Over the last several years, state and local governments have increased the privatization of a range of services that historically have been provided by government agencies, including adoption services. This issue brief of the Child Welfare League of America provides adoption professionals with information on the privatization of adoption services. Part 1 presents background information on privatization, including the general forms of privatization and the forces that have moved privatization forward in states and localities; this part also examines the role of monitoring, one of the key issues in privatization as a whole. Part 2 examines the privatization of adoption services, why public systems are motivated to privatize adoption, the special issues that may affect privatization of adoption, the privatization models that can be and are being utilized in adoption services, and the critical operational issues that must be addressed when privatization of adoption is being proposed and implemented. Part 3 addresses the relationship between privatization and managed care and discusses managed care in general and the differences between managed care approaches in the health care arena and in child welfare. This part also describes an effort in Kansas to blend privatization and managed care principles. Part 4 sets out recommendations for adoption professionals to use in participating in and shaping what are likely to be ongoing discussions about the use of privatization and managed care in child welfare. Contains 19 references. (KB)