The United States Foster Care System:

"One day in Foster Care is one day too many"

On any given day in North America, approximately 450,000 children are in the foster care system, and nearly 129,000 of them are available for adoption, just waiting for the right family to find them. Each year 26,000 kids age out of the system at 18 without being adopted.

Foster children tend to be older (the average age is 8). The children may have been removed from their homes as victims of child abuse, neglect, or abandonment and are left without a family - common misperception is children in foster care are "bad children". While the first goal of the foster care system is to return the child to his or her birth family, about 30% of the children who enter foster care do not return home (and parents who express an interest in adoption receive foster children who are less likely to return home). In many cases the state determines whether it is in the child's best interest to stay in the foster care system.

Numerous children in the US foster system have found their forever families within the United States. The Office of Michael S. Goldstein, ESQ., LCSW has helped many families finalize their adoption, bringing permanency to the foster children's lives. Adopting a child from foster care isn't for everyone, but it can be a deeply rewarding way to expand a family and to give love to a deserving child.

In addition, we have been chosen to be on a team of professionals that are trying to open up the United States foster care children to approved prospective adoptive parents from around the world. We are in the beginning phases of this project and are working with the Adoption Exchange on this initiative. We have been reaching out to countries that may be interested and would work together on transition plans and follow-up supervision.

We encourage you to look at The Adoption Exchange website: www.adoptex.org where profiles of children who are available for adoption can be accessed.

We also would like to direct you to www.adoptuskids.org which is an excellent resource for additional information on children in the public welfare system. Adoptuskids.org also works to recruit and retain foster and adoptive families and connect them with children. The finalization of the adoption of a foster care child is usually at no cost to you.

Hague Accreditation for Incoming and Outgoing Adoptions Through March 31, 2013
All rights reserved. © 2011, Michael S. Goldstein, ESQ.,LCSW
All of the children portrayed or mentioned on this web site are with their forever families and are NOT available for adoption.