Understand who the "invisibles" of the adoption system in Brazil are

Despite there being five candidates for every minor available for adoption in Brazil, a specific portion of the queue remains stagnant: they are the "invisibles" of the active search, who currently number 1,783 minors. They are children and teenagers who are already legally qualified, but cannot find interested families due to their profile.

National Adoption Day is celebrated this Monday (25).

When there is no compatibility in the national system, the Judiciary initiates the so-called "active search" to try to locate families willing to accept these specific profiles.

Continue lendo

27/05/2026

One of the most violent thieves in the city of São Paulo is arrested; see video

A 23-year-old man, considered by the police to be one of the most violent thieves in the city of São Paulo, was arrest...

27/05/2026

Djokovic advances at Roland Garros after scare against Frenchman

Serbian Novak Djokovic advanced this Wednesday to the third round of the French Open by beating Frenchman Valentin Roy...

27/05/2026

Federal Government signs service order for "middle section" on BR-319

The federal government signed today the first of four service orders for asphalting and recovery of the so-called "mid...

There are currently 32,065 active suitors in the adoption queue for a universe of 6,247 children and teenagers ready to be adopted.

Profile of the invisibles
When observing the demographic profiles of these "invisibles", the majority identify themselves as Brown (54.3%), followed by White (26.4%) and Black (18.2%). Indigenous and yellow people make up around 1%.

The system shows that the vast majority do not have infectious diseases (98.5%) or other serious health problems (93.7%),

Top Cifras

Toque agora.

1 Bandoleiro Ney Matogrosso

2 Samba Italiano Demônios da Garoa

3 Q Não tem solidão Querendo Mais

4 Molambo Os Incriveis

66.3% do not have disabilities. Among those who have it, intellectual disability (24.2%) is the most prevalent, followed by cases that combine physical and intellectual disability (8%).

The majority (62.5%) have at least one sibling in the system. Keeping groups of siblings together is a legal priority, but it is one of the main factors that make it difficult to finalize adoption processes.

The mismatch between the queue and reality
According to agents who work in foster institutions and professionals interviewed by CNN Brasil, the main obstacle to completing the processes is the mismatch between the profile desired by the adopters and the reality of the foster institutions.

While most suitors look for babies or young children, without siblings and without health problems, the system presents an opposite scenario.

Data from the National Adoption and Reception System (SNA) reveal that the majority of those waiting for a family are older children, are part of groups of siblings or have a disability or health condition.

The situation is seen as a "challenging scenario" that demands a "paradigm review" from society, say experts.

Keeping groups of siblings together is a legal priority, but it is one of the main factors that make it difficult to finalize adoption processes, as many suitors only want one child.

The panorama of foster care in Brazil
Although there are around 36,428 minors hosted in shelters or homes, only a fraction are available for adoption.

The majority were removed from their families of origin due to protection measures and still maintain legal ties, awaiting possible family reintegration.

Since 2020, more than 80 thousand children have returned to their biological families after resolving the conflicts that motivated their reception.

Geographically, the supply of suitors is uneven. The state of São Paulo leads with the highest number of qualified people, while most of the North, Central-West and part of the Northeast regions have the lowest density of families in the queue.

Source: CNN