Fostering to Adopt in Alpharetta

Just like all the other types of adoption, fostering to adopt in Alpharetta is a wonderful option, and it’s also a very affordable option for growing a family. It has a lot of legal risk, especially if you want to adopt a newborn. Most adoptive parents who want to foster to adopt need to be willing to allow a child to go back to their biological parents.

The Process of Fostering to Adopt

In juvenile court – which is where the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) goes through the process of removing a child from a home and placing them in foster care – the goal 99 percent of the time is to reunify the biological parent with their child. When you sign up to be a foster parent, you are typically agreeing to take care of a child during the legal process where a lot of services are being put in place to help their parents fix the reason for the placement of their child in foster care. This process can be heart wrenching for all involved parties.

While the child is in foster care, there’s a hearing where the judge determines what the parents’ issues were that caused their child to be removed. The judge then enters into a case plan that spells out what they need to do as parents. This can include going to rehab, establishing stable housing, or establishing stable income. Once the biological parents accomplish these tasks, the child is returned to them.

Potential Challenges

The most difficult thing about foster to adopt is you have to go into it knowing you are taking care of a child who the system is trying to remove from your home and place back with their parents.

If biological parents are unable to care for their child, they may place them in the care of a relative. If enough time goes by and it’s clear that the child is going to be with them long-term, that relative may decide to adopt. In those situations, it can be contested and lead to a lot of litigation, so that is an important consideration as well.

It is possible to sign up as a foster parent and only be open to situations where the child is available for adoption. In situations where a child becomes available for adoption, the parents who were serving as the foster are always given the first choice. Only if the foster parent says that they did want to be a short-term placement, and that they’re not interested in adopting will the child then become available to parents who have been waiting for a child who’s available for adoption.

What is the Cost of Fostering to Adopt in Alpharetta?

Fostering to adopt in Alpharetta is an incredibly inexpensive option. In fact, while a child is placed, the State gives the foster parents a stipend in addition to any Medicaid they’re receiving while the child is placed with them. DFCS also helps with paying attorneys’ fees to finalize adoptions, so fostering to adopt is a very affordable option for local prospective parents.

Most of the children who are available to adopt through foster care are older. If you’re open to a sibling group that needs to be adopted together or a special needs child, then fostering to adopt can be quicker than waiting for a newborn or a very young child.

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