Supporting Foster Care Adoptions from Beyond the Beltway

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Supporting Foster Care Adoptions from Beyond the Beltway Marci McCoy-Roth www.childtrends.org Twitter/ childtrends www.facebook.com/childtrends : Presented to Eighth Annual Adoption Policy Conference New York, NY March 4, 2011

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Supporting Foster Care Adoptions from Beyond the Beltway. Marci McCoy-Roth. Presented  to  Eighth Annual Adoption Policy Conference  New  York,  NY March 4, 2011. www.childtrends.org  Twitter/ childtrends  www.facebook.com/childtrends :. Overview. Pew - Kids Are Waiting Campaign - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Supporting Foster Care Adoptions from Beyond the Beltway

Page 1: Supporting Foster Care Adoptions from Beyond the Beltway

Supporting Foster Care Adoptions from Beyond the Beltway

Marci McCoy-Roth

www.childtrends.org Twitter/childtrends www.facebook.com/childtrends:

Presented to Eighth AnnualAdoption Policy Conference

New York, NYMarch 4, 2011

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2From Beyond the Beltway Marci McCoy-Roth

Overview

Pew - Kids Are Waiting Campaign Child Trends - FosteringConnections.org Trends in foster care adoptions What the laws say about adoptions as a

permanency option Observations about political support for adoption

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Child Trends’ Mission

Child Trends seeks to improve outcomes for children by providing research and analysis to the people and institutions whose decisions and actions affect children: Programs that serve children and families Policy makers Foundations and philanthropists The media

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4From Beyond the Beltway Marci McCoy-Roth …Please don’t turn your back on me.

2007 & the Kids Are Waiting Campaign

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5From Beyond the BeltwayMarci McCoy-Roth

Pew’s goals

To address the federal financing incentives that contribute to children languishing in foster care, and

To increase court accountability for moving children more quickly to safe, permanent families

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Pew and the Kids Are Waiting campaign

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FosteringConnections.org

FosteringConnections.org provides timely and reliable tools and information on all aspects of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act to ensure that state, tribal and local decision makers are well-informed and receive maximum support as they plan for and carry out its implementation.

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Adoption and Safe Families Act (1997)

• Response to growing concerns children were waiting too long in foster care for permanent families.

• Promoted adoption and other permanent living arrangements for children in foster care.

• Created Adoption Incentive Program to reward states for increasing adoptions

• New judicial time limits to govern decision making on foster care cases and move children toward permanency

• Authorized funding stream Promoting Safe and Stable Families to support reunification services AND adoption promotion and support services.

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More Progress for Children and Families in 2008

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (P.L. 110-351): • Includes most significant

federal reforms for abused and neglected children in more than a decade

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Children Adopted with Public Involvement (1998-2009)

Click icon to add picture

37,000

47,00051,000 51,000 51,000 50,000 51,000 52,000 51,000 53,000 55,000

57,000

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: 1998-2001 data from “The AFCARS Report #12: Final Estimates for FY 1998 through FY 2002” (Children’s Bureau, 2006c); 2002-2009 data from “Trends in Foster Care and Adoption—FY 2002-FY 2009” (Children’s Bureau, 2010b).

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Children Waiting to be Adopted from foster care (1998-2009)

Source: 1998-2001 data from “The AFCARS Report #12: Final Estimates for FY 1998 through FY 2002” (Children’s Bureau, 2006c); 2002-2009 data from “Trends in Foster Care and Adoption—FY 2002-FY 2009” (Children’s Bureau, 2010b).

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But children still waiting a long time for adoptionAverage Length of Stay in Foster Care, for Children Adopted in 1998-2009 (months)

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Relationship of adoptive parents to children before adoption (1998-2009)

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Adoption as a unifying issue• Bipartisan support• For example, FCA passed through unanimous consent• Adoption will always be part of a package of different

permanency options for kids, it is the best route for most children to have a safe, permanent family for the long run.

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Marci [email protected]

202.572.6122

Fostering Connections through Adoptions, Trends in adoptions from foster care in the wake of child welfare reforms, by Kerry DeVooght, Karin Malm, Sharon Vandivere, and Marci McCoy-Roth

http://www.fosteringconnections.org/tools/assets/files/Connections_Adoption.pdf

www.childtrends.org Twitter/childtrends

www.facebook.com/childtrends