Adoption research: building blocks for the next decade

Basic national and state adoption indicators are now unavailable and must await future data collection efforts. The focus of future efforts on the adoption of children in foster care is appropriate. Case-level adoption data with unique child indicators must be developed to advance the field and further clarify the odds of adoption and disruption. Available psychosocial research clearly indicates that adoption generally results in successful outcomes. Yet, more comparative research on differences between long-term outcomes for children who are adopted and those remaining in foster care would better estimate the value of adoption to children and the public. Rigorous research on strategies to successfully place children for adoption is essential.