How come so many teens are up for adoption?

Question

I was just browsing an adoption website and there are so many 14-18 year olds up for adoption. Just wondering how they ended up there...... did the parents die and none of the families wanted them?

Answer 1

I know every kid wants a family, and one to come back to, but some should just get a job and move on. I mean 17 and 18 is too old to be adopted. Those kids are old enough to get a job and have their own apartment. What is the point at this age?.

Answer 2

The first responder is correct. They have all been removed from their homes via child protective services. Children are not removed from their homes because they are trouble makers, they are removed from their homes because the parents are failing to provide and protect their children. None of the children (teens or otherwise) are their by their own actions. If they were removed from their home because of what they did, they would be in juvenile hall not the foster care system.

The problem is complex and would take a book to explain thoroughly but in a nutshell, the department of child protective service received a complaint that the children were in an unhealthy (physically, sexually or mentally abusive) situation. CPS went to investigate and found grounds to remove the children from the home until the parents can complete a case plan for reunification. The parents fail for whatever reason to complete the case plan and eventually (usually several years later) the judge overseeing the case terminates parental rights. The child is now an orphan and is legally free for adoption. Many of the children are teens by the time the judge terminates parental rights.

Unfortunately, many of these children enter foster care after they have started school. Many times it is a teacher that reports bruises from beatings or abuse reported to them by the children themselves. Teachers, like those in the medical field are required by law to report all suspected abuse. If a child is school age when they enter foster care the odds of them being adopted is minimal.

One thing that many people fail to realize is that teen age foster childen have a say in whether or not they are considered adoptable. Many teens do not want to be adopted. They feel as if it would be a betrayal to their birth parents. Most who chose not to be available for adoption do not want to be in a position to have hope of finding a family and never see it materialize.

Bottom line is that they end up there by no fault of their own. Their parents could not prove that they could take care of them. I had two foster children who eventually became free for adoption after 4 years in foster care. They were 6 and 7 years old when they were removed from their fathers care. They were 10 and 11 years old when they were eventually available for adoption.

I think it bares mentioning that the case plans for birthparents are not difficult to complete. My foster kids parents were expected to remain drug free (testing once a month), attend parenting and anger management classes, find appropriate housing, stay out of jail and keep a job. Neither the mother (whom DFCS was trying to establish reunification with) nor the father could do these simple tasks.    

I am not sure how anyone could say this was the fault of the kids. Some of these kids are traumatized and suffer post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse they suffered with their birth families. It is very sad but most people are not educated in parenting kids with the types of obsticles some of these kids suffer. It takes more than just love to help them over come their fears. These are reflex fears that they cannot control. Think about them like soldiers in a war zone. Some soldiers come home with no problems and others suffer post traumatic stress disorder that takes years to over come. Kids are no different; some come through with no problems and others are affected dramatically. Again, all of this is the fault of their birth parents who could not or would not take proper care of them.

I might sound a bit harsh on birth parents but I know what my foster kids went through and those parents deserve to be in jail for what they did. I should also say that some birthparents do complete their case plan and do what they need to do to get their kids back. Some birthparents are going through a time time and are normally good, loving parents and deserve to get their kids back when they correct the situation that caused them to loose custody of their kids. That is what foster care was originally meant to do (offer temporary respite to stressed parents so they can correct the situation (get back on their feet) while they know their kids are being taken care of). It has morphed into what it is today by deadbeat, abusive, drug addicted parents who do not deserve a second chance.

Sorry for the book I wrote but this is a topic i feel passionately about and to read some of the posts some of the responders have said just make me angry. If people don't KNOW the answer they shouldn't just make something up.

Answer 3

being a foster child was the most painful experience i have ever been in...no one wants an older kid..everyone wants a baby...(they have less problems) but really.....all i ever wanted was to get out of my abusive foster home...and the only reason i was in foster care was because my mom neglected me and my siblings, did a lot of drugs, and abused the c**p out of us, almost killing my little baby sister....and i didnt need to be in that kind of home that was supposed to protect me...but i was young and no one would listen to me....im 14 now and adopted....i would never want someone to go through what i did...

Answer 4

in england  i belive you can only adopt children under the age 7

Answer 5

Foster Care . . . kids wind up in foster care for a number of reasons including but not limited to:

parental drug and alcohol abuse

abuse and neglect

mental incapacitation of parent

death of parent and no available family

these kids are in a rough boat and truly need homes.  They're not as adoptable becauase people do want infants so they can catch every step of their lives (which is understandable) but at the same time, these kids need homes, too.

check out adoptuskids.org or davethomasfoundation.org as well

Answer 6

Teenagers are often more difficult to place because of emotional "baggage" that they may carry.  Many of these teens have suffered abuse or have been punted from foster care to foster care.  They have had little to no stability or safety.  Some choose to act out their fear/anger/sadness by doing things that are not "deemed appropriate" by society, hence making them more difficult to place.  Another reason is that there are some adoptive families that want a younger child rather than dealing with the tumultuous teenage years right away.  

It's sad though because ALL children deserve a loving/safe home, regardless of age.

Answer 7

well, they couldve dies or they just didnt want to deal with them at all maybe they were trouble makers you never truly kno cause they can come from all differnt places and all...

Answer 8

Both of my children were adopted from foster care (one at age 6 and the other at 14).  They were both in the system due to issues of abuse and neglect stemming from parental drug use.  Both were in and out of the system, bounced around and moved about, from the time they were very young.  

Many times, though a child is in foster care when they were young, they are not adoptable until they are older and all the chances that the state gives their parents have run out.  Sadly, by that time there are very few families willing to take on an older child, especially since they often have issues from all that has happened to them.

Answer 9

There are many many reasons; some of the teens in foster care have been in the system since they were kids. In some cases a parent may have died and they had no kin or friends willing to take them in. They may have been placed in the system for their own safety like they were being abused in some way. They may have some health issues or problems. You see a lot of sibling groups in FC some of this groups can be big like 5 or more kids, I have seen ones with  8. It takes someone truly special to take that many kids in one swoop. Often when you have a sibling group that large the ages range from baby or toddler up to mid teenager.

It’s very sad but once a child gets to be a certain age they are deemd hard to place, once they get to pre teen / teen its even harder. Many people think teens in FCS are bad or I shouldn’t say bad but that they have a lot of issues. This is true for some, they need someone who is going to be patience with them, help them get past their issues.