Though we’ve made progress, “there’s still a long way to go” when it comes to the adoption process, says a family expert — including protecting the safety of young people who are in foster care as they await permanent, loving families.

The Selfless Love Foundation’s National Think Tank is a collective force of change-makers aiming to improve the foster care adoption process in this country. The annual conference, which took place in October, brings together young people who have experienced foster care, as well as child welfare leaders and policymakers from over 30 states. 

The National Think Tank is a strategic plan to influence federal policy and state-level action to transform the foster care adoption process to best serve children.

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On the heels of the October 2025 Think Tank, lead researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago will create a road map and actionable next steps for each state.

For National Adoption Month in November, I spoke with Ashley Brown, founder and CEO of Selfless Love. She and her husband started their nonprofit 10 years ago, in 2015 — and she has said her own adoption as an infant “changed the trajectory” of her life. She’s been on “America’s Newsroom” several times. Read on for her thoughtful answers to some important questions!

Q: How is the U.S. taking care of foster care children and encouraging adoption? 

Ashley Brown: As a nation, we’ve made progress, but there’s still a long way to go. Many people would be surprised to learn that in most states, photos of children available for adoption are posted publicly online. 

While that approach to adoption recruitment may have made sense before the internet’s evolution — it can also put young people at risk. 

In Florida, Selfless Love Foundation worked alongside youth to help pass a law that protects children’s images from public view. It also gives children aged 12 and up a say in the photos and information shared on adoption sites.

An entire day of the National Think Tank was dedicated to this specific issue. We also looked at adoption recruitment and post-adoption support for families, as the goal is not just child placement — but permanency.

Q: What are the biggest obstacles to making more progress?

Brown: One of the biggest obstacles to progress is the lack of a federal policy to protect children’s privacy and to give them a voice in how they’re represented. 

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Each state is left to make its own decisions, and young people lack concrete rights and protections across the board. They are the experts — and they must be included in the decisions that affect them most.

Q: What research or lessons from the National Think Tank could foster significant progress?

Brown: What really stood out was how little protection there is for children in the adoption process. There is no federal law and very limited state laws that even acknowledge young people’s right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment. 

“Rights, recruitment and post-adoption support are connected. We can’t fix one without strengthening the others.”

That gap highlights how far we have to go and where we should start. 

It also reminds us that rights, recruitment and post-adoption support are connected. We can’t fix one without strengthening the others.

Q: What can state legislatures do in the next 12 months to affect change?

Brown: The most immediate and achievable step is to support legislation that gives youth the right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment, protecting their privacy, dignity and safety. 

Researchers from Chapin Hall will prepare a report on the key findings from the National Think Tank, which will help state and federal leaders better understand the importance of youth rights in adoption.

Q: How can Americans best help children who are in foster care or aging out of the system?

Brown: One theme we heard over and over at the National Think Tank was the power of community. Kids in foster care and those who have aged out of the system need to know they have support and that people care.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Selfless Love Foundation is able to offer this National Think Tank at no cost, including scholarships to cover youth’s travel and accommodations. 

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The best way people can help is by allowing more young people to attend events like this, where their voices are heard, their experiences are valued — and they are part of transforming the system. 

With no national standard in place, we leave a vulnerable group of children without clear protections. 

We already recognize a child’s right to choose adoption. 

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Extending that principle to how they are portrayed is a matter of policy alignment and fairness. To help, and to learn more, anyone can visit selflesslovefoundation.org.