37 yr old, SWF with a 39,000 yearly income in Tennessee, wanting to adopt a child..?

Question

I'm just wondering what some of the basic qualifications are to adopt a toddler in the US (Tennessee).. The company I work for even offers adoption benefits so that will help with the cost, although I have no clue what that would be either.. So I'm hoping to find someone here with a little knowlege on the subject.. I'm also hoping that being single Isn't gonna be a big factor in preventing me from adopting..

Thank you for your time and hope to hear from ya! I was adopted as well and I only want to give a child a better chance in life like I was fortunate enough to have...

Answer 1

Oh my goodness...I cannot believe all the ignorant people on here. You have every right to adopt a child...even being single.
I do home studies on people becoming resource parents in my state on either individuals wanting to take in a relative or just to adopt/foster any child. A lot of my home studies are with individual women or men wanting to give a child a better life.
I work for DCF, so it might be a little different...and something you might want to check into because there are a lot of abused and neglected children that need a home.
Here is part of the home study process that I have to do in my state in order for the home to become licensed:

1. Meet the minimum age qualification: 18 years old. Resource parents may be married, single, widowed, or divorced.

2. Provide bedroom space for the foster child. Each child must have his/her own bed

3. Provide sufficient space for the foster child’s personal belongings

4. Complete a DCF resource parent application

5. Attend the DCF Resource Parent Pre-Service Training. Both adults in a two-parent household must attend the training program

6. Provide references from:
•three personal friends
•current employer (for adult applicants in the household employed outside of the home)
•school/day care (for school-age children)
•Physician (medical references on all household members)

7. Cooperate with State and Federal police checks. Fingerprints will be taken on all adult household members to process the State and Federal Criminal History checks. In addition, DCF will conduct a review of its internal records to determine whether the applicant or any household member has neglected or abused a child in the past

8. Participate in a personal interview with a DCF representative. All household members will be interviewed

9. Allow a DCF representative to visit your home to assess minimum physical housing standards

10. Provide sufficient income to meet the needs of the entire family. Foster care board payments are to be used for the foster child’s expenses only.



(Exceptions to these requirements can be considered under special circumstances)

Once you are approved as a resource parent, the board payments you receive for foster children placed in your home will be based on the age and special needs of the child. Foster care board payments are not taxable income.

Currently, the basic board payments for children are:

Monthly Basic Rate
0 - 5 years of age $553.00
6-9 years of age $595.00
10-12 years of age $618.00
13 and over $667.00

Clothing Allowance Daily
0 - 5 years of age $2.03
6-9 years of age $2.03
10-12 years of age $2.03
13 and over $2.62

Medicaid and monthly clothing allowances are also provided.



So please do not listen to this half-minded people who are telling you that you need to have a husband in order to be a good mother and that these children should sit and wait until that happens...that is ridiculous and ignorant. As well as the fact that you work and you would only be a weekend mother. More than half the people in the world that have their own children NEED to work in order to raise a family.....unless you happen to have striked it rich...you usually need to work to live! And that does not make anyone less of a parent

Good luck! There are a lot of children out there that need love and a home!

Answer 2

It doesn't sound like now is the right time for you to be thinking about adopting. If you have a low income and are on food stamps how can you afford to have another mouth to feed? Work on bettering your financial situation and then you can think about it down the road. Maybe you should also get a job in addition to going to school online. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

I'm not familiar with the cost of living in Tennessee. Here in Nevada, $39,000 wouldn't really be enough due to our high cost of living. However the first step is to ensure that you make enough to raise a child. I know others do so successfully by making much, much less, but adoption agencies can be picky with who they give children to nowadays.

Answer 4

Ignore the rude people on here! They should be looking at ways to ANSWER on here instead of judging others.

Each individual adoption is looked at differently. Being that TN is in the bible belt one would think not attending church, as in our case, or being single would matter. I found it did not have any effect on our recent adoption. Hubby was even laid off work at the time, had been for over a year & that was not a factor for us either.

I would search on google for specifics. It's hard to say what "basic qualifications" they look for. Here are some that come to mind:
Background checks, police records for ANY place you have ever lived, fingerprints.
Ability to provide a loving, caring home, food, shelter, clothing. Who will look after the child while you're working, planned religion, and of course...who would you want to take the child if you suddenly died.
Be prepared for a couple or more "home visits" from the social worker to see if the child has a room of their own & how you take care of your residence, pets in the home & what would you do if the child were allergic to one of them. What form of discipline you plan to use also. I'm sure I'll think of a dozen more things after I answer this so check back..or just email me if you'd like.
Good Luck on your quest & Bless you for thinking of adoption.

Answer 5

Being single wouldn’t affect you chances as there are plenty of singles who adopt. Typical the qualifications depend on the state and even sometimes the agencies. I would get on the process as soon as possible being that your 37 sometimes age can be a big factor. The links below may be of some help to you.

http://state.tn.us/youth/adoption/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tennessee_adoptions/

http://www.tennesseeadoption.org/

http://www.adoptionassistance.com/

http://www.adoptionservices.org/adoption/adoption_agencies_tennessee.htm

Answer 6

. . . and dump him or her in daycare? I don't think it's a great idea. A child needs you when they need you - not just at bedtime and weekends

Answer 7

maybe you should get married first.
children deserve two parents