SpecialMom is a Christian fellowship of foster and adoptive mothers who have or want to adopt children through the USA foster care system. Want to learn more about foster adoption?

Here are THREE WAYS to adopt through the Foster Care System:

1. Foster Child adoption: An estimated 70% of all children adopted through the foster care system are adopted either by relatives or their foster parents. Parents hoping to adopt infants through the foster care system have the best chance if they become part of the foster care system and care for infants in that capacity for some time. In many states, foster parents are given first choice to adopt if the child becomes available for adoption.
2. Fost-Adopt Program: Licensed Fost-Adopt parents take in only children who are identified as extremely likely to become legally available, (though not yet legally available). These might be infants, toddlers or even older children. Sometimes called “Legal Risk,” this program runs two “plans” simultaneously: a plan toward adoption and one toward biological family reunification. Running dual plans is an attempt to have the child permanently settled somewhere sooner. The Fost-Adopt parents intend to adopt if the biological parent’s rights are severed; but the Fost-Adopt parent is required to support both plans.
3. Waiting-Child Adoption: Parents become licensed to adopt through a local agency, then they wait for a “match” to be made between themselves and a child or sibling group who are already legally free and waiting for adoption. The waiting children are usually special needs (disabilities, minority race, age, sibling status, and at-risk are categories considered “Special Needs”). During this waiting period, they can rely upon their licensing worker to search, but they may also browse photo books or photo listings of available children and contact the child’s case manager to be considered.