Adoptions
Date posted: 05/05/2009
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Adoption is a legal proceeding that creates a parent-child relationship and entitles the adoptive child to all privileges belonging to a natural child of the adoptive parents (including the right to inherit). The procedure can be lengthy, as adoptive parents must be evaluated to determine their suitability as parents.
Filing for a 'petition of adoption' is one of the final steps in the process; approval of the petition transfers guardianship to the adoptive parents. The term disruption is used to describe an adoption which fails before legalization, resulting in the child returning to foster care and/or to another set of adoptive parent(s). Most adoptions do not disrupt before legalization and over 80% are successfully finalized. Attempted adoptions involving older children, children with histories of previous placements, or children with longer stays in the foster care system are more likely to disrupt.
The term dissolution is used to describe an adoption that fails after legalization, resulting in the child returning to foster care and/or another set of adoptive parent(s). Most legalized adoptions do not dissolve with more than 98% remaining intact after legalization.
[Information taken from Adoption.com - Disruption & Dissolution.]
What this chart shows: Adoption Filings in Larimer County, 2004 - 2008
Data Source: Colorado Judicial Branch Annual Statistical Reports
What these data tell us:
From 2004 through 2006, adoption filings in Larimer County remained stable. While there was no one reason for the increase in 2007, there was a noted increase in kinship adoptions. A kinship adoption is an adoption of a child by someone related by family ties or a prior relationship. This type of adoption occurred more than usual in 2007 and typically has a smoother process, with less chance of disruption. By design, a growing number of children in the foster care system are cared for by their relatives. Relatives have no legal obligation to become children's caregivers, but kin are increasingly likely to exercise their responsibility to their extended family members. For more information about foster and kinship care in Larimer County, see the Larimer County Human Services - Kinship Care Information.Adoption filings dropped approximately 21% in 2008, which could be attributable to the changing attitudes in China and Russia towards inter-country adoptions. In May 2007, China placed several restrictions on who could adopt in China, and according to the U.S. State Department, there was a 39.5% drop in the number of immigrant visas issued to Chinese orphans between 2007 and 2008.
What this chart shows: United States International Adoptions, 1999-2008
Data Source: United States Department of State - Office of Children's Issues
What these data tell us:
The number of international adoptions increased steadily from 1999 to 2004, but started dropping from 2005 onwards. The recent decline in international adoptions is most likely attributable to stricter adoption policies by China and Russia, the two biggest sources for United States adoptions for nearly a decade. However, from 1999 to 2007, there was an overall increase of 20% in the immigrant visas issued to children for the purpose of adoption, from 16,369 in 1999 to 19,613 in 2007. This increase is a result of former Cold War countries opening their borders for adoption, giving United States parents more choices when seeking adoptable children internationally.
What this chart shows: Top 5 Countries for United States Adoptions, 2008
Data Source: United States Department of State - Office of Children's Issues
What these data tell us:
For the first time in five years, the largest number of adopted children came from Guatemala in 2008. Prior to 2008, China provided the largest number of children for adoption from 2004 through 2007. In May 2007, China placed several restrictions on adoptive parents, and it is anticipated that the number of Chinese adoptions will continue to decline.Additional Information:
On Compass-
- Child Abuse
- Children in Families - Single and Two Parents
- Children in Out-of-Home Placement
- Education - Early Childhood
- Education - K-12
- Population by Age
Outside Compass-
- Child Welfare Information Gateway: a comprehensive site linking to national statistics, state-by-state legal resources, scholarly articles, and more.
- Colorado State Foster Parent Association: the Colorado Foster Parent Association is committed to supporting foster care of children by providing education, advocacy, and resources for Colorado foster parents.
- Federal Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997: this act set permanency standards for children in state care. A main component of ASFA's goals is to reduce the amount of time children spend in an out-of-home, or a non-permanent, situation. The law states that children who are in continual care of a state for 19 months must have parental rights terminated and be placed for adoption.
- Larimer County Human Services - Children, Youth, and Family Services: information on Child Protection, foster care, special needs adoption, and other services.
- Lutheran Family Services of Colorado: agency providing adoption, foster care, and family education and therapy services.
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Brief: Who Adopts? Characteristics of Women and Men Who Have Adopted Children (January 2009)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: information on the Hague Adoption Convention, effective April 1, 2008.
- U.S. Department of State: provides information on intercountry adoption.
Standards or Targets: N/A
Data Tables:
Adoption Filings
|
Year |
Larimer County Number of Filings |
Colorado Number of Filings |
|
2000 |
198 |
2,895 |
|
2001 |
186 |
2,877 |
|
2002 |
236 |
3,035 |
|
2003 |
224 |
2,956 |
|
2004 |
200 |
2,896 |
|
2005 |
206 |
2,905 |
|
2006 |
209 |
2,521 |
|
2007 |
228 |
2,665 |
|
2008 |
181 |
1,483 |
International Adoptions to the United States
|
Year |
Number of Adoptions |
|
1999 |
16,369 |
|
2000 |
18,477 |
|
2001 |
19,224 |
|
2002 |
21,378 |
|
2003 |
21,616 |
|
2004 |
22,884 |
|
2005 |
22,739 |
|
2006 |
20,679 |
|
2007 |
19,613 |
|
2008 |
17,438 |
Top 5 Countries for United States Adoptions, 2008
|
Country |
Number of Adoptions |
|
Guatemala |
4,123 |
|
China |
3,909 |
|
Russia |
1,861 |
|
Ethopia |
1,725 |
|
South Korea |
1,065 |