Developments in U.S. Intercountry Adoption Policy since Its Peak in 2004

Enhancing diurnal cortisol regulation among young children adopted internationally: A randomized controlled trial of a parenting-based intervention

“…Within the United States, the rates of international adoptions have declined from a peak of nearly 23,000 adoptions in 2003 to approximately 3,000 in 2019 (U.S. Department of State, 2020). One reason for this reduction is that many countries have invested more in their own child welfare programs than they had in the past (Neville & Rotabi, 2020). This includes allocating resources to transitioning children living in institutional environments into domestic foster care or adoptive families in children's countries of origin.…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intercountry adoption and international commercial surrogacy

“…Many have already closed, unable to sustain financial viability. Many more will close in the coming months due to the economic downturn (Neville and Rotabi, 2020). Processes in place to protect the best interests of children may be compromised to progress adoptions, for example, reducing the 14-day socialisation period that requires American prospective parents to be in Haiti and to hire proxies instead (US Department of State, 2020b).…”

Intercountry adoption swimming against the tide: Restitution in Samoa

“…Illicit and fraudulent adoptions, an increasing number of countries complying with the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993), and the development of alternative care and family support systems in countries of origin are contributing factors to this global decline in numbers (HCCH, 1993;Kim et al, 2015;Selman 2012). Although not a signatory to the Hague Convention and arguably the most influential receiving state of internationally adopted children, the US has experienced a decrease of at least 85 percent since 2004 (HCCH, 1993;Neville and Rotabi, 2020). Travel restrictions and other public health measures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic have affected these numbers further (Fronek and Rotabi, 2020).…”

“…Depending on the country, ICA is practised within different adoption systems. The decline in numbers has meant that many agencies operating on business models as part of the capitalist market economy have closed ICA programs and agencies in the US and in developing countries, essentially unable to make a profit (Bunkers and Groza, 2012;HCCH, 1993;Neville and Rotabi, 2020). Over their 50-year history, these types of agencies have advertised their services as humanitarian, operate as social entrepreneurial models, and yet are reliant on the marketplace which creates certain vulnerabilities.…”