The foster care adoption system provides temporary family care and shelter to any child from birth to 18 years old. Most of these children are left to fend for themselves at a very young age. Some have parents incapable of providing their basic needs, a loving and caring environment. Some of the children have been through very rough experiences in their own homes like physical, emotional and sexual abuse as well as deprivation and other negative experiences.
It was currently recorded in the US that the average stay of children in their foster homes is 31 months. Half of the children get to be permanently adopted. The process to get into foster care adoption may vary, depending on the policies implemented by agencies and areas. The prospective foster parents undergo training and have to obtain a license. The process also involves a lot of paperwork, background check and a home study.
Parents are also provided stipends to contribute to the expenses entailed in taking care of the children. These include clothing, school supplies and toiletries. Supervised visitation of biological parents is also done in the foster care system. Length of the visit may vary.
Of course, foster care adoptions have its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that it reassures parents that they are providing a very positive contribution to children and their biological families. It also builds a strong emotional bond between the foster parents and the children; likewise, visibly benefitting both parties in the process. The state also provides compensation to the foster families.
There are some disadvantages also. First, both foster parents/family and children undergo the pain of separation, once and if a child is reunited to his family of origin. The stipend for foster parents is not enough to provide for the overall needs of the child. Hence, foster care adoption may also mean that foster parents have the resources to be able to tend to the needs of the child. Thus, emotional and financial strains may be created within the foster family. It also creates a feeling somehow that there is never enough support or resources for the children in foster care.
Foster care adoption may require a certain amount of money. Private and agency adoptions may require a starting amount of $5,000 to $40,000. The amount may vary, depending on the required documents the foster care adoption arrangements would entail. These factors include services, travel expenses, birthmother expenses, documents or other requirements from the state, among other factors. International adoptions costs go between $7,000 and $30,000.
In the US, the foster care system is not that costly though. One of the factors that determine the permanence of foster care adoption is the result of the rehabilitation of parents after a period of six months to more than a year. If there were very little or no changes seen after such time, parental rights are terminated (TPR). Before reaching this point, case workers must be able to tell whether the childs case is heading towards this direction. He is then transferred to a family that has an intention to permanently adopt him. The court will process the adoption commencing once the TPR is deemed effective. The adoption also entails that the right of the biological parent to know who the adoptive parents are becomes void. Although in many cases, adoptive parents were able to build a good relationship with the birth parents.
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