executive Director,
North American Council on Adoptable Children
Finalized adoptions of children from the U.S. foster care system rose significantly during the last year. Preliminary reports from 42 states for federal fiscal year 1998 project adoptions of at least 36,000 foster children, which includes increases of 7,859 over the average number of adoptions from the previous three years. Following recent changes in public opinion, political support, and law, many states have shortened foster care stays, found more adoptive homes, and designated new resources to support adoptions. As a result, more children than ever before have found permanent families.
In December, NACAC staff began polling states to obtain their data on the number of finalized adoptions completed in fiscal year 1998. Of the 42 states that submitted figures, all but five reported an increase in adoptions. Dramatic changes were seen in several states: Illinois more than doubled the number of adoptions from foster care: the state averaged 2,200 adoptions from 1995 to 1997, but achieved 4,423 adoptions in 1998. State officials attribute this 101 percent increase to reduced average caseloads (from 75 children to 25 per worker) and streamlined court processes. In Texas, adoptions from foster care are up 75 percent (to 1,548 in 1998) due to changes in state law that limited the length of time children could remain in foster care and administrative reforms that assigned additional staff to move children to permanence. Iowa’s 54 percent increase is the result of the creation of adoption specialist positions, expanded recruitment activity, and the commitment of former Lieutenant Governor Corning to the cause. Wyoming nearly doubled the number of adoptions in one year (from 16 in 1997 to 29 in 1998). The state attributes the dramatic jump to an increased focus on terminating parental rights (TPR), including the assignment of a staff person in the attorney general’s office who is dedicated to TPR hearings.
Nineteen states experienced increases of 20 to 55 percent. Several states reported even high increases, including South Carolina (84.8 percent), Mississippi (64.9 percent), North Dakota (68.1 percent), and Minnesota (61.2 percent).
The increased adoptions show great promise that the country can meet the goals identified in President Clinton’s Adoption 2002 initiative and the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997. In addition to legislative guidance that helps states increase the number of foster children who are adopted, ASFA also included an adoption incentive program that will make additional funds available for child welfare services. Beginning with fiscal year 1998, states became eligible to receive incentive payments for all adoptions over a baseline number determined by HHS. The chart at the right shows each state’s baseline figure, the state-reported estimate of finalized adoptions for 1998, and the difference between the two figures. For each adoption over the baseline, HHS will pay the state $4,000, plus an additional $4,000 if the child has a federal Title IV-E adoption assistance agreement in effect. States may spend incentive payment funds on child and family services, including post-adoption support.
Unfortunately, there may not be enough funds to provide states with their full adoption incentive payments. Congress appropriated $20 million per year for four years for the incentive program. If we assume that 75 percent of adoptions will qualify for the total payment of $6,000, the appropriation will cover increases of 3,636 adoptions for 1998. If claims exceed the appropriated amount, ASFA requires HHS to reduce the incentive payment proportionately. As NACAC’s preliminary estimates show, states have already achieved increases of 7,859, more than twice the 3,636 mark, with eight states and the District of Columbia not reporting. NACAC expects the final numbers to reflect total increases of more than 8,000 which would result in dramatically reduced incentive payments.
Many child advocates want Congress and the administration to approve a new appropriation so that states receive the full incentive payments. NACAC has shared our preliminary results with federal officials, and we hope that the data will encourage policy makers to full fund the incentive program to help even more children find and remain in adoptive families.
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