From 2016 to 2020, approximately 700 children were adopted each year in Wisconsin. In 2020, 11,303 children were in an out-of-home care placement at some point during the year. Of the children in an out-of-home placement, 32.9% were in a relative placement (i.e., kinship care).
Adoption failures/dissolutions, or adoptions in which children are returned to state care after finalization of adoption, has been estimated to be between 2-10% nationally, but there is not yet good information on the rate in Wisconsin.
According to C.A.S.E., children with traumatic experiences of abuse, neglect and abandonment, and challenging behavioral and emotional responses are at greater risk of presenting with adjustment problems within their adoptive families, which creates vulnerability and risk of family disruption.
Access to adoption-competent mental health services is a critical factor in the outcomes for these children and their adoptive families, and impacts the success of adoption.
To fill this need, C.A.S.E. has developed the TAC program to increase the numbers of professionals who are able to provide treatment services to these individuals and families. The end goal of increased access to adoption competent mental health, adoption, and child welfare practitioners is improved well-being of adopted children and their families and a decrease in adoption dissolution.