National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey (2007)

Many folks have wanted to adopt. Check out these links and look at waiting kids all over! Or, if you are unable to adopt, look at the links and pray for these children! Pray that they find good homes and that they are loved and comforted and tat their needs are met! If ever there were those that desperately needed prayer.. it would be these children. Here are links for WAITING CHILDREN PHOTOLISTINGS. These children are available in the us and ALL OVER!

http://www.untilallhavehomes.org/
http://www.achildswaiting.com/adoptive_parents/waiting_children.php
http://www.heartgalleryofamerica.org/
http://www.heartgalleryofamerica.org/Galleries/State_Galleries.asphttp://www.adoptuskids.org/
http://photolisting.adoption.com/ (Great site/both international and US)

Every day in America, children are abused, neglected and abandoned. Thousands enter the foster care and juvenile justice system through no fault of their own and are subsequently permanently removed from their homes because their birth families are unable or unwilling to provide a safe environment for them. Today, 129,000 children in the U.S. foster care system are available for adoption.

National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey (2007)The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption commissioned Harris Interactive to understand Americans’ attitudes about foster care adoption, their beliefs about the children waiting to be adopted, their perceptions of the system caring for these children and their attitudes toward what a healthy living environment is for a child. By highlighting perceptions, or misperceptions in these areas, we can work to more effectively move children from the temporary, yet too often long-term care of the state into the permanent and nurturing care of a family.

Some key findings are:

U.S. adults are considering foster care adoption more often than any other type of adoption, but misperceptions abound about the children waiting to be adopted and the foster care adoption process.
Almost three quarters of American adults (72 %) have a very favorable opinion of adoption and almost two-thirds (69%) believe we as a society should be doing more to encourage foster care adoption.
Although 89% of Americans are familiar with adoption in general, 79% of Americans are familiar with foster care adoption.
Yet, given this large pool of potential adoptive parents who are both familiar with the issue and considering acting (48 million adults), 114,000 children still wait to be adopted from the U.S. foster care system.
Three core misperceptions about foster care adoption shared by the American public may deter potential parents from engaging in the system and following through with foster care adoptions.
1. Americans do not have a clear picture of the 114,000 eligible children in the U.S.
foster care system waiting for adoption.
2. Americans underestimate the diversity of individuals who are capable of adopting from
foster care.
3. Americans do not fully understand the U.S. foster care adoption process.

In order to increase the number of Americans engaging in the foster care adoption process, greater efforts must be taken to provide an accurate picture of the available children waiting for adoption, the specific steps for the adoption process and the diversity of individuals capable of adoption. In addition, key reforms must be implemented into the U.S. foster care system to ensure the adoption process is clear, efficient and responsive to the needs of prospective parents.
View the news release.
Download the Executive Summary for an in-depth view of key findings.
Download the Full Survey Report with Executive Summary and detailed findings.
View the Foster Care Adoption Fact Sheet to learn more about foster care adoption today.