Foster placement is often a more efficient solution for growing your family than infant adoptions. Not only does adopting a newborn child often require tens of thousands of dollars in liquid capital or financing, but it is also a process that may require multiple years to successfully complete. Parents sometimes have to travel to other countries or have an adoption fall through in the last moments.
Compared with that stressful, expensive and often disappointing experience, adoption through foster placement is much simpler. The initial foster placement can occur in as little as a few hours when a parent or caregiver suddenly dies or the state becomes aware of a situation that endangers the children.
Foster placement is a temporary arrangement, but it often evolves into a permanent family situation. Are you potentially able to adopt the children placed with your family for foster care purposes?
Adoption through foster care is common
Serving as a foster parent often means developing a deep bond with the children placed with your family. You get to know them personally and become invested in their stories. You want to see them achieve their dreams and have the stability that comes from a family. Adoption after their foster placement in your home is a viable option that will make your foster children permanent members of your household.
However, there are certain rules for foster parents that want to adopt. You need to be over the age of 21, which you also need to be for foster placement to occur in the first place. You must be financially stable and willing to provide the state with information about your background, as well as access to your home. A state home study must occur, and workers will need to speak with everyone in the household to ensure that adoption is a good option.
Typically, if you qualify for foster placement of children who are not members of your family, you likely already meet the criteria for a foster parent adoption. While it can be challenging, successfully adopting the children placed in your home for foster care can be as beneficial for you as their new parent as it is for the kids. Learning more about the steps involved in a foster parent adoption can help you offer children that you love a permanent sense of home and family.