Summary: Provides a review of The Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA), originally enacted in 1994, that was intended to improve the likelihood that children were adopted and to ensure that minority children did not wait in foster care longer than their white peers. This report examined recent trends in adoption and transracial adoption, including the extent to which children of color wait disproportionately in foster care and whether wait times are uniformed across age groups and other demographic factors.
Application: The report is crucial to understand how adoption impacts white and youth of color in foster care. The conclusion states that Black youth are less likely to be adopted than White youth and are also in foster care for a longer period of time. When focusing on race equity work, this research will be helpful to explain the need to focus on how race equity impacts the child welfare system in presentations to external partners.
Source: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
