The Children’s Bureau issued a call to action asking States to develop new strategies to achieve timely permanency for the tens of thousands of children and youth in foster care who are waiting to be adopted. The following are the main expectations of the call to action:
- Examine data to determine improved and streamlined methods that will assure no youth linger in the system
- Support States to build capacity to achieve timely permanency for children and youth
The initiative began with a virtual kickoff event in June 2019, followed by a series of regional discussions in preparation for the in-person Adoption Summit in August 2019. States analyzed data snapshots, identified common barriers, and discussed effective strategies to achieve timely permanency for children and youth. States also have developed and are implementing action plans to address the challenges to achieving timely permanency.
In conjunction with the Children’s Bureau's Adoption Call to Action, the Administration for Children and Families, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched an All-In Foster Adoption Challenge. The All-In challenge encourages governors, State agencies, nonprofits, businesses, faith partners, and local communities to work together to find permanent, loving homes for every waiting child and youth and to support the families who step up to care for them.
The resources on this page provide information on the Children’s Bureau's Adoption Call to Action campaign and feature additional information on an array of topics that are applicable for supporting States as they implement strategies to help children and youth achieve timely permanency through adoption.
Related Information Gateway Sections
- Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
- Adoption by Family Type: Racially and Culturally Diverse Families
- Developing Culturally Competent Adoption Services
- Helping Adopted Children Cope With Grief and Loss
- Interjurisdictional Placements
- Kinship/Relative Adoption
- Legal and Court Issues in Permanency
- Permanency for Specific Populations
- Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice
- Bringing Children and Families Together
- Partnering With Youth for Permanency Planning
- Preparing Adoptive Families
- Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families
- Resources for Administrators and Managers About Permanency
- Eliminating Barriers Toward Achieving Permanency
- Working With Children, Youth, and Families in Permanency Planning
- Creating and Maintaining Meaningful Connections
Related Information Gateway Publications
Belonging Matters—Helping Youth Explore Permanency
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S.);AdoptUSKids (Program)
Availability
Year Published
2019
Explores how professionals can help youth in foster care consider the full range of legal and relational permanency options available to them as well as understand the feelings that may underlie a young person’s reluctance to pursue permanency.
Families Considering Foster Care and Adoption
Series Title
Factsheets for Families
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Summarizes what foster parents should consider while deciding whether to adopt the child or youth in their care. This factsheet does not address the specifics of how to adopt; it provides information on the differences between foster care and adoption, advantages of foster parent adoption, strategies for foster/adoptive families, and useful references.
Finding and Working with Adoption-Competent Therapists
Series Title
Factsheets for Families
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Provides suggestions for finding an adoption-competent therapist and offers information about the types of therapy that can help adopted children and their families. Foster parents considering adoption could face similar issues and therefore also may find definitions and descriptions in this factsheet useful.
Preparing Children and Youth for Adoption or Other Family Permanency
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2020
Helps child welfare professionals better understand the feelings and emotions children may experience regarding permanency and prepare them for placements with permanent families. Its focus is on adoption, but much of the information is also applicable to children with other permanency goals, such as kinship care or guardianship. Children, including youth, leaving out-of-home care for adoption or other family permanency require preparation and support to help them understand past events in their lives and process feelings connected to their experiences of abuse and neglect, separation, and loss.
Promoting Permanency for Older Youth in Out-of-Home Care
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Provides information for child welfare professionals about the importance of permanency for youth and strategies for achieving it. Permanency efforts for youth should include both legal permanency (e.g., reunification, adoption, kinship care) and relational permanency (i.e., a relationship or connection with a caring adult, such as a relative, neighbor, service provider, teacher, or other important person in the youth's life). These adults may provide lifelong support that can help youth transition to adulthood and may even become a legal permanent option for the youth.
Providing Adoption Support and Preservation Services
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
Draws from available literature and practice knowledge to summarize key issues related to providing effective services to support the stability and permanency of adoptions. It is intended to support adoption professionals in addressing adoptive parents' and children's needs for services, recognizing key considerations in providing services, addressing emerging issues, and meeting common challenges in delivery.
Providing Background Information on Children to Prospective Adoptive Parents
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2018
This bulletin on providing child background information is designed to assist child welfare professionals who work with families interested in adoption and/or who are about to receive a referral for an adoption placement. It begins by explaining how complete disclosure benefits the child, the family, and the adoption agency by helping families make a fully informed decision; ensures the child being adopted will have full knowledge of his or her family, medical, and genetic history; helps prospective parents understand what supports and services might be needed; and helps agencies protect against wrongful adoption lawsuits. The types of information that should be provided are then reviewed, including material information on the child’s history, a written disclosure of background and health information, acknowledgement of the limitations of disclosure, and information regarding the child or youth’s potential Tribal heritage. Questions to consider about the child's birth family as well as the child's health, placement history, and educational history are listed. Considerations for international adoption are also discussed. The resource includes additional resources and six references.
Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2019
Explores relevant research, strategies, and resources to assist child welfare professionals in preserving connections among siblings. Sibling relationships can provide positive support and improved outcomes for children involved with child welfare as well as for those in the general population. Connections with siblings can serve as a protective factor for children who have been removed from their birth homes, but for a variety of reasons, siblings may not be placed together or may not have regular contact.
Supporting Brain Development in Traumatized Children and Youth
Series Title
Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
Year Published
2017
Summarizes the effects of early trauma on brain development and steps child welfare professionals can take to screen for developmental delays and identify the trauma-affected children and youth in their care. Looks at ways to access cross-sector, therapeutic, and evidence-based treatment to encourage healthy recovery for trauma-affected children and youth.