Effects of age and race on the odds of adoption versus remaining in long-term out-of-home care.

Permanency planning philosophy and law express a preference for adoption over long-term out-of-home care when children cannot be reunified with their families. Yet, little research has considered the likelihood of a child being adopted as compared to remaining in long-term care. This study followed 3,873 children who were under six years of age when they entered out-of-home care to determine whether over the next six years they were reunified with their biological families, adopted, remained in out-of-home care, or experienced another outcome. Age at the time of placement and race/ ethnicity were found to have substantial direct effects on outcomes, but there were no significant age by race interactions or gender-based significant direct or interactive effects. Suggestions for improving the likelihood of adoption are presented.