In 2022, about 108,877 children in the United States were waiting to be adopted. This is a decrease from a high of 133,682 children who were waiting to be adopted nationwide in 2007.

This chart counts the number of children in DFPS custody on August 31 of the fiscal year who meet all of the following criteria: (1) a court has terminated all parental rights; (2) the child has a plan of adoption; and (3) the child is not in an adoptive placement. The count includes both children who are in an intended to be permanent home and children who are not in an intended to be permanent home. Use the filter to isolate these counts. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. An adoptive placement occurs when the child's caseworker, the family's case manager, and the adoptive family sign paperwork officially placing the child in the home for adoption. Before the paperwork can be signed, a child must be free for adoption (meaning a court has terminated parental rights), have a permanency goal of adoption and the family must have been approved for adoption through a licensed child placing agency.

In 2021, there were 168,063 white children in foster care in the United States. This is compared to 86,645 Black or African American children and 85,215 Hispanic children who were in foster care.

Foster care in the United States

Foster care is where minors are taken care of in different institutions, such as a group home or private home of a caregiver certified by the state (called a foster parent). The procedure for becoming a foster parent in the United States varies from state to state. It is up to the state to determine the process; however it is overseen by the Department of Child Protective Services. It is sometimes seen as a precursor to adoption, which is different from fostering a child. There are many barriers to fostering and adopting children, such as high costs and long wait times, which can discourage people from doing it.

Who are foster children?

The number of children in foster care in the United States has decreased slightly since 2011. When looked at by age, most of the children in foster care in 2020 were one year old, and slightly more male children were in foster care than female children. Most of the children in foster care were placed into non-relative foster family homes, and in most cases, the primary goal of foster care is to reunify children with their parents or primary caregivers.

In the fiscal year of 2021, 27,145 of the children adopted in the United States with public agency involvement were white. In that same year, a further 10,991 children adopted in the country were Hispanic.

The AFCARS Trends Chart tracks children in Foster Care from FY 2002 through the most recent year. A table of data and a graphic depiction of trends are shown for children in care on the first day of the year, entries to foster care, exits, children waiting to be adopted, children adopted, children with terminations of parental rights, and total children served in foster care.

In the fiscal year of 2021, 7,622 children adopted with public agency involvement in the United States were two years old at the time of adoption. In that same fiscal year, about 6,015 children adopted in the country were one year old at the time of their adoption.

% of adopted children who wait <14 mths from entering care to moving in with adoptive family (16 mths in 2015, 18 mths in 2014, 20 mths in 2013) - (Rolling 3 years)

The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) is a long-term survey designed to measure child development and well-being. The first cycle of the survey was conducted by Statistics Canada in 1994-1995 on behalf of Human Resources Development Canada. The survey looked at households containing children 0 to 11 years of age. It will follow these children over time, collecting information on the children and their families, education, health, development, behaviour, friends, activities, etc. The data collected has been released in two cycles of the NLSCY. The amount of information collected was so extensive a decision was made to have two releases rather than waiting for all of the data to be processed. Release 1 contains information on medical/biological childbirth information, motor and social development, parenting, child care, behaviour, etc.. Release 2 contains information on health, activities, literacy, family and custody history, parent health, neighbourhood safety, puberty, drinking and drugs. A complete list of the sections included in the first and second release can be found in the General Contents files.

This booklet offers preliminary information on what adoption of Alberta’s waiting children represents. It provides an introduction to these children, describes what is meant by “special needs” in the context of the adoption process, and outlines what is required of an adoptive parent. It also explains how to get started in the adoption process and what resources and supports are available to help adoptive parents.