[Dee1234]

Hello,
Can someone please explain the difference between bringing an infant home from the hospital as a direct placement vs. a pre-adoption foster placement?

When we began the adoption process, our agency also had us get a foster license. I thought it was to make sure that we could bring a child home from the hospital without him or her having to go into foster care. Now that we are matched, our agency is closing our foster license and says it is not needed for a direct placement. So now I am a little confused.

In what cases is a foster license needed? Is it just when social services is involved? How does a direct placement work without a foster license?

I've done some reading, but I just can't seem to get a clear picture of the differences.

Thanks,
Dee

[leaabc123]

Since it sounds like you are doing a straught adoption, not sure why the agency had you get a foster license. Unless, the child would have needed extended placement maybe due to paternity issues or something else.

[ermiller]

Dee-

A direct placement means that the parents release the baby to you.

A placement where the foster license is needed is when the parents release the baby to the agency who then places the baby with you for "fostering" until TPR. Once TPR is done, the baby is then placed with you by the agency as a pre-adoptive placement.

At least, that was how it was explained to me when we switched agencies, were matched and had a direct placement.

Also, it does make a difference with health insurance. If the baby is placed directly as a preadoptive placement with you, you can enroll the child in your health care right away (as long as it is group insurance with some exceptions). A baby placed with you as a "foster" child would go under medicaid/MI-Child/Healthy Kids (Michigan's versions) until TPR is done, then you could enroll the child in your health insurance as a pre-adoptive placement.

Hope this helps!
Erin

[sugarbabysmommy]

As part of our homestudy and home check our agency also made sure we could meet the qualifications to be licensed as foster parents even thought the majority of their adoptions are direct infant placements. Their logic was in the event something happened with TPR and the process went beyond a certain legal window, given that the placement would then by law turn into a foster placement we could continue to parent as the foster parents. It would have made no snese for our agency to drop our license once we matched because a match does not gaurantee the foster license won't be needed if something happens to TPR/the placement. And since they are telling you that the license is dropped now that you've matched, what if the match fails? I'd ask a few more questions about the hows and whys regarding the use of the license and why it was dropped.

[bromanchik]

Originally Posted by Dee1234

In what cases is a foster license needed? Is it just when social services is involved? How does a direct placement work without a foster license?

In 1997 the laws changed in MI to allow direct placement in designated adoptions. Before that foster licensing was required if prospective adoptive parents were to bring the child home with them.

There are really no differences. Both are "at-risk" placements.

[Dee1234]

Thank you all for the replies. That definitely helps.

I will get more info from our agency this week.