# Search and Matching for Adoption from Foster Care Source: [Search and Matching for Adoption from Foster Care]() Collection index: [llms.txt]() Data updated: 2026-04-09T05:00:04.534Z Authors: Ludwig Dierks, Nils Olberg, Sven Seuken, Vincent W. Slaugh, M. Utku \\"Unver Published: 2021-03-18T10:24:18.000Z ## Abstract To find families for the more than 70,000 children in need of adoptive placements, most United States child welfare agencies have employed a family-driven search approach in which prospective families respond to announcements made by the agency. However, some agencies have switched to a caseworker-driven search approach in which the caseworker directly contacts families recommended for a child. We introduce a novel search-and-matching model that captures the key features of the adoption process and compare family-driven with caseworker-driven search in a game-theoretical framework. Under either approach, the equilibria are generated by threshold strategies and form a lattice structure. Our main theoretical finding then shows that no family-driven equilibrium can Pareto dominate any caseworker-driven outcome, whereas it is possible that each caseworker-driven equilibrium Pareto dominates every equilibrium attainable under family-driven search. We also find that, within our model, when families are sufficiently impatient, caseworker-driven search is better for all children. We numerically illustrate that most agents are better off under caseworker-driven search across a wide range of parameter values. Finally, we present an empirical study of an agency that switched to caseworker-driven search, finding a three-year adoption probability that outperformed a statewide benchmark by 44.9%, along with a statistically significant 54% higher adoption hazard rate. ## Recorded benchmark results A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage. - [Survival Analysis on AFCARS Florida](): Survival Analysis; AFCARS Florida; Log-likelihood Ratio Test Value: 1446.877. - [Adoption Clearance Rate Analysis on Florida AFCARS Before: 7/1/2014-6/30/2018](): Adoption Clearance Rate Analysis; Florida AFCARS Before: 7/1/2014-6/30/2018; Mean Adoption Rate (Focal Circuit): 57. - [Adoption Clearance Rate Analysis on Florida AFCARS After: 7/1/2019-6/30/2024](): Adoption Clearance Rate Analysis; Florida AFCARS After: 7/1/2019-6/30/2024; Mean % Adopted (Focal Agency Circuit): 58. ## Original sources and implementation [Original paper]() [PDF]()