Adoption

There are four ways children can leave foster care for permanent homes: Reunification with birth parents, adoption, guardianship and placement with relatives.

Adoption is a legal process that permanently transfers parental responsibility from a child's birth parents to their adoptive parents. After reunification, it is the next most secure permanency option for children ...  more

There are four ways children can leave foster care for permanent homes: Reunification with birth parents, adoption, guardianship and placement with relatives.

Adoption is a legal process that permanently transfers parental responsibility from a child's birth parents to their adoptive parents. After reunification, it is the next most secure permanency option for children in foster care.

In 2021, one in four children exiting foster care — around 53,300 kids in the United States — were adopted. About 80% of these children were under age 11, and more than half — 52% — were between the ages of 1 and 5.

Find state and national data related to adoption for children in foster care on the KIDS COUNT® Data Center.