Preferred Characteristics of Children in Need of Adoption: Is There a Demand for Available Foster Children?

This study examines 625 Caucasian adoptive parents’ preferences for certain characteristics in adoptive children in order to assist child‐welfare professionals in achieving greater levels of permanency for available foster children. Findings indicate that when willing to adopt a foster child parents generally prefer Caucasian, young, and non–special needs children. However, parents also appear to be willing to adopt foster children who are of color, older, or who have special needs. An underutilized pool of prospective adopters therefore may exist for foster children with a range of characteristics.