Is it wise to change from a foster angency to a adopotion agency if i want to adopt ?

Question

i want to adopt a foster kid but i don't if i'm doing the right thing by switching to a adoption agency even though i was asked by the foster agency if i wanted to adopt how does that work ?

Answer 1

your best bet is switching to a fost-adopt agency. i am certified w/ a fost -adopt agency & we are having a orientation on j une 20. where are you located?

Answer 2

Hi Lokita,

Adopting through both routes requires that you pass a homestudy.  There is a big difference between foster adoptions and private adoption agencies.    

Foster adoptions are state social services that serve children who have no permanent homes.  There is little to no cost or wait once you have been approved.  Most are in need of new homes because their parents failed to meet court-ordered goals to regain permanent custody of them & their parental rights have been terminated.  Sometimes there will be sibling groups.  There are children of different races.  Some are toddlers, some are school age children, some are teens.  Rarely are there infants.  Some children may have physical, mental, or emotional challenges.  All of them, & there are over 140,000 currenly in foster care, need a loving family.

Adoption agencies are businesses.  They exist to make money.  The product in most cases is a newborn, white, healthy infant.  Prices range up to $40,000 per baby.  The wait will be longer, usually years, since most women would rather not give away their babies to adoption.  Besides making huge profits from babies, they use some of that money to heavily advertise & to recruit pregnant women experiencing unplanned pregnancies and then "counsel" them to believe adoption is the right choice.

To sum it up, foster care is about finding homes for children who need them.  Adoption agencies is about finding infants for adults who believe they need them.  (And also who have the money to buy one.)  To answer your question, no, I don't think it would be wise to change from foster to agency because of the level of ethics involved.  You should do what you feel is right.

julie j

reunited adoptee

Answer 3

Just want to chime in~~

You can do both you know. Getting your adoption home study while fostering can open you up to foster/adopt situations. This is TONS easier than just trying to adopt throught the system without fostering.  Foster families have the first choice in adopting the children that are placed with them. If adoption is your goal definitly stay with the foster agency. You may have to go through a few situations of returning a child, which is the goal of foster care, but it will be worth it in the end.