For the most part, adoption has been a very successful social arrangement. There are several ways to measure the successes in adoption. Disruption, which means the removal of the child from the adoptive placement prior to finalization, does not occur in most cases. In addition to the research on disruption, success can be examined by post-legal adoption outcomes such as parental satisfaction and problems after legalization.
Most studies support the notion that adoption outcomes are overwhelmingly positive.
Finally, success can be measure by looking at the percent of children who remain in their families over time. Success in adoption depends on several factors. Families who develop informal networks of family, neighbors, friends, other adoptive families, and associates who give them consistent, positive support for the adoption are almost always successful. Two, having access to appropriate, easily accessible and affordable social services positively affects the adoption, also. Finally, creativity and flexibility in family functioning is important.