A number of child welfare professionals still view many special needs children as unadoptable, and do not devote sufficient resources to finding and supporting adoptive families Agencies need to allocate more time and resources for adoptive family recruitment and retention. Financial incentives encourage keeping children in foster care rather than moving them into adoptive homes Adoption assistance policies and practices need to be modified at the state and federal level to provide increased incentives for adoption. The recommendations we proposed require reforms within several contexts public policy, management, and practice. Policy States need to develop policies detailing when the use of long-term foster care as a permanent plan is appropriate. Financial incentives should support moving more foster children into adoptive homes.
Subsidized guardianship needs to be carefully examined.
Management Systems should conduct early assessment and planning to ensure that children do not drift into long-term foster care placements. Agencies need to develop guidelines and procedures for making decisions about permanent plans. Public agency resources need to be redirected to allow targeted staff, in partnership with community-based agencies, to focus exclusively on achieving and maintaining permanence for specific children. States need to collect descriptive data on children in LTFC placements and assess the stability of these placements. Practice Systems should locate and involve kin in case planning.