Finding Permanent Homes for Adoptable Children - Pepperdine ...

Recognizing that improvements have been made in recent years in the Child Welfare system and the
adoption process, there is still a need to secure more permanent homes for children who have languished
in the state system. According to Ms. Grant, 3 giving social workers an increased ability to place Los
Angeles County kids into homes throughout the country could make a significant difference in finding
permanent homes for these children. Inter-jurisdictional and/or out-of-state placements have, in the past,
proven an effective tool when used in California. “California has approximately 2,865 children in foster
care placed out of state. While this represents only 2.9 percent of the 100,000 children in foster care,
more and more children are being placed out of state in a nation-wide effort to secure permanent homes
for children.” 4 The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), which has as its objective
this very goal of facilitating the safe placement of children across state lines, currently operates as the
vehicle for which a new policy initiative can take place. This paper will attempt to outline the current
trends in the adoption market, explain the role and function of the ICPC in the interstate adoption process,
illuminate the problem areas in the current ICPC system, and, finally, propose possible solutions that will
allow social workers, judges and child advocates to more effectively place children in permanent, loving
homes.
A Question of Supply and Demand
Of the 486,000 children in foster care in 1994, approximately 100,000 did not return to their biological
families and were in need of adoption planning services. The majority of these waiting children qualified
as hard-to-place (HTP), with more than one-third between the ages of 1 and 5 and nearly 45 percent
between the ages of 6 and 12. In addition, 60 percent of waiting children were children of color, part of
sibling groups that need to be adopted together, or children with special physical, emotional and
developmental needs requiring special services. Due to an emphasis on reunification with their biological
families, difficulties with terminating parental rights, and problems in recruiting a sufficient number of
adoptive families for HTP children, the number of children in foster care continues to grow as the number
of adoptions being completed decreases. In spite of the decreasing numbers of completed adoptions, a
recent study by the Dave Thomas Foundation and the Evan B. Donaldson Foundation for Adoption has
found that 4 of 10 Americans have, at some point, considered adoption. This totals around 81.5 million
people. If just 1 in 500 of those who considered adoption followed through there would not be one child
3 Grant, Sari. L.A. County, CA, DCFS. Personal Interview on January 24, 2003.
4 The Adoptive Family Resource Center. “Adoption Fact Sheet California Children Placed Out Of State.”
http://www.sierraadoption.org/afrc_aap_cachildren.htm. Google search engine. Accessed January 18, 2003.
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