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 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.

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