[HappyMomAnna]

Contact your local child services office and ask for the Adoption program. Most states offer two ways to adopt a child who is currently in Foster Care. There is usually the pre-adoptive placement where you are approved as the adoptive family and very few risks that a child placed in your home would ever move if placed as a pre-adoptive child. The down side is that you generally have to committe to the child and agree you will be the parents before you meet the child.

Foster to adopt is also generally an option and in this case children would be placed into your home and your primary focus would still be on working toward reunification. Many families who choose to go Foster to Adopt would also be required to take the child to visits with the bio-family and wait until the terminiation of parental rights happened before you would be able to adopt. Generally, it takes several years when a child is placed under this program. Many families who Foster to Adopt expereince several children coming into the home and then leaving before a child is adoptable.

Each state does have differences and the things I have written here can vary widely. The best advice I can offer is to talk with your Department of Children Services and ask about both options.

There are MANY children in the age groups you are considering waiting to be adopted all over the US. Often families who have an approved STATE adoption homestudy can go outside of their own state and adopt a child from any place in the US. Somtimes your state will require that you look in state for a period of time before looking at other children.... The Federal Laws however require the states to co-operate with each other in order to meet the needs of placing children in safe--secure growing up families.

The costs to adopt a child who is currently in Foster Care are Free or very close to Free. Many children over a certian age, [art of a sibling group, or with special medical, emotional, or behavioral issues would be classified as Special Needs and often the state will provide Adoption Assistance financially for adoptive families to have the resources to meet any special iddues not covered under the public shcool or health insurance. Most children who are adopted from Foster Care will also continue to recieve your state medical insurance until they turn 18.

The federal governement attepmts to provide a great amount of finacial support for families willing to adopt a child that has had a terrible start in life. Keep in mind however that the state is in the business of finding families for children and not children for families....