The Report to Congress on the Barriers and Success Factors in Adoption from Foster Care was submitted to Congress to satisfy two statutory directives. First, the Children’s Health Act of 2000 amended the Public Health Service Act, and included in that 2000 legislation were provisions that resulted in the creation of the AdoptUsKids national recruitment campaign. Second, that same legislation required the Secretary of HHS to carry out studies to identify both the barriers to completion of the adoption process and those components that lead to favorable long-term outcomes for families who adopt children with special needs. While the 2000 legislation did not specify that a report was required to identify the barriers and components leading to favorable outcomes, HHS has used this report to demonstrate to Congress that it fulfilled the legislative requirement to conduct this study.

• Read the full report including the letters to Congress.