If a child's parents are no longer able to adequately care for them or single motherhood is considered unacceptable, as is the case in some countries, then plans for adoption are made. Children are also abandoned near an orphanage in order to be adopted. Some parents involuntarily lose their rights because of child abuse or neglect due to alcohol or drug abuse. The child is then placed in foster care. If the parents cannot resolve the problems, their parental rights may be terminated by the court and the children may be adopted. Death of the parents accounts for only a small percentage of orphaned adoptions.

For neglected of abused children, adoption can ensure an opportunity to bond with a new family. In the past, these children were kept in foster care while the birthparents resolved their issues with addiction, domestic violence, or mental illness. The Safe Families Act of 1997 is a law that prevents children from drifting from one foster home to another.

When applying to adopt, the potential parents may be required to be interviewed and undergo financial, medical, and criminal record checks. This can be carried out by either the adoption agency or by an independent or state authority.

Many parents look to adopt infants more often than toddlers or older children. They also seek children of the same race. So agencies, as a result, seek families who are interested in older children and those with special needs.

The cost to adopt varies between countries. Adoption charges are illegal in some countries while in others, the adoption must be paid on a non-profit basis. Financial assistance is offered by many adoption programs. International adoptions include additional costs such as travel expenses and legal document translation fees.

However, the increase in legalized abortions and single parenthood has reduced the number of available children for adoption in the Western nations.

Many parents and adopted people have the desire to reunite. This has led to the opening of sealed records in countries where adoption is confidential. For example, in the US, organizations such as the Adoption Reunion Registry allows adopted children to access their sealed records.

There are variations in the traditional adoption methods. In Arab cultures, an adopted child is considered a ward of the household. The child does not receive the adopting parent's family name.

In Korea, adoption takes place when another family member gives a male child to the first-born male heir of the family. In Asian societies, traditional Western adoptions occurring outside the family are rare. However, in Africa, the regular exchange of children among families is common. This form of adoption is meant to create an enduring social structure among families and lineages.