A new consortium of private adoption agencies, led by the Maryland-based Barker Adoption Foundation, aims to increase adoptive placements for children and teens in foster care by pooling resources, knowledge, and support among participating organizations.
Emily Marshall, foster care adoption consortium director at the Barker Foundation, described the initiative as creating a collaborative community for private agencies. “The idea here is to form community around private agencies,” Marshall said, “providing resources and support so that more private agencies feel willing and able to support adoption from foster care.” She added that the group will help agencies become better equipped to navigate the foster care adoption process.
The effort addresses a national decline in foster care adoptions. According to the National Council for Adoption, adoptions of children from foster care have decreased by more than 25% since 2019, with 46,935 children adopted in fiscal year 2024—a drop of over 6% from the prior year and over 26% since 2019. Nationally, more than 100,000 children remain eligible for adoption and wait an average of three years for a permanent family, per the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. More than 15,000 teens aged out of foster care last year without permanent homes.
In Maryland, approximately 3,800 children are in foster care, with only about 300 adopted annually. The Barker Foundation, a nonprofit licensed in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, operates Project Wait No Longer, its existing foster care adoption program focused on finding permanent families for older youth, sibling groups, and children with specialized needs. Marshall serves as the consortium director while also holding prior roles in international programs at Barker.
Older children in foster care face particular barriers, with adoption chances dropping significantly after age 10. Marshall challenged common misconceptions. “Nobody is ever too old, from three months to 30 years, to need the support of a family,” she said. She highlighted both everyday and long-term needs: “Thinking about simple things, like somewhere to go on Thanksgiving, or more complex things – like somewhere to go, somebody to fall back on, a room to stay in if you can’t keep your apartment because you’ve lost your job.”
The consortium seeks to encourage more private agencies to engage in foster care adoptions, which often involve subsidized processes and post-adoption support but can face hurdles such as training, matching, and resource limitations. Marshall indicated plans to announce participating agencies later this year as the group’s objectives solidify.
This initiative aligns with broader efforts in the region to support foster care outcomes, including Barker’s annual adoption and foster care conference and resources for families adopting older children or those with special needs. Private agencies’ involvement could help reduce the number of youth aging out without connections, providing stability through permanent family ties.