North Dakota Adoption Reform Cuts Home Assessments From 77 to 42 Days; 222 Adoptions Finalized This Year
The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said in Bismarck, Burleigh County, on November 2, during Adoption Awareness Month, that the state's adoption services redesign, launched in 2024, continues to improve timelines. The average time to complete an adoption home assessment has fallen 45.5%, from 77 days to 42 days; the average time to finalize an adoption has dropped from nearly 16.1 months to less than a year; and the average time between a child becoming legally available for adoption and finalization has fallen 50%, from 29 months to 14.5 months.
The department maintained no waitlist for adoption services in fiscal year 2026. So far in 2026, 222 adoptions have been finalized through North Dakota's public adoption system, while 29 children in foster care with a goal of adoption have not yet been matched with a family.
Leanne Miller, the department's adoption services administrator, said November is a time to celebrate families formed through adoption and the importance of safe, stable, permanent homes, and that the department will keep supporting children and families throughout the process.
(Source: North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services)
Source: North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：北达科他州议会大厦，位于 Bismarck。Quintin Soloviev 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck. By Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
