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Adoption Data and Research
In this section are statistics and resources for managers and administrators as well as reports that illustrate the use of data in foster care adoption, including State and local examples.
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Provides case-level information on all children in foster care for whom State child welfare agencies have responsibility of placement, care, or supervision and on children who are adopted under the auspices of the State's public child welfare agency. National and State- level data are available through AFCARS.
Adoption Statistics
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Provides State, national, and international data and statistics on private and public foster care and intercountry adoption.
Using Data to Inform Program Improvement
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Lists resources that explore how the use of data informs child welfare program improvements.
Using Data to Improve Outcomes for Children, Youth, and Families
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Lists resources that describe how the use of data improves outcomes for children, youth, and families.
Adoptive Family Structure (PDF - 307 KB)
Hansen (2006)
AFCARS Adoption Data Research Brief No. 1
Traces the evolution of the structure of adoptive families and discusses trends in characteristics of adoptive families from 1996 to 2003.
Age of Children at Adoption and Time From Termination of Parental Rights to Adoption (PDF - 324 KB)
Hansen (2006)
AFCARS Adoption Data Research Brief No. 2
Provides administrative data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) from 1996 to 2003 on the age of children when they are adopted and the time between the termination of parental rights to adoption.
Foster Care Adoption in the United States: A State-by-State Analysis of Barriers and Promising Approaches
Macomber, Scarcella, Zielewski, & Geen (2004)
Explores data from State Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) to identify challenges and promising practices to promote adoption for children in foster care.
Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project
University of Minnesota Department of Family Science
Provides information and data from the only nationwide longitudinal research project that focuses on the consequences of variations in openness in adoption for all members of the adoption triad: birthmothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children, and for the relationships within and among these family systems.
A New Look at the Role of ASFA and Children's Ages in Adoption (PDF - 86 KB)
Maza
Roundtable, 23(1), 2009
Examines whether the hoped-for outcomes of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) have been or are being achieved in adoption. Federal efforts to boost adoption incentives for children ages 9 and older are explained, as well as data that suggest that ASFA has not affected the adoption of older children.
Patterns of Relative Adoption (PDF - 1308 KB)
Maza
Roundtable, 20(1), 2006
Discusses the rise in the rate of relative adoption in the United States, particularly in the African-American community. The article describes the characteristics of children adopted by relatives, along with the characteristics of the relatives who adopt.
Using Subsidies to Promote the Adoption of Children From Foster Care (PDF - 105 KB)
Hansen (2007)
Explores the use of subsidies as a means of increasing the adoption of children from foster care. This paper uses data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) to estimate the impact of subsidies on adoption rates.
State and local examples
Using Outcome Data to Improve Adoption Practice
Family Design Resources
Protecting Children, 2004
View Abstract
Describes the efforts of the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption Network to identify and assess public/agency adoption practices with the intended goal of improving permanency outcomes for children.