Just like how each child is unique, so is each adoption story. There are many paths that you can take to grow your family through adoption; visit HOST A CHILD to learn more about the hosting and adoption process, and fill out this inquiry form to connect with a Kidsave coordinator today!
Requirements for Adoption
All Children Deserve Families
You may have heard that adoption is a long and expensive process with numerous requirements, and you aren’t sure if it’s something you can really do. Don’t worry. We’re here to help you learn about growing your family through adoption and other ways you can help change the life of an older child in foster care.
Just like how every person is unique, so is every family. If you are interested in growing your family through adoption, there are several paths you can take. Let’s look at a few of them.
Adopting Children from Foster Care
With over 117,400 children waiting to be adopted in the U.S. and millions more worldwide, it’s evident that the world needs more adoptive parents. Many of the kids waiting to be adopted are older kids languishing in foster care, desperate for a caring adult to step up and provide them with the safe and loving family they deserve.
To become an adoptive parent you must meet certain qualifications. These will vary depending on your state, for example, some states allow people who are 18 years old to adopt while other states require adoptive parents to be a minimum of 21 years old. You must pass background checks and a child abuse and neglect registry check. You can be single, married, or divorced. Adoptive parents will need to have a safe home, rented or owned. Each applicant will need to be healthy enough to care for a child and be financially capable of caring for a child. Every adoptive parent will need training and education in order to adopt a child from foster care. Click here for more information on training classes.
International Adoption
International adoption refers to the process of adopting a child from another country. There have been a lot of changes in international adoption over the last twenty years with the creation of The Hague Convention and more regulations to prevent trafficking or unlawful removal of a child from their home. These regulations are in place not only to ensure that the child is legally eligible for adoption but also to ensure that international adoption is in the child’s best interest.
The requirements for international adoption vary based on the child’s country of origin, the state in which the adoptive parents live, and the adoption agency used to complete the adoption. It can be tough to navigate international adoption on your own, but through Kidsave’s Summer Miracles program, you will have access to Kidsave staff and our adoption agency partners for help along the way.
Domestic Adoption
Adopting from Foster Care in the U.S.
Adoption from foster care is the fastest growing method of adoption in the U.S. Despite this positive increase in adoptions, there are still, on average, 117,000 kids in foster care waiting to be adopted at any given time. Of the kids in foster care, 58% of them are over the age of six, and research shows that older kids in foster care are less likely to be adopted than younger children. This disparity in adoption rates among older kids is what led our founders to create ABCinfatn Adoption over 15 years ago. Our Weekend Miracles program works to help older kids in foster care in the U.S. connect with adults and families within their communities.
Aren’t sure yet if adoption is right for you? That’s OK!
Other ways you can help.
There are plenty of ways to help older kids in foster care. Many of the kids in our program aren’t ready for or interested in adoption; they just want to feel loved and supported by a caring adult in their life.
Being a mentor or volunteer is a great way to have a positive impact on the life of a child. Learn more about all of the ways you can get involved.