The transition of one of our youth is intentional. In the process, the professionals on the team (Youth Advocate), will get to know you, your family, and understand your desire to adopt a child from the foster care system. Our Youth Advocates will also work with your licensing/adoption worker or provide resources for you to become licensed or certified with an agency. You will need to be licensed or certified before you can be considered as a family for a youth in foster care.

If you are licensed or certified, the Youth Advocate and the youth’s team will work with you and your worker to explore and determine if you can provide the environment for the youth’s thriving.

Meeting the youth can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks, or longer. The transition of placement can take 6-8 weeks depending on the needs of the youth and other factors. Once the youth is placed in your home, there is a 6-month transition period before the adoption date can be filed with the courts.

Youth Advocates support DCS in finding permanency for youth that are legally free for adoption in the foster care system.

Youth Advocates also support the youth by building strong relationships and exploring what adoption means for them. A Youth Advocate will support the youth through the entire process of meeting a family through the adoption finalization.

Our Youth Advocates can provide resources to families for additional support and education.

Adoption is a complicated process. Everyone has an innate desire for belonging, support, and connection to others. The youth we work with desire to belong. However, this process can evoke very complicated emotions, given past experiences in their family and familial trauma. Youth are very loyal to their family and may feel being adopted is a form of betrayal. These are just a couple reasons a youth may be hesitant to adoption.

Another alternative to adoption is guardianship. Guardianship can occur when family reunification is not possible, but adoption is not optimistic at this point and termination of the youth’s parental rights is not in the best interest of the youth. Guardianship allows you to care for a youth in foster care while some of the biological parents’ rights are still intact.

Becoming a mentor or a STRONG family are alternate routes to making an impact on youth and their family. For more information, click here (link to the info about mentoring and strong families on the CFC website.

Youth between the ages of 5-17 represent the greatest need for adoptive homes. Many adoptable youth are 12 and older.

CFC offers several supportive programs to encourage, elevate, and equip you to best serve the child in your home. We offering counseling, mentoring, family coaching, and training that will help bring parents hope and healing to their child and their needs as they navigate life coming from a traumatic background.

Our services are available to you after the youth has been adopted. Christian Family Care is here to support you throughout your journey.

No, it does not cost anything to become licensed or certified to parent a child in foster care. Agencies may have a home study fee that could get reimbursed once the adoption finalizes. Once the youth is placed in your home, the state will pay a monthly subsidy to help cover the costs for room & board, clothing, and other items. The state also provides clothing and educational allowances for the youth. All medical, dental, and most behavioral health needs are covered by the Department of Child Safety (DCS). Parents who adopt children from the foster care system may be eligible to receive an adoption subsidy from DCS until the youth turns 18.