About AdoptOHIO

On any given day, over 22,000 children are living in foster families or in another out-of-home placement setting. These children, who reside in the custody of local children service agencies, may be dealing with issues of past abuse, neglect, and/or dependency. These children need families available to them through adoption. Each year in Ohio, more and more faces of these children turn to us looking for an answer.

As of October 2004, there were 3,049 children whose parent's biological rights have been terminated and are currently residing in foster care settings waiting to be adopted. This number represents a five percent decrease from the nearly 3,242 children who were previously awaiting adoptive families in October of 2003.

The decrease in the number of children available for adoption may be responsible for the slight decrease in the number of children adopted over the last few years. During federal fiscal year (FFY) 2003 (October 1, 2002 - September 30, 2003), Ohio finalized 2,253 adoptions. In FFY 2004, (October 1, 2003 - September 30, 2004), Ohio finalized 2,034 adoptions.

Who are these children waiting for adoptive families in Ohio? Although children are waiting in all age groups, the majority of children waiting are between 10-17 years old. Approximately 71% of the children are in the custody of Ohio's eight largest counties (Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, Stark and Summit).

Males make up 55 percent of the waiting children population and females make up the remaining 45 percent.

During FFY 2004, more Caucasian children were adopted than African American children. Caucasian children made up 50 percent of the waiting children while African American children accounted for 48 percent. The remaining 2 percent of waiting children were Native American and Asian/Pacific Islander.

For public children service agencies, a child can only be adopted after the juvenile court has granted permanent custody to the agency. For children who were in permanent custody status during FFY 2004, 43 percent had been in permanent custody one year or less; 32 percent had been in custody for one to two years; 12 percent had been in custody for two to three years; 5 percent had been in custody for three to four years; and 8 percent had been in custody for more than four years.

Among placed and adopted children, over a third (39 percent) spent one year or less in permanent custody in FFY 2004 before being placed for adoption or having their adoption finalized. This is up from 33 percent in FFY 2001 and from 35 percent in FFY 2003. While this is a positive trend, the outlook for children in permanent custody the longest, more than three years is not improving. In FFYs 2002 and 2004, 20 percent of the children adopted had been in custody for more than three years. In FFY 2003, that number rose slightly to 22.4 percent.

The percentage of waiting children who have been in permanent custody for one year or less is increasing slightly. The percentage of children in permanent custody for more than four years is roughly stable between 16 percent and 18 percent in the last three federal fiscal years

Many of the children available for adoption are considered special needs because they are of an older age, part of a siblings group, and/or have physical health, mental health, emotional health, and developmental problems. Some children labeled as special needs may face behavioral and attachment problems which can place challenges on adopting families. Families looking to adopt are encouraged to explore their support system and seek services when issues arise throughout their adoption experience. All of Ohio's waiting children are in need of families that can provide a loving, stable, and secure home for a growing child.

A family is the most important thing a child can have. Every child has a right to a permanent family - a family where they can be loved, cared for, and kept safe. Unfortunately, in Ohio many waiting children do not have a family to call their own. If you are interested in adopting a waiting child and would like more information on adoption and adoption agencies/resources, call Ohio's Help Me Grow Hotline at 1-800-755-GROW (4769) to receive the Ohio Adoption Guide. This educational adoption guide is designed to assist individuals and families interested in learning more about the adoption process.