Adoption is the legal and social means by which children become members of families other than their birth families.
Adoptive parents have all the rights and responsibilities of parents.
Through adoption, children receive families of their own. Children who need adoptive families live in all 50 states and in other countries. They come from all racial and ethnic groups and range in age from infants to teenagers. Many children with special needs are under state guardianship because a court terminated their birth parents' rights. Parents who adopt children with special needs may receive financial assistance to help meet children's needs.