China Adoption, Chinese Infant Adoption - Domestic adoption statistics.

11/08/06

Domestic adoption statistics.

Posted by : grant in China Adoption Blog at 06:36 am , 277 words, 170 views
Categories: Domestic Red Tape

Comments on a previous entry about America as the Sending Country led to some adoption statistics.

(Emphasis below is mine.)

Matt asked:

So, we adopt 16,000 kids from abroad and 500 or so are removed from the US. How many adoptions are there in America of Americans by Americans?(Excepting spouses adopting kids from a previous marriage, if that can be split-out.)

Which led me to this:

There are some HHS statistics here, but you can see how messed up it is -- different number of reporting states every year, different kinds of adoption (kin adoption/foster adoption and the helpful "unknown/unreported" category).

Anyway, their national estimate was 21,306 in 1994, with numbers rising by 2-3k every year. So guess around twice that now?

Oh, here's another page on "national adoption and foster care trends" that estimates around 50,000 kids adopted via public agencies every year for the last five years.

I don't think public agencies are involved with parents adopting step-kids or grandparents adopting grandkids -- just the courts. And that number doesn't include any other private adoptions.

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Or, as I pointed out earlier in the comments, informal adoptions between non-biological relatives (which used to drive My Investigative Spouse and her colleagues nuts when they were investigating claims of abuse and neglect and had to shelter kids with a relative, and couldn't figure out if the "aunt" was really an aunt, or simply a real "aunt," if you follow me).

That's an imperfect number, but it's the best I could find.
Around 1,000 kids per state are adopted domestically every year.

Are there better sources I could find elsewhere? Any strong challenges to these numbers (just how good are they)?

4 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Jenna Hatfield [Member]

· http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/

For adoption statistics in general, the 2000 census was pretty good: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/censr-6.pdf

For foster care/adoption, this is a great resource for the past five years: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/trends.htm

Of course, that doesn't list the domestic adoptions, just foster/adopt records.

I used to have sites bookmarked, but alas, stupid computer glitches. LOL. :) I really prefer to use things released by ChildWelfare.gov or linked by that site as I've found them to be quite reputable.

Permalink 11/08/06 @ 07:26

Comment from: Jenna Hatfield [Member]

· http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/

Third point should read *INFANT* domestic adoptions.

Permalink 11/08/06 @ 07:27

Comment from: grant [Member]

· http://china.adoptionblogs.com/

Oh, right -- the statistics I found considered every minor up to age 16 whose parents had terminated rights as a "waiting child."

Permalink 11/08/06 @ 08:48

Comment from: bugmenot [Member]

Good stuff! I finally got a chance to read through it all. I can't think of a time when I didn't know someone with an adopted kid or a kid that was adopted.

While I find the mechanics and regulations surrounding adoption really weird, blended families are such a non-issue for me. It seems completely normal to me. I'm sure it is much more on the minds of those doing the adopting and those being adopted.

I wonder if the explosion of step-family dynamics and the various 'alternative' family structures is making the adopted family less an outlier?

Hmpf. I'm sure those involved with the adoption community have already thought this stuff through. I'm just here for the Grant family photos so feel free to ignore my outsider musings.

Matt

Permalink 11/10/06 @ 08:35

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