To achieve the vision that every child will have a safe, permanent home and a loving family, it is critical to understand the beliefs and barriers impacting the work of child welfare professionals.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption first commissioned The Harris Poll in 2022 to survey child welfare professionals across the United States to capture their perspectives about achieving legal permanency for children waiting in foster care. In 2024, the Foundation re-administered the survey with some new questions to gain additional insights from various roles within a child’s team.
The survey was administered online, September 3–October 18, 2024, with 524 participants representing diverse professional roles in child welfare. Among those surveyed, 90% agree that legal permanency should be the goal for every child waiting in foster care. Survey participants also identified potential barriers they have navigated in supporting a child’s path to permanency as well as strategies to overcome them.
agree that we should be doing more to remove barriers to legal permanency.
agree that a permanent family is possible for every child … no matter their story.
believe that adoption by a family known to the child is the most ideal permanency outcome for children waiting in foster care.
Informed by this research, the Foundation is committed to raising awareness and creating resources to support child welfare professionals in achieving legal permanency for ALL children lingering in foster care … no matter their story.
