Adoption and relocation: the paths of children in the Azores

Most children adopted in the Azores leave the region, according to a figure highlighted by Açoriano Oriental in its 9 November edition. The newspaper reports that this applies to three out of every four children adopted in the region.

The online item announcing the edition does not state the period covered, the total number of children included or their destinations. It also does not explain why they left, so the proportion alone cannot establish the circumstances of individual cases.

Portugal’s Social Security adoption guide explains that a national database brings together children and young people legally available for adoption and prospective adoptive parents who have been selected. Adoption teams search across the country for candidates whose abilities match each child’s needs, guided by the child’s best interests.

Residential care provides a separate context for the protection of children and young people in the region. The 2025 CASA report recorded 317 children and young people in residential care homes in the Azores.

Social Security notes that not every child in care is legally available for adoption. Depending on individual circumstances, support may focus on a return to family or preparation for independent living, so the care figures cannot be treated as a count of future adoptions.