In 2024, Pact’s Adoptive Parents of Color Collaborative (APCC) conducted a national survey of adoptive and foster parents of color. The APCC Survey had 114 respondents from across the United States. This may be the only available source of data collected directly from this under-served and under-researched population.
The needs of BIPOC adoptive and foster parents have been under-served in the field of adoption, where white parents’ needs are given priority. The mission of Pact’s APCC is to make these disparities visible, and to rectify them, by centering the needs of people of color. By directly asking BIPOC adoptive parents what they need, APCC can not only better serve BIPOC-led adoptive families, but make the case for change in the entire adoption community.
Adoptive and foster parents of color told us they want culturally-sensitive support and education focused on specific parenting challenges. The topics that BIPOC adoptive parents rated most important, in terms of increasing their parenting knowledge and skills, were:
- Trauma-informed parenting (60%)
- Dealing with behavioral challenges (56%)
- How to talk about first/birth family (56%)
- Navigating relationship with first/birth family (55%)
- How to talk with children about adoption (51%)
- Parenting adopted teens or young adults (50%)
Read the full report, What Do BIPOC Adoptive & Foster Parents Need?, to learn more who responded to the survey, what they told us, and how Pact/APCC plans to respond.