Research: Institute Research

LISTENING TO PARENTS: OPENING BARRIERS TO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN FROM FOSTER CARE

Author: Jeff Katz
Published: 2005 March. New York NY: Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
Document Type: White Paper
Availability: PDF Full Report | Executive Summary | Web Page | Press Release

The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute's major new report released in March 2005, "Listening to Parents: Overcoming the Barriers to the Adoption of Children from Foster Care," now identifies a major reason why so many children have not found homes: The vast majority of potential parents who are recruited - well over 90 percent - do not ultimately wind up adopting a child not because they don't want to, but apparently because they decide not to deal with a system they perceive as too frustrating, bureaucratic and just plain unfriendly.

This comprehensive study, conducted by Jeff Katz, a Senior Fellow at the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, with colleagues at Harvard University and the Urban League, lays out detailed recommendations for changing the system and improving children’s prospects of finding permanent, loving families.