Funding Adoption Services

Resources address ways to locate and manage funding for adoption programs and services, including State and local examples.

Adoption Support and Preservation Services: A Public Interest (PDF - 443 KB)
National Consortium for Post Legal Adoption Services (2005)
Explains the guiding principles of adoptive family support and preservation services, and reviews available funding sources.

Post-Adoption Services: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Children Adopted from Foster Care (PDF - 159 KB)
North American Council on Adoptable Children (2007)
Explains current Federal funding for postadoption services and makes recommendations for improving mental health outcomes for children by increasing funding and aligning funding with needs.

Strengthening Families and Communities: Creative Strategies for Financing Post-Adoption Services: A White Paper
Casey Center for Effective Child Welfare Practice (2003)
Provides a framework for States to maximize Federal reimbursements for child welfare services by identifying State general funds that can be used to support a comprehensive mix of postadoption support, education, training, and therapeutic and treatment services.

Summary and Analysis of Child Welfare Provisions Included in the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005 (S. 1932) (PDF - 147 KB)
Child Welfare League of America (2006)
Explains how the reconciliation bill alters eligibility criteria for Federal foster care and adoption assistance (Title IV-E). The bill restricts certain State claims for Federal reimbursement of administrative costs under the Federal foster care program; clarifies the use of Medicaid targeted case management services for children in foster care; includes substantial cuts to programs; and reauthorizes TANF, adding new work requirements while providing almost no funding increase in child care.

Summary of State Adoption Assistance Programs
North American Council on Adoptable Children (2007)
Displays a chart of State adoption assistance data in monthly rates. The chart includes several criteria, including basic rates, specialized rates, nonrecurring expenses, subsidized guardianship, and supervision by State, county, or city.

Survey Examines Postadoption Services Among Private Agencies (PDF - 113 KB)
Mack
Children's Voice, 15(6), 2006
Presents results of a Child Welfare League of America survey of private agency members on types of postadoption services offered to families and how services are funded.

Understanding Adoption Subsidies: An Analysis of AFCARS Data. Final Report.

Author(s)	United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.;Research Triangle Institute. Dalberth, Barbara.;Gibbs, Deborah.;Berkman, Nancy.
Availability	View Download (PDF - 1,410KB)
Year Published	2005

Adoption subsidies are perhaps the single-most powerful tool by which the child welfare system can encourage adoption and support adoptive families. Yet little is known about the factors associated with the receipt and amount of subsidies. Data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) offer an opportunity to examine how states use adoption subsidies to help achieve goals of permanency and well-being for children. Of particular interest to this study are patterns of subsidy receipt, the role of federal support for adoption subsidies under Title IV-E, and the relationship between adoption subsidies and adoption outcomes, including the rate of adoptions among eligible children and the timeliness of adoption. Questions of interest include the extent and funding of subsidies; the relationship between children's characteristics, foster care experiences, and subsidy receipt and amount; and variations among states in subsidy practice. These analyses use AFCARS data representing all adoptions during the years FY 1999 to FY 2001. Findings indicate: 1) Nearly all children adopted from foster care in recent years received an adoption subsidy; 2) The median monthly adoption subsidy was $444 per month; 3) Among newly adopted children receiving subsidies, 84 percent received federal adoption assistance through Title IV-E; 4) Children's age and special needs status influenced subsidy receipt and amount; 5) Pre-adoptive relationship and other characteristics of adoptive families influenced children's subsidies; and 6) Analyses found some support for associations between subsidies and adoption outcomes. (Author abstract modified)

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