My wife and I chose to use Adoption rather than Foster to Adopt for this upcoming adoption. We originally thought that because there was no expenses in Foster care. In our first adoption, the expenses was the biggest issue. The first agency took all of our money up front and the match failed and we were stuck. This eventually lead to the adoption of our son but the agency was very difficult to deal with. That being said we thought Foster would be the best fit for us. I wanted to discuss in this blog, what are the pros and cons of adoption verses Foster care.
Adoption is finding a forever family for a child. There are costs involved. The agency we are using is a pay as you go agency. For example. We pay $50 for an application fee. Then if that goes through we pay $400 for our profile and training class. After the training class we are active. Then after the child is placed with us, we pay the final fee. Now let me tell you, my first adoption worked more like, pay everything up front and then there was a certain amount of expenses that were at risk. We have talked about those expenses in earlier blogs but I will be glad to cover those again if you shoot me an email at how2adopt@gmail.com.
Foster to adopt is providing a temperary home for a child that is in State custody. Our state has 3 programs. Foster, Adoption and Foster to Adopt. Adoption is for the adoption of older kids. We were told that if you wanted to adopt a baby, the wait time was at least 3 years. Foster is keeping kids in your home for a temperary basis. As long as the birth parent works the program per the states guidelines, the child will eventually go back to the birth parent. This could be up to 2 years before that child is available for adoption. Foster to adopt is the same as fostering a child. The only difference is that you are going into the program with the expectation of finding a child for your family. Lets be honest. There are no guarantees here. You do set the guidelines for what kids you are willing to accept in your home but there is still a "risk" of the child being replaced in his birth parents home.
There are emotional hurdles regardless of what route you choose to take. In both programs, you must be prepared to face these hurdles. For example, you might have a failed match with adoption or you might have a child go back to the birth parents in Foster to adopt. However, the rewards of having those kids in your home are worth any price you have to pay. You have to choose the road that's best for you and your family.
I would love to know your thoughts about both Foster and adoption programs. Please comment and lets share with each other what we know. Thanks
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