[paschallraschalls]

We are thinking of starting foster care in a few years and are discussing whether to just do foster care or foster-to-adopt. As much as I hate to even admit that money enters into the picture when a child's wellbeing is at stake... I know adoption can be expensive, and we are not sure if it would even be financially possible to adopt. I know we would never adopt a child that we could not afford to care for, but whether we could raise our children and save to help cover the costs of an adoption or possible repeated adoptions is a question in our minds. Is there any way to find out, financially, if adopting is even possible? What have your experiences been? By the time it is all said and done, how much did it cost to adopt a child you had been keeping in foster care? Again, I understand you can't put a price on a child, and I would never want to do that. Thanks again for your help!!

p.s.- we are in Tn if that helps

 

[sesa70]

fwiw, here in Illinois if you adopt a foster child older than 1 year at time of adoption, you get a subsidy for that child. Included are a medical card and monthly stipend. Also covered are attorney fees for the actual adoption. So, for us, they actually PAID US to adopt!

I know every state is different, but I think most do have these sorts of arrangements. Good luck!

 

[paschallraschalls]

Wow!! I wonder how many other states make it affordable?!?! It would be so wonderful if the states made it easy as possible for loving families to give forever homes to these children.

 

[azedazobollis]

In our state, there are two types of licenses. Foster home and Pre-adoptive home. When we became a foster family, it wasnt our intention to adopt- although we ended up adopting our first placement 18 months later. We had her from birth, and that is just the way it worked out. It happened on afluke actually because her social worker was new to the "rules of licensing" and didnt know that she should have put Anna in a pre-adoptive homewhen she was about 5 months old and birth mom had stopped showing up for visits- disappeared... and the rest is history. A foster home isnt supposed to adopt. We are the bridge between being removed from birth family and permanancy (which is either adoption or reunification). I have since taken 13 babies. I have #13 now. The previous babies are either in pre-adoptive homes or back with birth family.

Now, about finances. As a foster parent, I am paid per day per child.

There is website somewhere that has each states subsidies. The subsidies vary for ages of the child and medically complex. When a child is adopted depending on the situation, they either are completely your financial responsibility or the state continues some sort of subsidy, medical, services and in my state college tuition is paid along with medical through their college years. One of my babies that is being adopted was perfectly healthy and will not receive and subsidy for the child however, that child will get state medical and college paid.

My Anna has fetal alcohol effects so she has a basic subsidy until she is 18- or completes college aloing with medical and her therapies. Along with state college tuition- room and board. If she chooses to attend an out of state college, tuition room and board will be paid in equivilent of our state. Our lawyer was provided for us- however if we didnt like him- we could have paid for our own lawyer. I like him and our case was very easy. Birth mother cooperated and everything was smooth.

 

[pumpkingirl71]

I live in MA. Here, adopting a foster child is free and often the child recieves some sort of stipend if they have medical/emeotional/physical problems.

Not that this is good, but my experience is that if I call and ask for help, I am offered more money. It is kind of sad because because money is NOT going to solve any of my little girl's problems. But I guess we have the piece of mind that money is not a problem.

 

[Stayseeliz]

I believe all costs are also paid for the adoption and care of children in South Carolina.

We are choosing to adopt privately and expect to spend $10-12,000 when everything is said and done. We might consider foster or foster-to-adopt when the children are older. Everyone is different and knows what they can handle.

 

[sesa70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by azedazobollis A foster home isnt supposed to adopt. We are the bridge between being removed from birth family and permanancy (which is either adoption or reunification). One of my babies that is being adopted was perfectly healthy and will not receive and subsidy for the child however, that child will get state medical and college paid.

This is very interesting to me! here in Illinois they do have pre adoptive foster homes, like us, but there is a huge overlap between pre adoptive and standard foster homes. They encourage all foster familes (standard, not preadoptive) to adopt children they have cared for, when it gets to that point, and only after they have exhausted all possibilities for the child to be adopted by its foster family will they move the child to a pre adoptive home. For us, the licence is exactly the same.

Also, for us, a child will recieve a subsidy if they are adopted after their first birthday, even if they are perfectly healthy.

Its amazing to me how things are handled so differently from state to state!

 

[intorainbowz]

The program that reimbruses the state for adoption costs/subsidies is federal, so I would assume this nation wide. If you adopt from foster care in my state, your adoption costs are paid, and you recieve at minimium a medicaid card. Depending on the needs of the child the ammount varies.

 

[trinasmom]

In MO. if the child is labeled "special needs" then you receive a monthly stipend. Almost all children in our district are special needs. If the bio family was on any assistance then the child qualifies as a special needs child. Also, they pay up to $1,500 for adoption fees and if your child is a special needs child then you receive insurance for them until they are 18.