The term “adoption disruption” refers to failure or breakdown of an adoptive child’s placement within the adoptive family before the adoption is finalized . The term “adoption dissolution” refers to severing the relationship between adoptive parents and adoptive children after the legal adoption has been finalized. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (2012) estimates that approximately 10–25 % of U.S. domestic adoptions are disrupted or dissolved annually. Statistics on international adoptions are not as clear. In 2011, the US Department of State reported six disruptions of international adoptions from Convention countries (see Chap. 6). In the same year there were a total of 9320 successful adoption placements from Convention home countries into the U.S. In 2010, the State Department reported a total of 33 disruptions and dissolutions involving 41 children adopted from Convention countries. These children were subsequently placed in state custody.

A number of child, adoptive family, and agency factors contribute to adoption disruption or dissolution. Child factors may include older age, emotional or behavior problems, pre-adoption sexual abuse, and strong attachment to birth mother. Adoptive family factors including being a new or matched family, lack of social support from extended family, unrealistic expectations, and adoptive mothers with higher education. Finally, agency factors may include having inadequate information about the child’s background; inadequate parental preparation, training and support; limited case worker involvement, staff inconsistencies and inadequate services provided (Coakley and Berrick 2008; Child Welfare Information Gateway 2012).

In some cases, when the adoptive family finds the adopted child to be too much to care for, they seek another family to care for the child. This process is commonly referred to as “re-homing”. In these cases, parents may place an ad on an internet web site seeking another home for the child. A number of concerning media stories have arisen of adoptive parents placing such re-homing internet ads (Twohey 2013). Many of the re-homing cases occur privately without the involvement of the adoption agency or child welfare services. There is little or no evaluation of the prospective family for their fitness in taking on a child. Therefore, there are no safety or protective guidelines for such private re-homing placements. The outcomes of such children are not well documented due to the limited involvement of authority figures. However, the cases that are highlighted in the media are characterized by child abandonment, neglect and/or abuse by families who take these children in (Twohey 2013).

The goal is to make adoption placement permanent and successful. Researchers have made suggestions to help reduce disruptions and dissolutions. For one, agencies should better train caseworkers in appropriately pairing families and child in light of family and child factors. There needs to be better education, preparation, training and support of families who adopt. There should be more consistency in agency officials who work with families throughout the adoption process. Many countries have limited adoptions to families in the United States and are attempting to provide in-country care for children with special healthcare needs who could be candidates for international adoption (Coakley and Berrick 2008).

Children who are adopted internationally generally adjust well to living with their adoptive families in their adoptive nations. Prenatal and pre-adoptive environments play a significant role in the developmental and behavioral outcomes of these children throughout childhood and adolescents. Age at adoption plays a critical role in developmental, behavioral, and educational outcomes , with younger age at adoption being protective against developmental delays and behavior problems. Internationally adopted children tend to have more emotional and behavioral problems than children that are not adopted. Many internationally adopted children are also transracially adopted and will experience cultural identity development as they progress throughout adolescence; they need support, cultural socialization and acceptance from their families to help them develop a healthy cultural identity. Adoption disruptions and dissolutions result from a multitude of child, family and agency factors. Adoptive families need adequate and realistic education, preparation, training and support throughout the adoption process to help make adoptions successful and permanent.