Adoption through CPS---How soon after you are approved...?

Question

This question is for single parents who have adopted a child through CPS. How long after your home study were you finally approved to adopt a child? How long after approval were you matched up with a child?

Answer 1

This answer varies on where you are, and what type (age, race, diagnosis, and behaviors)  of child you are looking for.  If you are looking for an African American sibling group over the age of 10 in FL  and you are not picky about diagnosis and behaviors, you will be matched within a month.  If you are looking for a caucasian, female, under 10 in FL without diagnosis and behaviors it could be years.  The good news is if your home study is already done, then you must be looking for the type of child that the agency has.

Answer 2

Where we used to live, it took about 1 whole year for fingerprinting, classes, homestudy, etc to get approved.  Once we were approved, we were on the waiting list for 3 months and got matched!  Now we have our beautiful daughter that is 4 and the love of our lives.  Good luck to you!

Answer 3

It depends on the state...and even the county where you are.  some states have very messed up processes where paperwork will get stuck in one area (here it is fingerprints).  Some states are very efficient at working out kinks and get people licensed quickly.

I've heard as short as nine months, I've heard as long as several years in some places.  If your file is stuck in some aspect of it, do some research and find out who does that aspect (i.e. fingerprints are at the state capitol here) and see if you can pull some strings with your congressman, your governor or someone else by writing letters letting them know that you're looking to adopt, but there's been a stall in the process (only do this if there's a stall lasting three or more months, is my advice) and seeking their help in getting things moving forward again.

Once you're approved, the time it will take to be matched varies GREATLY depending on what type of child you're seeking to adopt.  Are you open to  both genders, older kids, different races, any special needs (educational, emotional, physical), sibling groups, etc?  The more broad your requests, the more quickly you're likely to be matched (that said, don't say yes to something you're certain you can't handle...don't say yes to a child with medical needs if you have lousy insurance, for instance).

You're also more likely to get matched more quickly if you're open to do foster to adopt.  This will enable a social worker to place a child in your home who is not currently legally free for adoption, but has a likelihood of becoming so.  As the foster parents, you'd be able to request to adopt that child if/when parental rights are terminated.  The courts and social workers will take into account that the child is already with you, is familiar with you (and you are with the child) and that it would require one less move/loss/disruption to have that child permanently in your home.

I hope things go well for you!