Families hoping to adopt through foster-adoption do well to prepare themselves mentally before taking the plunge. It’s very important to keep in mind that the primary goal of the foster care program is reunification with the birth family. While foster parents are busy doing their thing, there are parenting specialists, crisis workers, case managers, social workers, rehab specialists and the like, all working with the birthfamily with the goal of putting Humpty back together again. Ideally, this is how it should be. But foster parents should also be aware that they are often at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to weighing permanency placement options; social workers, the birthfamily, and even the courts often prefer kinship care if reunification isn’t possible. It’s essential that families hoping to adopt steel themselves for the ups and downs and frequent heartbreaks in the process while keeping their eye on the end goal. Most successful adoptive parents of former foster children will attest that the ultimate reward was worth all that heartache, hassle, and more!

Children in foster care invariably come from less than ideal backgrounds. Some children have been voluntarily relinquished, but most have been removed from their birthparent’s care because of abuse or neglect. Some have had in utero drug or alcohol exposure, and some have been sexually abused. Often children have been in multiple foster placements, increasing the chances that they will exhibit some degree of difficulty attaching to others. Children can be resilient little creatures, however, and in my profession I have the joy of seeing many, many happy families on a yearly basis who’ve adopted former foster children. The keys are being prepared and being prayerful! You can find wonderful, inspiring stories of foster-adoption successes here.

Other benefits of foster-adoption include medical care (Medicaid) and adoption subsidies for qualifying children through the age of 18, and there are generally no or few adoption expenses for the adoptive family (finalization of adoption in court being an exception). There are also college scholarships specifically for former foster children which can further offset the costs of adding another child to the family.

One final note: if you happen to live near a Native American reservation, there are frequently many opportunities for fostering Native children. These programs are administered by tribal governments with differing requirements and application processes. Be aware, also, that most Native nations do not allow adoption of children by non-Native couples. There are exceptions, however, and some tribes are more open to the idea when the prospective adoptive couple presents a plan to keep the child’s culture available to them. In my state, we have many families fostering Native children, and some of them have been allowed to legally adopt children they once fostered.

Helpful links:

Foster-Adopt Parenting

Foster-Adopt Blog

Utah Foster-Adopt Information