Adoption Promotion Act of 1997

Adoption Promotion Act of 1997 - Amends the Social Security Act to require a State to initiate or join proceedings to terminate parental rights for children under age ten who have been in foster care under State responsibility for 12 months of the most recent 18 months.

(Sec.3 ) Directs the Secretary to make adoption incentive payment grants to States for the number of foster child adoptions and special needs adoptions that exceed the base number of such adoptions for the fiscal year. Authorizes appropriations.

Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) with respect to enactment of appropriations to the Department of Health and Human protection demonstration projects.

(Sec. 4 ) Provides for earlier notice of reviews and hearings for foster parents and pertinent relatives providing kinship care.

(Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) report and make recommendations to specified congressional committees on the extent to which children in foster care are placed in the care of a relative (kinship care); and (2) establish an advisory panel to review such report.

(Sec. 6) Authorizes use of the parent locator service in termination of parental rights proceedings.

(Sec. 7) Instructs the Secretary to: (1) develop a set of outcome measures to assess the performance of States in operating child protection and welfare programs; and (2) report annually to the Congress on the performance of each State on each outcome measure.

(Sec. 8) Prescribes guidelines for technical assistance to help States and local communities reach their targets for increased numbers of adoptions and alternative permanent placements for children in foster care (including development of programs that place children into pre-adoptive families without waiting for termination of parental rights).

(Sec.9) Modifies the eligibility criteria for Independent Living Services.

(Sec. 10) Prescribes procedural guidelines for the Secretary to award limited coordinated services demonstration grants to the appropriate juvenile courts to place children in foster care or other out-of-home care. Authorizes appropriations.