There are two types of adoption through the foster care system, foster to adopt, where you become a foster parent whom receives children that social workers feel will not be reunified with their biological families, with the option of moving forward to adopt the child, or receiving another foster placement, or straight adoption through the foster care system.

Straight adoption through the foster care system is different than the foster to adopt process.  Unlike the foster to adopt process, straight adoption allows for the potential parents to browse through photolistings of children in the system, and pick out the ones that they feel would be a potential match with their family.  Of course social workers have the final say on whether or not the child and the family will mesh nicely, but in this type of adoption through foster care parents have a little more control over what child comes their way.  It also allows for potential adoptive parents to make a profile, which can be viewed by potential birth mothers as she makes an adoption plan for her unborn child.

If your mind still isn’t made up on which option is best for you, financial reasons are often the deciding factor for many families.  Doing the foster to adopt option is almost free.  There are some basic fees associated with the process, such as paying for background checks and doctors visits, but the process itself is free.  Straight adoption through the foster care system is on the lower end of cost in the adoption world, but is usually still a few thousand dollars, due to the extensive work social workers must do to complete the adoption homestudy report, with the actual cost varying widely between individual agencies.

Just about anyone can become a foster parent, regardless of age, race, religion, or martial status, although some states do have provisions in place to prevent gays and lesbians from fostering or adopting through the foster system.

Both types of adoption require completing a set of parenting classes through the agency.  It is during these classes that social workers teach potential adoptive parents about both the joys and the pitfalls in adopting through the foster care system, as well as how to adequately care for a child whom has been removed from his or her biological family.

They both also require the same set of documents to be presented to the agency, such as birth certificates of the potential adoptive parents, marriage certificates, high school diplomas, current physical from the doctor stating you are in good heath, and autobiographies, to name a few.  Fingerprinting for both state and federal background checks are required as well.   There is no cause for alarm if you happen to have a slight bump on your record, or in your past, they are not looking for perfect people, but they are looking for people whom have learned from the mistakes of their past and are not habitual offenders.

Adoption is a lengthy process, and foster care adoption is no exception.  The parenting classes alone can take three months to complete, and an adoption itself cannot be finalized until the child has been in your care for six months to one year, depending on your state’s adoption laws.

Most, if not all children in the foster care system have some level of special needs, be it physical, emotional, intellectual, or are a member of a minority or sibling group.  They have experienced great loss and trauma in their young lives, and are going to have behaviors and issues as a direct result.  Parents are going to have to be patient and understanding when it comes to dealing with a child that has suffered from physical abuse, neglect, drug use, sexual abuse, and so on, as well as be diligent when it comes to finding and fighting for the resources that their child needs in order to heal and move forward.

Things To Keep In Mind
 

• Some adoptions through the foster care system are open adoptions, with some level of contact between the child and birth family members.  Is this something that you will be able to handle?
• Love alone simply cannot, and will not ‘fix’ a child.  Are you prepared to handle extreme behaviors from your child as he or she learns what it is like to live with a functioning and healthy family? 
• Can you accept both these extreme behaviors, as well as the child if it is learned that the child does not have the capacity to function on a more normal level?
• The foster to adopt process involves a level of uncertainty.  Children that a social worker thought would have no chance of going home to their biological families may end up being reunified.  Are you prepared to handle the uncertainty and loss if this were to happen to you?
• Children in the system often have siblings.  Would you be willing to take in more children than you initially desired in order to keep a sibling group together?  If not, would you be able to handle splitting up a sibling groups chance to be raised together as a family?