The new law, which was mandated by Congress in 1997, tips the balance toward adoption.

The auditors found a pattern of caseworkers being slow to move children from foster care toward adoption.

The burdens were further compounded after 1999, when the state enacted its version of a federal reform pushing more children toward adoption.

In recent decades there has been a significant move toward adoption of regional and/or national standards.

But Congress may well move toward adoption of a national worker identification card for citizens and illegal aliens alike.

The agency routinely fails to meet deadlines meant to move foster children toward adoption, city statistics show.

But the paperwork to move the children toward adoption traveled slowly through the bureaucracy.

Then they do an evaluation and move toward adoption.

The last case exemplifies the program's theme of a trend toward open and cooperative adoption, sometimes through a lawyer.

"If we can't reunite the children with the families then we try to move toward adoption."