VFA Survey: The Adoption Workforce Crisis

Workforce shortages are a major or severe problem for a large majority of organizations that work to place and support families that have adopted children from foster care, according to the results of a new survey released November 2 by Voice for Adoption.

The impact on children is worse. According to the survey, 39.3% said workforce challenges have reduced the number of children adopted from foster care. A higher percentage (45.3%) said that workforce challenges have increased the rate of failed adoptions, including the return of some adoptive children to the foster care system. A majority (59%) said at least one of these two outcomes was caused by workforce shortages in their state or service area.

How do workforce shortages cause these adverse results?  Respondents cited service delivery delays (82.1%) and reduced access to services (70.1%) as two major causes. Reduced quality of services (67.5%) is another. Most respondents (73.5%) also say workforce turnover also has negative effects on trust among adoptive families and youth.

Compared to child welfare workforce issues as a whole, adoption from foster care was roughly comparable. However, more survey respondents rated workforce shortages in the pubic (government) sector as a greater problem than those in the private (nonprofit) sector. This was partly because respondents believed that public sector workforce problems tended to produce spillover effects for nonprofits in the same state or jurisdiction.

The survey also explored the types of services where workforce shortages were most pronounced. According to survey respondents, post-adoption mental health services are most affected, with 46.2% calling workforce shortages for such services a severe problem. Substance use treatment and independent living services also ranked high on the list. In general, post-adoption services appear to face greater workforce problems than pre-adoption services (such as pre-adoption parent training and home studies), although parent recruitment ranked high on the list.

When asked to rate a variety of potential solutions, higher pay and benefits were rated highest, with 65% of survey respondents rating it among the most effective strategies. Reduced caseloads and reduced paperwork/administrative work came in second and third, respectively. Student loan assistance, improved training, and recruitment bonuses were further down the list.

The results of VFA’s survey were released at a congressional staff briefing in the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare. Committee Chairman Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Ranking Member Danny Davis (D-IL) gave introductory remarks.

The survey was conducted from September 20 through October 27, 2023. Survey respondents work for nonprofit organizations and state and local government agencies that support adoption from foster care. There were 117 survey respondents from 34 states representing 79% of children in foster care.