Cost
One of the biggest benefits of foster care adoption is cost. Those who have never looked into adoption typically do not understand that adopting a child is not as straightforward as it sounds. Depending on your circumstances and location, the cost of private adoption can be exorbitant. In many states, it is not uncommon for the cost of a private domestic adoption to start at $40,000 and go all the way up to $100,000 depending on the circumstances. When foster parents agree to foster a child, they are generally paid a stipend in order to help provide care for the child while the child is in foster care. Biological parents may also be ordered to pay child support to foster parents while the child is in state custody, or foster care. If the biological parents of the child eventually have their rights terminated, the foster parents may be given the option to adopt—and the costs here are often minimal as the state is facilitating the adoption.
Time
Private adoption can be a longer process than adopting through fostering. While the process of private adoption itself may be fairly quick, being matched with a baby is typically not a very quick process. There are more parents who want to adopt babies than there are babies to adopt; therefore, it’s not uncommon for states to have waitlists that span from two to seven years. Adopting via fostering may also be a lengthy process as children can be in and out of foster care for their entire childhood. The actual process of adoption may take anywhere from six months to two years—so that part is generally a bit slower than private adoption—however, most children aren’t kept in foster care for long before they are either reunited with their biological parents or adopted. It is not uncommon for children to spend around 9 to 20 months in foster care before they are either reunited with their biological parents or the foster parents are given the opportunity to adopt.
Other Biological Family Members
If you are looking to adopt via foster care, it’s important that you understand that there may be some roadblocks to adoption. Although a child may be in foster care, it is possible that the child’s other biological family members may be attempting to get custody of the child. Generally speaking, the courts will prioritize familial arrangements over foster care where the foster parents are typically completely unknown to the child. However, the courts may still decide to place the child in foster care even when there’s a biological family member who wants custody or guardianship of the child. In some cases, this family member can make it more difficult for foster parents to legally adopt the child. While it may be unlikely that a person who’s unable to get temporary custody of the child will be able to prevent the child from being adopted by foster parents, this could still cost the foster parents time and money, especially if the family member is trying to get the court involved.
The Goal of Fostering Is Not Adoption
Those looking to adopt need to understand that the goal of fostering is not adoption. Children are placed in foster care when their biological parents are unable to care for the child. Since it is presumed to be in the child’s best interest to be raised by their biological parents, biological parents are usually given every opportunity possible to get to a place where they can care for their children. As far as the state is concerned, the foster home is a temporary home for the child while the parents are getting back on their feet in whatever way necessary to provide adequate care to the child. The goal of foster care is not to allow prospective parents to adopt a child. In fact, only around 27% of children who exit the foster system are adopted, and reunification is the most common scenario.
You May Need an Attorney
Adopting children via the foster care system may come with the need for an attorney, especially if there are other family members who are trying to get custody of the child. When a child is adopted, the biological parents’ rights are terminated, and the adoptive parents assume those rights. Once a biological parent’s rights have been terminated, the biological parents have no rights to the child whatsoever. This is almost always permanent; when parental rights are terminated, there is not typically a way to undo this termination. If you terminate your parental rights when you give your child up for adoption, your ability to regain those rights is exceptionally limited, if not completely non-existent. If you are considering adopting via private adoption or public adoption, CoilLaw is here for you. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation.
