Adopting as a Single Parent

More than a quarter of the children adopted from foster care in Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2017 were adopted by single people—almost 15,000 single women and nearly 2,000 single men adopted children from foster care in FFY 2017. This factsheet discusses issues that are specifically relevant to single people considering adoption. It includes information about available adoption opportunities, including domestic adoption, intercountry adoption, and adopting from foster care. It also discusses the importance of having a support system and dispels the myth that being single impedes the adoption process.

This publication is also available in Spanish.

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.