Adoption Disruptions
An adoption disruption or adoption dissolution is a family's nightmare, but they can and do happen.
You can reduce your risk of a disruption by working with a licensed adoption agency. This can help assure the process proceeds as smoothly as possible and that a full range of services is available to you, the birth mother, birth father, and their families.
We are a fully licensed non-profit adoption agency that helps birth parents and families. Since our founding in 1985, we have completed between 800-900 successful placements.
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Disruptions
The term "disruption" is used when a child is placed into the custody of an adoptive family with the intent to adopt but, due to a change of mind by the birth mother, birth father, or adoptive family, the adoption does not take place and the child is returned the birth parent, to foster care, or placement with new adoptive parents.
In every U.S. state the birth mother, and in many cases the birth father, cannot irrevocably terminate their parental rights until sometime after the baby is born. Until the birth parents rights have been ended (called termination, surrender, or relinquishment) they are the parents and, if the child has been placed for adoption, they can ask for the baby to be returned.
A disruption can also occur if, prior to the finalization of the adoption, the adopting parents do not want to proceed with the adoption. This is most commonly found in state-sponsored adoption programs.
It is difficult to get an accurate picture of the frequency of adoption disruptions since many private adoptions result in disruptions but do not appear in statistical reports. However, in general it appears that in the U.S. the rate of adoption disruption runs between 10%-25%.
Dissolutions
The term dissolution is used to describe an adoption that ends after it is legally finalized, resulting in the child's return to (or entry into) foster care or placement with new adoptive parents.
The frequency and accuracy of adoption dissolution rates is harder to evaluate than adoption disruptions. It appears that adoption dissolutions occur somewhere between 1%- 10% with the rate being at the higher end in adoptions that have involved special needs children and children from a state's foster care system.
Data Sources for Disruptions and Dissolutions
No national data are collected on the number of disruptions and dissolutions or the percentages of adoptive placements that end in disruption or dissolution. Most of the data that are collected are for adoptions from public agencies or those under contract from public agencies.
No national studies are available on disruptions or dissolutions of intercountry adoptions or adoptions from private sources.
There are no national data collected on the number of independent, private, or tribal adoptions.
Additional Adoption Resources
For additional help with an adoption disruption or dissolution you can find a list of adoption agencies at the link Domestic Adoption Agencies.
If you need or want some specific personal advice contact your state child welfare agency or state adoption contact or adoption attorney. You can also call Dr. Vince Berger, a psychologist and adoption professional.
Please visit our home page to read about our commitment to assist adoptive parents like you as well as pregnant women and birth parents.