Experts Warn of Security Risks for Children as Adoption Photos Raise Concerns

Despite Progress, Foster Care Adoption System Still Faces Significant Challenges

Though the United States has made notable strides in improving the foster care adoption process, “there’s still a long way to go,” according to Ashley Brown, founder and CEO of Selfless Love Foundation. Her organization is at the forefront of efforts to enhance the adoption system while prioritizing the safety and dignity of children awaiting permanent families.

The foundation’s National Think Tank, held in October, brought together young people with foster care experience, child welfare leaders and policymakers from over 30 states to collaborate on improving the adoption process. The annual conference aims to influence both federal policy and state-level action to better serve children in the foster care system.

Following the Think Tank, researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago will develop a comprehensive road map with actionable next steps for each state to implement improvements. The timing aligns with November’s National Adoption Month, highlighting the ongoing challenges in the system.

One particularly troubling issue Brown identified is the widespread practice of publicly posting photos of children available for adoption online. “Many people would be surprised to learn that in most states, photos of children available for adoption are posted publicly online,” Brown explained. While this approach to adoption recruitment predates the internet, the digital age has amplified potential risks to these vulnerable young people.

In Florida, Selfless Love Foundation worked alongside youth advocates to help pass legislation that protects children’s images from public view. The law also gives children aged 12 and older a voice in what photos and information are shared on adoption websites. The Think Tank dedicated an entire day to addressing this specific privacy issue.

“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,” Brown noted. Without national standards, protection varies widely from state to state, leaving many children vulnerable. “Each state is left to make its own decisions, and young people lack concrete rights and protections across the board.”

The Think Tank focused on three interconnected areas: youth rights, adoption recruitment methods, and post-adoption support for families. According to Brown, “Rights, recruitment and post-adoption support are connected. We can’t fix one without strengthening the others.”

Child welfare experts emphasize that success isn’t measured merely by placement statistics, but by achieving permanency—creating stable, supportive family environments that endure. This requires comprehensive support systems both during and after the adoption process.

When asked about immediate actions state legislatures could take, Brown pointed to legislative solutions: “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.”

The upcoming report from Chapin Hall researchers will provide state and federal leaders with key findings from the National Think Tank, helping them better understand the importance of youth rights in the adoption process. Brown hopes this will catalyze policy changes across the country.

Brown, who was adopted as an infant and credits that experience with “changing the trajectory” of her life, founded Selfless Love Foundation with her husband in 2015. The organization offers the National Think Tank at no cost to participants, including scholarships for youth travel and accommodations, ensuring their voices are heard in discussions about system reform.

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

With no national standard in place for protecting children’s privacy in the adoption process, Brown and her foundation continue to advocate for more comprehensive protections. “We already recognize a child’s right to choose adoption,” she noted. “Extending that principle to how they are portrayed is a matter of policy alignment and fairness.”

Those interested in supporting these efforts can find more information at selflesslovefoundation.org, where they can learn about the organization’s initiatives to transform the foster care adoption system and better protect the children it serves.