Vol. 15, No. 2 • May 2011

A Reader Asks . . .
Is it hard to find adoptive homes for teens?

Question: I see many older children on the NC Kids website. Is it hard to find adoptive homes for teenagers?

Finding adoptive homes for older kids can be a challenge. Oftentimes, a worker or adoption committee might look for families with approved adoption home studies that are interested in adopting teens in general, but do not know the specific children involved. Many adoption specialists are now taking a closer look at people who already have a relationship with the teen and may be open to adopting that specific child.

Family Finding
There are numerous places to explore when looking for someone who can make a lifelong commitment to a teenager. In North Carolina, several counties (Buncombe, Catawba, Gaston, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, and Wake) are involved with a pilot program called Family Finding. Family Finding consultants work diligently to identify and locate 30 or more extended family members for a specific child. The consultants evaluate each person’s ability and willingness to support waiting children either through placement or in other ways. Child welfare agencies across the nation are having success achieving permanency through similar programs.

Even in counties without Family Finding consultants, it is worth the effort to reconsider maternal and paternal family members who may have previously been ruled out. Family members who were unable to care for a child at an earlier age may have had a change in their situation that would now allow them to be an appropriate parent to a teenager. The teenager may also be at a different developmental stage that might allow them to be a better match for a particular relative.

Exploring the Possibilities
Foster parents make up a large percentage of adoptive families nationwide, and North Carolina is no exception. Each year, hundreds of foster parents adopt waiting children. While adoption isn’t for everyone, current and former foster parents should always be considered for permanency.

Adoption workers can explore school personnel with whom the child is particularly close to. This could include teachers and support staff such as teaching assistants, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, counselors or academic tutors. As some foster children move frequently, this search should include not only current school staff, but education professionals from previous schools or day care facilities the teen might use during school breaks.

Other resources to consider are people who know the young person from providing support services. While it is unlikely that a teenager’s current therapist or service providers will be able to provide a permanent home, adoption professionals can consider former therapists, residential treatment workers, mentors, and volunteers who have worked with the teen and still have a supportive relationship with them. Church members are another option for some teens.

In the age of Facebook, texting, and instant messaging, it seems young people are constantly in touch with someone. One worker recently shared that she scrolls through her teenage clients’ cell phones and talks with them about their friends, their friend’s parents, and other adults with whom the kids have a close relationship and might be willing to consider providing permanency. According to Facebook statistics, the average user has 130 “friends” (and most teens probably have more), so it’s another list of possible placements worth exploring. Even “AWOL resources”—the people teenagers run to when times get hard—should be explored. If it is a safe, appropriate environment and one that can be committed to a teenager over the long term, this may be an untapped resource for a waiting teen.

What You Can Do
As part of the team of professionals involved in a child’s life, how can foster parents help find permanency for the teens in their life? Because foster parents spend far more time with waiting children than other professionals, you have a unique insight into who teens spend their time with and what type of support or influence different people provide. Foster parents are encouraged to suggest to workers any possible permanent placement options they see, and allow workers time to investigate these connections. Keep in mind that workers may have additional information about a particular person or something that happened in the past that would eliminate them as a possibility.

We know that the outcomes for teens aging out of foster care are not encouraging. Many of the children aging out of foster care don’t complete high school and struggle with homelessness, unemployment, arrest/legal troubles, and unplanned pregnancy. To avoid these outcomes, foster parents, social workers, and those involved with waiting children must continue to help identify caring adults who can commit to these young people.

Response by Robyn Weiser, NC Kids Adoption and Foster Care Network. If you have a question about foster care or adoption in North Carolina, send it to [email protected].

Copyright � 2011 Jordan Institute for Families