One of the basic principles of economics is the law of supply and demand. It’s a strange way to think about adoption, but it also makes a central reality clear. Adoption supply and demand explains why waiting is such a central part of the adoption journey.
Supply
On the one hand, there are about 100,000 kids in the U.S. waiting to be adopted. As of this writing, there are 146 kids in foster care in Arkansas waiting for their opportunity to become part of a family.
These children mostly fall into three groups:
- Older kids — average age of 8
- Sibling groups hoping to stay together
- Kids with special needs, physical or mental
Prospective adoptive parents must go through a process to be approved to adopt kids from foster care, Once they are approved, the process can usually be completed within a year.
For this group, the kids end up waiting. Some age out of the system — that is, they become legal adults before they find a home. Without direction and support from parents, they ,may find adult life more difficult than kids who’ve grown up in a stable home. This is a situation in which the supply is greater than the demand.
Demand
The other side of supply is demand. Experts estimate that there may be 36 would-be adoptive parents for every expectant mom o newborn looking for a home. In this case, with higher demand than supply, prospective parents usually have to wait, while the infants can begin their lives in their new homes.
Newborn adoption may take one to two years to complete. People wanting to adopt a newborn must also go through a process of being approved to adopt. Then they will wait for a match with a birth mom or expectant mom. If they are chosen by an expectant mom, they will then go through the same waiting for he baby to arrive that the mom goes through. Just like a biological parent, waiting adoptive parents can’t be sure of the outcome until the baby is actually home with them.
Balance
Sometimes the supply and demand are balanced. The brother who adopts his sister’s child when she feels she is not in a good position to parent, the grandparents who bring up a grandchild after the parent’s death, the friend who helps a troubled friend by adopting a child she can’t care for — these are cases in which the kids who need a home already have an adult who’s ready to grow their family through adoption.
In all these cases, you need an experienced adoption lawyer. Heimer Law specializes in adoption, providing compassionate, expert support to people preparing for adoption in Arkansas.