Is there a long wait list for biracial children in the Foster care system?

Question

I requested only biracial children because my family is an interracial family and i thought biracial children would feel more part of the family. but since i requested mixed race children, will i have to wait a long time to get a child since i limited myself?

Answer 1

My wife and I are both caucasian.  We adopted our first daughter almost 15 years ago when we lived in India.  As a result, I guess we are considered a mixed family.  We started the adoption process again last Sept and we never mentioned race preferences at all.  

In Feb we were matched with a North American Indian little girl.  The workers said that normally they wouldn't place her with us but since we are already a mixed family...    We never considered ourselves to be a mixed race family, we've only just considered ourselves to be a family.  But, I guess we are and since the system considered us as such we were able to adopt a mixed race child rather quickly.

Given your situation I'd think it would be a bit quicker for you but only time will tell.  It makes sense that they want to keep children with the same race adoptive parents/family, when possible, in order to help with the integration process.

Either way, good luck.

Answer 2

Hi Apple,

It sort of depends on the population of children in the foster care system, in your service  area.  Anytime someone makes

specific sorts of requests, it may mean that they might have found a child sooner, absent the request.  But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't make the requests.  You know the factors that would make it harder or easier for a child to adjust to your home and family life.  And it is great to seek out a child who you feel ideally suited to care for.

If the wait does  end up being longer than you anticipated, you can always get in touch with your workers and just  let them know that you're open to children of any ethnicity, but had figured if there an interracial child had been in need of a home, that  they'd feel more at home being in an interracial home.  If you do foster care for awhile, you'll see over time how children from any number of backgrounds, can end up fitting in quite well with families from any number of backgrounds.  

Foster care increasingly has become a port in the storm, as the effort is to find permanency, either through reunification, kinship placement, or adoption. That being the case, most children just need a caring family to be there for them in the meantime.  And of course, if the child ends up being there for awhile and ends up bonding with your family-- well by then that bond is there and they already are family-- so  foster care can lead to permancy too, either through adoption or guardianships.  Most children will accept you regardless. If they feel cared for and can learn to trust you, they'll thrive and it won't matter to them if your family is interracial and they're not.  Foster children who can't return to their biological families, need to find that special place, a  home where they can root in, feel safe, and grow up.

Answer 3

To get to the core of the issue Apple...I believe for white couples it takes longer but since you have an interracial family they may place a child with you over them. They do try to place mixed raced child with the same mixed raced families. It more socially acceptable because unfortunately the US has a lot of racism so it would be easier for a child to acclimate within a family similar in heritage and culture.

Answer 4

Apple,

They are not supposed to discriminate based on race. We too did not ask for any preference in race. Our process took 13 months from the first date we called CPS to the day we brought home our child. We are caucasian with a bi-racial little boy. Many factors determine how long you will wait. If you were open to any age or s*x or some disabilities, then your wait will not be very long. The more specific you are, obviously, the longer you will have to wait.