Misinformation: The foster system really just takes children away from families that are having a hard time because they know they can adopt them out.

Reality: The foster system is not designed to be an adoption agency. If that were true the more than 130,000 foster children on average waiting for an adoptive family, wouldn't be waiting. The job of the foster care system is to protect the children from harm. The goal is always to reunite families if at all possible. On average only 20 percent of the children who come into foster care become available for adoption. The majority of funding and programs are designed to meet the needs of the foster care system, not the process of finding and supporting families for those children who cannot return to their biological families.