[almost_there]

My husband and I are doing Legal Risk - Foster to Adopt with the state. Has anyone been through this or are going through this. We are a little nervous since we know that the children that we will get have definitely been taken out of bad homes, and we also have the possibility of losing that child (which scares me more than anything).

I know that you get a subsidy for the first 6 months (or more) before the child able to be adopted...but So far we haven't had to pay anything...and I heard that the cost of adopting is minimal...if you have experienced it, how much did you pay for the final adoption fees? We have been told little about this...and want ti be prepared.

Also...has anyone experienced a legal risk Foster/ adopt case where the child was actually given back to the birth -parent??

Thanks...any help and hopefully reassurance you can give is appreciated

[L-A-J-C-R-C]

Hi,

Subsidies are different in every state. We are in the process of adopting our 2 foster babies (they were legal risk). I don't know all the costs either but it IS minimal (there is no adoption fee). From what I'm told we need to hire a lawyer for the adoption but in KY you are reimbursed up to $500 for attorneys fees.

Adoption subsidies depend on the child's/adoptive families needs. From what I'm told almost all children adopted through our State receive some type of subsidy as well as retain their medical card until they are 18. They also go to college (in-state) free (excluding room and board).

I understand your concern about them "going home." Believe me, we've had these kids 2 years, the 2 year old doesn't know anyone but us as his parents (he never lived in the birth home, he came to us from the hospital). We had times where we were "out of our minds" with worry that something would happen and they'd go home. It was useless worry, too, their parents did nothing to work towards reunification. We just fell in love with them so deeply that we worried that something would come along and ruin our happiness.

Best of luck.

Michelle

[jodybird511]

Almost-there...

My partner and I did legal risk and ended up adopting our first placement. She had been in care since birth--we got her at 4 months. Everything went very smoothly for us! In Texas, not all kids in the system automatically qualify for adoption subsidy and Medicaid--they have to be considered "special needs" in order to get these things. Our daughter was under age 2 and was healthy both physically and mentally, so she didn't qualify. That means she also didn't qualify for adoption expenses to be covered; however, the cost was still ony $1500. The only fees are the attorney's fees. From what I was told, it is possible to find attorney who will do it pro bono (free) for CPS kids. Still, you can claim the expenses for the Adoption Tax credit. PM me if you want to know more. We live in Houston, btw.

[dad_questions]

We are in the process of adopting a 12 year old. She will have Medicaid and we are trying to find out more about college tutition. She has been in our home for eight months. The appeal form the birth parents was finally rejected a few weeks ago so we can finally start moving forward to a final adoption. I spent quite a bit of heartache upset about our daughter possibly going back. But it is worth the the effort.

[jenna202]

I adopted my daughter in Texas as legal at-risk foster-to-adopt. Here are some notes from questions I read on this post:

1. I did receive a subsidy since my daughter (23 months old when I got her) is Hispanic, and had developmental delays due to neglect.
2. The subsidy was about $1100 a month for the 5 months she was at risk. It went lower for the last month, since at that point it became an "adoptive placement".
3. After the adoption, since my daugther was then over 2 an a minority, she was designated as "special needs", even though she was perfectly 'normal' - she gets Medicaid, a $200 a month daycare stipend (goes into her savings account), AND her college tuition is paid for through the state (yeah, Texas!).
4. Don't know if they are still offerring the college tuition thing.
5. My attorney charged $1500 for the adoption, which the state then reimbursed me for, since it was "special needs".
6. Also since she was "special needs", we get an income tax credit of $10,850 that can be carried over for three years.
7. I was freaked out about taking a 'legal at-risk' child. But to tell you the truth, it was all but a done deal. The bith parents had signed her over to the state, it just hadn't been adjudicated. I've heard that's pretty common. I wouldn't have taken my daughter if there was a real possibility that she would have gone back. There's no way I could take that.
8. When your worker calls you with a match, ask every question you can - READ THE ENTIRE FILE. Then you can decide if you think there's a real possibility the child will go back to the bio family. In many cases, it's pretty obvious that's not going to happen.

Hope that helps.

[almost_there]

Hi,

It has been a while since I have posted the first thread. Shortly after we were given a 3 week old little boy (who is now 6 mths old) and waited 4 months for his 2 year old sister (who just moved in with us). These children are such a huge part of our lives, we are their family and they hold our hearts.

Last week we learned that the grandparents have gotten an approved home-study in their state. Texas has to approve it now and the judge makes the ultimate decision...but we are learning now why it is called Legal Risk. Things are looking very bad for us.

The grandparents have 5 children living at home (and more out of the home). They are 10, 7 1/2, 4, 2 1/2 and 10 months. Blood is thick and usually the relatives get them...but we are hoping that someone will see that they are better off here with us, with only the 2 of them. We want to keep the grandparents in their lives and hope that makes a difference as well. However in the back of our minds we are devastated at the reality that we are most likely losing our babies.

Has anyone ever gone through this? Anyone won over a relative? Any help would be VERY much appreciated.

Thanks!!
Rebecca (almost_there, which should be was_almost_there)
rebeccalynn@austin.rr.com