Foster Adoption Photolisting

Foster children waiting for adoption can be found on foster adoption photolistings. These children are currently in foster care and their parents have already terminated their legal rights to the child.

According to the 2009 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, the average child in the foster care system were nearly 10 and had been in the system for an average of over one to two years. About a quarter of the children in foster care were waiting for adoption in 2009, which amounted to over 100,000 children. Only about 55,000 foster children were adopted that year, 14 percent (15,759) of the children waiting for adoption were in a pre-adoptive home.

Photolistings of foster children certainly can help a family or couple looking to adopt an older child, but there are limitations. As with any form of photolisting, it's important that prospective parents do not fall in love with one photo and become attached to a child before knowing him or her. Many children in the foster care system have special needs that are too detailed to be included in a photolisting bio. In 2009, 88 percent of the adopted foster children received federal subsidies. Foster adoption photolistings are more helpful than infant photolistings solely because they can include a description of a child's personality. A foster adoption photolisting can help a couple recognize the kind of personalities that are out there but they should also keep an open mind.