[NancyAshe]

Fost-Adopt programs were created to bridge the gap between a child’s initial need for temporary care and the long-term need for a permanent home. Children are in the U.S. foster care system and, in addition to state and county fost-adopt programs, some private agencies also work with social services to assist in these placements.

In Fost-Adopt programs, social workers place the child with specially-trained fost-adopt parents before the child's biological parents' parental rights have been permanently terminated, and where the fost-adopt parents make a commitment to adopt the child if and when those rights are terminated and the child is legally free to be adopted.

Key feature of fost-adopt programs (also known as foster-adopt and foster-to-adopt) include:

* placement with a fost-adopt family before the child's biological parents' parental rights have been terminated;
* efforts at family reunification may still be ongoing, or biological parents may be appealing a decision to terminate their parental rights;
* generally, children placed in fost-adopt programs are considered less likely than others to return to the biological family;
* you agree to adopt the child if/when the biological parents' parental rights are terminated;
* you act as foster parents during this time.

The main reason for making such a placement is to spare the child another move when adoption is viewed as a likely outcome.

One reason many opt for this type of placement is that a high percentage of children placed in fost-adopt families are very young - including infants. This type of placement is a legal-risk placement insofar as the court could return the child to the biological family. When hopeful adoptive parents take care to educate themselves about the program, ask the hard questions, and push social workers for realistic evaluations of the legal risks involved, it can be an excellent option.

There are varying degrees of risk, which you and your family will need to explore with the child's social worker and/or advocate. When a child is placed with a fost-adopt family, the child's permanency options are often being evaluated in two directions: adoption and family reunification. This is called "concurrent planning" and can be equally difficult for both the biological parents and the hopeful adoptive family, neither being very sure of the end result. And there is also a possibility of other biological family members making known their interest in raising or adopting the child. In other cases, the child's permanency plan is moving more definitively in the direction of adoption, or may be simply a question of a pending court decision.

Children placed in fost-adopt families may have medical needs, be sibling groups, represent racial minorities, or have been prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol. Many states indicate that children placed through their fost-adopt programs are most often younger children, but sibling groups may include older children.

To learn more about the fost-adopt program in your state, contact your State Adoption Specialist or State Foster Care Manager.

To talk with others who are also considering or pursuing fost-adopt programs, join our forum discussions:
http://forums.adoption.com/forumdisplay.php?f=481

[futurefost.mom]

Nancy,

My family and I are planning on adopting a sibling group in the near future. We are deciding on adding on to our current home or moving at this time and want to wait until we are settled before starting the classes and the process. My question is, those photos that are posted under waiting children, are they children that need a fost adopt family? Or have any of these childrens parental rights already been terminated? We would rather a sibling group of 2-4 children in which the goal is not reunification. We have 2 wonderful bioligical children and want to spare them future heart aches of having to say good bye if relatives were to decide to parent them.

Thanks
Robyn

[NancyAshe]

Hi Robyn, it's my understanding that children listed as "waiting" are waiting for adoptive families - that their parents' parental rights have been terminated or will be shortly, however, the only way to know is to ask the social worker responsible for the child's placement. Again, it's my understanding that children who are in foster care, where reunification is still a viable option, are not included on "waiting children" listings.

Hope this helps - but again, the person to ask is the child's social worker (contact on the waiting child listings) or the social worker you are working with.

All best
Nancy

[futurefost.mom]

Nancy thanks for answering my question so fast!! Your answer was very helpful.
Robyn

[sheliam]

How do you find out about the children? Do you use an agency or go through CPS? I was on the TX site recently and there aren't very many children on it.

Is it possible for a single person to fost/adopt a younger child, or are we only able to work with the older children?

Sorry if the questions are weird, but I've only been considering international and this option has only been opened up to me recently.

Thanks for the answers in advance...

[BrandyHagz]

Shelia,

In order to adopt a child thru the state (in this case, Texas) you will have to be certified thru the state, either by going thru CPS or a private agency that is contracted with the state.

Additionally Shelia, when you are certified thru the state, you are not limited to adopting only from your state. There are websites that list children who are legally free or will soon be legally free from all over the US.

To answer your question regarding state adoption by single parents, the answer is yes, you can, as a single parent, adopt any age child, provided your worker (the state certifier) believes that you can “handle” that age. You are not limited to certain ages simply because you’re single…the age restrictions are generally set by the hopeful adoptive parent along with their state worker, based on discussions that you have with each other.

Your first step should be to call your counties CPS office and discuss the possibility of “straight adoption” or “foster to adopt” with them. Dealing with the state can sometimes be a daunting task…so be prepared to make many phone calls and leave many messages that may not be returned…in the end, all the hard work is worth it!

Good luck with your adoption!

[mrbeansmom]

I feel I need to offer a warning to folks pondering the fost-adopt route. Being that my entire family is in the throes of MAJOR heartbreak from a fost-adopt situation gone terribly wrong I am not feeling really positive about it at this time. I would just say be VERY cautious. Be sure you feel okay about the caseworker the child(ren) have, verify that what they say is true (because some will indeed lie to you to get a placement) and buckle your seatbelt. It is no easy ticket to adoption and you really need to consider your other children, if you have any, and your relationship with your spouse (it needs to be tremendously strong and supportive). This has been the most devastating experience our family has ever gone through and if I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I would run in the other direction if they offered me siblings in another concurrent planning case. It's probably fine when it's just one child and you realize the risks, but I would never wish this nightmare on anyone.

[kellis121]

We are currently at the end of our first foster-adopt situation, thankfully about to finalize the adoption. My advice is to proceed with caution and get all the info available. Take it all with a grain of salt though because if the person you're asking doesn't have certain info, they may try to fill in the blanks on their own. Our daughter was placed with us nearly 3 years ago and it was an absolute roller coaster ride for 2.5 yrs. One day it seemed she would stay with us, the next they said she was returning to birth mom. It was very hard to endure. Much of the information we received was inaccurate, both at the beginning of the placement and throughout the ordeal. When she was placed with us, this legal risk case was given a rating of 5 as to whether it would end in adoption or reunification.

In the end it turned out to be worth it all, but I can assure you that we will NOT do it again. If you have other children, I would make sure that the goal of the case already reads "Termination of Rights" and that the termination hearing is scheduled before saying OK!!

Also, relating to photo listings, in Pennsylvania the listing will say at the bottom either "Child is legally free for adoption" or "Parental rights have not yet been terminated" which would indicate a fost-adopt situation.

Karen