those of you who have adopted an infant or child 1 and under from foster care system?

Question

how long of a wait did you have once the background checks and home study was completed?
We want to adopt a child 1 and under. I know about the "legally free" and the "legally at risk" categories that the state has and would prefer to adopt a child who is "legally free"
I have been searching all over the web and cant really find any adoption boards that have more than a few pages. Or any place to find others that have adopted children 1 and under from the state foster care system.
Do you know any helpful websites that I could check out?

Thanks

Answer 1

I am in the same boat. We are looking to adopt from newborn to 3 years old. I am being told by everyone that it is almost impossible to get a young child through adoption, unless I wanted to do foster to adopt (which we didn't want to do). So if you come across something, please let me know.

Answer 2

We were foster to adopt, with a preference for 'legal risk'. We had specified either a infant or a sibling pair where both were 4 or under.

We went through about 3 months to get certified as a foster home (we were moving to a new house and that slowed down the process).

After getting certified as a foster home, it took about 9 months before we had what you might call a "permanent placement". (We had some short term placements during that 9 months). The brothers, one was 3 years and the other 10 months, were listed as 50/50 legally at risk. We went through about 4 months of waiting to know the outcome of the case. Eventually, the boys were placed for adoption and we adopted them 2 months later.

So, from the start of the process to the finalized adoption was about two years.

Answer 3

It is very unlikely that you will be able to adopt a foster child under one. Most states give the birth parents "reasonable" efforts for the first year. So the child may have come to you under one, but before things are all said and done...the child could be 2 or 3.

We are fortunate, we have one of the "rare" instances that doesnt happen in foster care very often. In January we were called to take in a 6 day old baby boy. We were very excited, he does have a few "special needs" but really will be able to live an almost normal life. But even still, in December we have the Final Dispo hearing and it will still be another 2-6 months before we actually will be able to adopt him. He will be around 18 months before he has our last name. Honestly, this is the "best case scenerio!"

Good luck though...

PS...there is a risk with all foster care adoption!

Answer 4

I think that by stating you want a child under 12 months old is severely limiting.

We are in the process of adopting but are looking to adopt a sibling group. Even if we only wanted to adopt one child we would open up our limits to perhaps between birth and 4 years old.

There will be many people wanting exactly what you want so I'm afraid you are probably at the back of a very long queue. Have you thought about adopting a toddler? I'm sure you would have to wait a much shorter time than you are going to have to wait now.

Also remember that it isn't just a 'first come, first served' thing - the child will be matched to you so you must also fulfill other criteria to ensure that you are indeed the perfect parents for that particular child.

Contact your social worker and ask your question. He/she should be able to help you out.

I wish you luck!

Answer 5

I'm sorry your job isn't being supportive. I JUST finalized the adoption of my nephew and let me tell you, there is a LOT of red tape. I wish I could tell you differently. You are right about the laws, the only problem is, if they don't hold your position, your looking at court and lawyers, you may end up with more time than the 12 weeks you are supposed to get. Home studies are pretty easy, but the whole process is long. Don't get your hopes up that it's going to be quick after the home study. I already had custody of the child and it was over a year AFTER the home study before the adoption was finalized. Just FYI, they go into every room of your house at the home study (I wasn't warned and had clean clothes on my bed, my son's room was a wasteland, I was so embarrassed, although not judged by it, after all, I work full time and have three kids, who was time for the perfect house??). And about your company only paying you if you gave birth to the child, that sounds like a bunch of crap, isn't that discrimination? I have given birth, it only takes about two weeks to recover from a vaginal birth, the extra time off is to recover from the sleepless nights, and to bond. Your going to need to bond, as well as recover from the sleepless nights you are about to have! Besides, in my state, you can't leave a baby at daycare under the age of 4 weeks, although most places won't take them under 6 weeks old. Do some research in your state, talk to your adoption lawyer, if you don't have one yet, your going to need one anyone, find one who specializes in state adoptions (best advice I can give anyone, it sped up my adoption by MONTHS!) and ask about the FMLA laws as well as your company's refusal to pay you for the time off because you didn't give birth.... GOOD LUCK!

Answer 6

most kids in foster care are older unless they have special needs.

Answer 7

Unlikely to happen if you are so specific about age