WFAA-TV

As thousands of children across North Texas dream of a permanent home, the state is looking for a few good families who want to adopt foster children. But some looking to adopt say the system itself discourages people from taking in unwanted children.

Little Kai was born in her parent's hearts two years ago when they adopted her as a newborn. And while the "J" family said they would like to give Kai a brother or sister while also giving an unwanted, abused or neglected child a loving home, they said they have found the state adoption process fraught with disappointment and delays.

Montrese and Randy "J" said they began the adoption process at the end of 2006.

"There's always one more course, always one more course," Randy said.

Montrese and Randy spoke out against the state adoption system they said seemingly discourages potential parents from adopting.

Right now in Texas, 17,000 children are in foster care. Nearly 6,000 are ready and waiting to be adopted.

"I would have someone who loves me and that cares about me," said Kalie "C," a 13-year-old foster child, on how she envisions life would be if she was adopted.

Kalie went into foster care three years ago. In the rare moments she drops her emotional guard, she said she wonders why no one wants to adopt her or her younger sister.

"I feel sad, confused [and] frustrated sometimes," she said.

The process can be long.

"We've had kids that have waited up to seven years," said Tara Ayala, a foster adoption recruiter.

Ayala's job is to match the right kid with the right family. She that process can take an average of two years.

"I understand it takes a long time, but we want to make sure that we have that right forever family," she said. "Adoption is permanent. It's forever."

Ayala said state adoption is complicated by emotional problems, sibling groups, race and a litany of background checks and home inspections.

Adoptive parents are also required to take dozens of hours of what may seem like unnecessary classes, including psychotropic medication training, restraint training and first aid.

In 2005, Child Protective Services was given an additional $2.1 billion. The funding helped hire 2,500 new workers to handle abuse and neglect investigations, but state social workers say it hasn't sped up the foster care and adoption process.

Even now, children languish in foster care until they eventually age out of the system at 18

"I'm not getting any younger and the children are getting older," Randy said.

Randy and his wife said they blame the government's red tape for preventing their family from growing. The only reason they said they haven't gone for private adoption is the thought of a foster child who may not know how much they are wanted.

"My son or my daughter is out there waiting for us to come get them," Randy said. "And right now, they're probably not in a good situation."

E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com