Foster care adoption recruitment methods: A review of the literature amid calls for reform in the United States

Abstract

Over 113,000 children in the child welfare system have had their parent’s rights terminated in America. Family preservation and reunification should be priority goals for child welfare systems to prevent termination of parental rights and lessen the need for foster care adoptions. Systemic change is needed to preserve family bonds and lower the number of children aging out of foster care each year without family. Until that change occurs, foster care adoption is one of the options for permanency for children when returning to family is not possible. Millions of dollars are spent yearly on adoption recruitment strategies to find adoptive homes. There is little research on the outcomes of these models. This scoping review examines the state of the literature on foster care adoption recruitment efforts. The review found a small number of adoption recruitment studies (n = 15). More research should be implemented to better focus child welfare professionals’ effort, time, and funding on the most effective strategies to create permanent homes while also continuing to work on system reform to lessen the need for such adoptions in America.