Online Foster/adoptive kids?

Question

How come when i go online to view "waiting kids" only older kids and children with disabilities show up? I never see any toddlers unless they have a medical problem

Answer 1

Because the sad truth is that, most of the kids are disabled or minorities. I found a beautiful two year old named Evelyn on a website and her only disability was that she was deaf in one ear and blind in one eye. I wanted her so bad, but I'm too young to adopt. D:

Young, healthy toddlers and babies go fast. If you adopt them very young, they are more likely to accept you as their parents. But older children have been in the system long enough to know that they weren't wanted, and hence, they may have more problems than the younger ones will.

Answer 2

Children's photos are only placed on "waiting children" sites if social workers are having a very difficult time finding an adoptive family for them. There are MANY families already waiting to adopt a reasonably healthy infant, toddler or young school-age child from fostercare.

In US fostercare, the children that are the hardest to place are older children (age 8 +), those with severe special needs, and large sibling groups. Many of these children also have  emotional, behavioral, or developmental issues to be considered as well.

Answer 3

Because the truth of the matter is that the average AGE of children entering the foster care system is 8 years old.

The reality is that many babies and toddlers do not come into foster care because:

(1) they are taken in by other family members

(2) CPS is not notified of abuse or neglect until the children start school

Older kids need a family too.  

Answer 4

Because older children and children with special needs are waiting longer, and the point of the list is to help shorten the wait for children who take longer to be adopted. Healthy toddlers are adopted much more quickly, so they don't stay on the list for long if they're put on it at all.

If it's important to you to adopt a younger child, you need to discuss it more pro-actively with your social worker, as toddlers are less likely to end up on the waiting list, so you aren't likely to be matched with a toddler just looking online.

But maybe you should give consideration to an older or special needs child, since you've seen there's much more need for homes there than there is with a toddler. Maybe if you broadened your ideas a little, you could love a different sort of child than you expected.

Answer 5

Well the reason we were told is because the foster families usually adopt. We wanted a toddler and or an infant and we were told the only way was to  foster first IF they go for permant custody then  the foster parent is given the first option. Even with that there are very few toddlers and almost no infants in foster care

Answer 6

No, they don't post the children online that are easy to place.  Definitely pick up the phone and talk to a caseworker.

Going solely on what you see online can be discouraging.  In my state, there are usually less than twenty kids on the website and almost all the bios say the kids must be the only child (rules me out) or that they can't be in a home with young children or pets (both rule me out as well).  

Answer 7

so, adopt and older child!

Answer 8

Shopping for an infant huh

They show the children who need homes.  

It may be news to you, but that's what adoption is supposed to be all about - the children who need homes.

Answer 9

The truth of the matter is that healthy infants and toddlers find adoptive parents very quickly. They are also more likely to be adopted by extended family before being placed in foster care. Children with physical disabilities or mental health issues are less likely to find homes because they are seen as requiring the greatest effort and financial investment to raise. Older children don't have the same novelty as babies, and if they have been in the foster care system or an abusive household for most of their lives, they will usually have developmental delays, emotional issues or behavioural problems.

What many people don't realize is that kids with disabilites or psychological and emotional damage will often improve greatly when they are placed in a loving, stable environment. In order to thrive, a child needs to feel safe and secure, and to have a sense of belonging. Without a permanent family, no child can reach their full potential. When you adopt an older child or a child with special needs, you are making a major investment in their future and giving them a much better chance of enjoying a happy and fulfilling life. You may notice that many older children who are adopted end up being adopted by foster parents who have fallen in love with the child after fostering them for a while. This goes to show that although these children have challenges, they are just as lovable and valuable as any other child.