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Chris Hansen talks about adopting a baby from a drug addicted mom

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Chris Hansen talks about adopting a baby from a drug addicted mom

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Chris Hansen invites a family onto his show so they can explain what they did to get the baby. They also explain the baby's story and what she came from.

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Chris Hansen Speaks to Ryan Holets About Adopting Baby From Drug-Addicted Mom

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This picture shows a very happy family with different races all as one.

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This video is about the expenses of adopting children. The owner talks about what the costs are and how long it takes and the different types of adoptions.

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The picture illustrates all different race babies together to show that everyone is equal. Also to show people are people no matter race.

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This is a government sight on adoption and the different places you can adopt from the the government supports.

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Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of State of the views or products contained therein. If you wish to remain on travel.state.gov, click the "cancel" message.

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This article shows you more ways of how to adopt and what adoption is like.

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Choosing to adopt a child is a big decision and is a beautiful way to create or add to a family. Below you will find the answers to some commonly asked questions.

Q: I think I want to adopt. Where do I begin?​

A: Thinking about adoption can be an exciting and overwhelming process, and with more than 125,000 children adopted in the United States each year, it's obviously become a popular option. Adoptive Families is an award-winning resource for parents-to-be navigating the adoption process and for parents raising children through adoption. Learn more about their How-to-Adopt and Adoption Parenting Network.

Q: What are the different types of adoption?

A: Children can be adopted through the national public child welfare system, private agencies, existing relationships, or the international process.

In a public adoption, the child is placed in a home by an agency that is either operated by the state or contracted by the state. Public adoption requirements can vary by state.

In a private adoption, placement is made by a nonprofit or for-private agency. Parents typically use an agency to assist with an international adoption.

An independent adoption may be carried out by birth parents, a lawyer, a doctor, a religious leader, or any other person who can help connect a child with a family.

For private and independent adoptions, the birth parent(s) can decide whether or not he or she wishes to select the adoptive parents, meet with them, even maintain an ongoing relationship, if he or she so chooses. That is called an open adoption. In a closed adoption, the names of the birth mother and father and the adoptive parents are not shared with one another.

Q: What is the average cost of adopting a child?

A: The costs really depend on the type of adoption, and, to some extent, the length of time it takes to adopt. Costs can range from $0 to $50,000. Child Welfare Information Gateway has an excellent review of adoption costs with references. Many employers also offer adoption benefits to help offset the cost. In 2013 the Federal Adoption Tax Credit was created to help families cover the adoption costs, as well.

Q: How long does the process of adopting a child typically take?

A: Parents hoping to adopt need to be prepared for a long and bumpy ride. Again, the length of time varies based on the type of adoption. Adopting a newborn from the United States can sometimes be extremely quick and/or could take years. The length of time to adopt internationally also varies based on the country and the referral process. Adopting a child internationally who has special medical needs can happen within 2 to 3 years. Adopting a child from foster care may not take quite as long, but it can be more complicated.

Q: There are so many adoption agencies out there, how do I know which I should use?

A: Selecting an adoption agency requires patience and perseverance. It's important that prospective parents do their homework. This may start with an internet search. Parents should look for an experienced agency and make sure the agency's values align with their own. Agencies should be willing to share references. Talk to friends and colleagues about their experiences, as well.

Q: Where can I learn more about the laws governing adoption?

A: Information about adoption laws can be found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which is a service of the Children's Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Q: What sort of preparation do I need as a prospective adopting parent?

A: As you consider the type of adoption you are going to pursue, you will need to get ready to be an adoptive parent. There is no "one size fits all" preparation that provides exactly what you need. Many agencies offer pre-adoptive training for prospective parents. For children who are adopted from foster care, there may be mandatory certification or training. Talk to families who've already adopted and gone through the process. Familiarize yourself with all the legal, financial, medical, developmental, and behavioral issues related to adoption.

Q: How will I talk about adoption with my friends and family?

A: If nobody in your family or circle of friends has adopted a child, it can be difficult to broach the subject. There are a lot of misconceptions about the adoption process and adopted children in general, and talking about it will invite people to voice what they know. HealthyChildren.org's article, Respectful Ways to Talk about Adoption: A List of Do's & Dont's, will help you learn the lingo, think about what you'd like to use, and educate your family and friends.

Q: What are the common medical and developmental concerns facing adopted children?

A: Many adopted children have unique medical, mental health and developmental needs that are rooted in their prenatal and pre-adoption histories. These needs may be present prior to, or at the time of adoption, or they may not appear for several to many years after adoption. ​

Additional Information from HealthyChildren.org:

About Dr. Schulte:

Elaine E. Schulte, MD, MPH, FAAP is a board certified pediatrician and Professor of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. She is the Medical Director of the Adoption Program at Cleveland Clinic Children's and has cared for hundreds of families and children touched by adoption. She also provides pre-adoption consultation service through MyConsult. Within the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Schulte sits on the Executive Committee of the Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care. She is the parent of two children adopted from China.

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adoption~ adopt~ communicate~ questions about adoption~ open adoption~ private adoption~ adoption agency~ adoption tax credit~ public adoption~ independent adoption~ international adoption~ newborn adoption~ adopting from foster care~ cost to adopt

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Choosing to adopt a child is a big decision and is a beautiful way to create or add to a family. Below you will find the answers to some commonly asked questions. A: Thinking about adoption can be an exciting and overwhelming process, and with more than 125,000 children adopted in the United States each year, it's obviously become a popular option.

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Shows most kids that get adopted are very happy no matter what their parents race are, as long as they're loved.

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Shows how two different races can unite and become one and be family.

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This just explains what adoption is. It also explains how adoption works.

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American Adoptions - Adoption Information - All About Adoption

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Want to learn more about adoption? Have questions about information on adoption? American Adoptions and our specialists can help.

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This picture illustrates that all races can come together and still be loving towards one another.

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This article talks about adopting from foster care and how you should go about it.

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Thousands of children in foster care need permanent families

Adopting a child from foster care is a great way to help a child while growing your family. Today there are more than 100,000 children and teens in foster care who are waiting for the love and security that a permanent home provides.

You can learn more about foster care and adoption by clicking through our short, interactive modules about the children in care and the families they need.

Children in foster care

Children enter foster care through no fault of their own, because they have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. These children are in the temporary custody of the state while their birth parents are given the opportunity to complete services that will allow the children to be returned to them if it is in the children's best interest.

Just more than half of children who go into foster care return to their birth families. For children who become available for adoption, many are adopted by a relative or their foster parents.

Adopting from foster care

Adopting from foster care is similar to other types of adoption in that after all of the decision making, paperwork, and preparation are completed, a dream of family is fulfilled. But foster care adoptions are different in a few important ways:

Though it is possible to adopt a baby from foster care, the children who are available for adoption generally range from toddler to 21. The median age is eight years old.

Because all children in foster care have experienced some form of trauma, parents who adopt from foster care undergo specific training to understand the effects of trauma and help children heal.

Parents who adopt from foster care usually work with a public agency or a private agency that has contracted with the state to provide services.

Adopting from foster care costs little to no money.

Read more about the different types of adoptions in Adoption Options: Where Do I Start? (321 KB PDF) on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website.

Fostering before adopting

An increasing number of states view foster care and adoption as a continuum and are establishing policies that encourage parents who are considering adoption to be foster parents first. For example, some states require that families seeking to adopt also take foster parent training and get approved to foster.

Fostering a child before adopting them has several benefits.

Parents who are yearning to share their love and knowledge with children or youth can begin parenting sooner, while waiting for or identifying a match.

Parents and the children placed in their care get a chance to assess whether they could have a permanent attachment to each other.

Families can experience parenting children of wide range of ages-from infant to 21.

Children make fewer moves.

A child can live with her future adoptive parents, if the parents are also licensed to provide foster care, potentially reducing the amount of time parents must wait before an adoption is finalized.

The family begins to bond.

Parents gain experience parenting-and especially parenting children who have experienced trauma.

Parents understand children's needs and can more accurately negotiate adoption assistance.

Foster parenting demonstrates a prospective adoptive family's suitability for an adoptive placement.

Foster parents are able to establish relationships with children's family members that could be sustained after the child is adopted.

An important aspect of fostering, even while the foster family is being considered to adopt the child in their care, is that foster parents must actively support efforts to reunify children with their birth parents so long as reunification remains the child's permanency plan, as determined by a court and public agency that are responsible for their custody and planning.

Foster parents must always be prepared for the very real possibility that children they hoped to adopt are returned to their birth parents or placed with other relatives, although that determination will nearly always be made prior to designation by the court of the placement as adoption. This dual role for foster parents is part of what is sometimes referred to as "concurrent planning," meaning that while a plan to reunify children with their parents is being actively pursued, work is also being done to quickly achieve an alternate permanency plan-often adoption by the foster parents-should the reunification plan not be successful.

Frequently asked questions

AdoptUSKids foster care and adoption resource specialists respond to hundreds of questions about foster care and adoption, and an active community of families is always exchanging information on our Facebook page.

Below are our responses to some of the more frequently asked questions we receive about adoption and foster care.
If I am only interested in adopting, why should I also get approved to foster?
There are several compelling reasons.

Your state may require that you do. This is referred to as being "dual licensed."

Even if your state allows parents to be approved to only adopt to begin the process, it will almost invariably require you to be approved to foster before a child is physically placed in your home for the purpose of adoption. Being approved as a foster parent when you are matched with a child will allow you to avoid the needless delay of completing additional paperwork and processes before the child can be placed into your home.

Being dual licensed can potentially make your family a more desirable placement, especially when you are applying to adopt a child from another state. This is because the placement of a child can be made more quickly if you have already completed the additional paperwork and approvals to foster.

A child placed with you will continue to receive financial support to help meet their needs. You will avoid a potential disruption in assistance that could occur while you become licensed to foster and before you can access any post-adoption financial support that might be available.

If my intent is only to adopt, but I am approved to both foster and adopt, will I be required to foster a child who may be reunified with their parents?
No. It is not in the best interests of you or the child for a social worker to make a placement that is not agreed upon in advance.

There are, however, at least a couple of situations in which your caseworker may ask you to consider accepting placement of a child as their foster parent. Having an open relationship with your worker will help you to understand such requests and empower you to make decisions that are best for your family and for the child.

You may be asked to consider taking placement of a child on what is referred to as a "legal-risk basis." This can occur when the rights of one of a child's parents have been terminated, and the agency has a high degree of certainty that the rights of the other parent will be terminated. Having already been approved to foster will help this placement occur more smoothly and quickly.

If your family does not have a lot of parenting experience, your social worker may recommend that you consider fostering so that you better understand the challenges and rewards of parenting a child who has experienced trauma.

What is involved in adopting children from another state?
Adoptions across state lines are governed by the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). This agreement, between all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, ensures that children placed across state lines will be placed in safe, suitable environments and with people who are qualified to care for them.

Interstate adoptions require additional processes and paperwork, as well as increased communication between court and child welfare systems across state lines. A new electronic data exchange system launched in 2013, referred to as NEICE (National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise), is shortening the time it takes to place children across state lines. Read more about NEICE and about ICPC at the website of the Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.

While there are additional steps to work through, families can and do adopt children across state lines. You can read some of their stories on our blog.
What kind of support is available to families?
Financial assistance is available to cover all or most of the costs of adopting children from foster care and to fund their medical and mental health needs. Respite care-temporary child care that gives parents a needed break and time to meet other obligations-and local and online support groups are other ways that parents access help. Read more about support for foster parents and support for adoptive parents.
Can you provide information about international adoption?
AdoptUSKids exists and is funded to support adoption of children from US foster care. If you are interested in pursing an international adoption, we recommend you visit the US Department of State's Intercountry Adoption website.

Things to do next:

Read about getting started to become a foster or adoptive parent.

Request to be contacted by your state by completing this form or talking with one of our foster care and adoption specialists by calling 888-200-4005. They are ready to answer your questions and connect you with your local agency.

Subscribe to receive updates from AdoptUSKids and our monthly newsletter for families, which includes profiles of children, featured family stories, and recent news related to adoption and foster care.

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Thousands of children in foster care need permanent families Adopting a child from foster care is a great way to help a child while growing your family. Today there are more than 100,000 children and teens in foster care who are waiting for the love and security that a permanent home provides.

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This article just helps you educate yourself on adoption and everything you need to know.

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Educating yourself, contacting an agency, and attending an orientation meeting are the first steps toward adopting and/or fostering

Although it costs little (if anything) to adopt from foster care, the process of becoming an adoptive or foster parent can be time consuming and requires persistence. On average, it takes from four to twelve months to complete the steps necessary to be licensed to adopt or foster-including submitting an application, undergoing a home study, and attending training.

While some of the steps may seem overly involved or invasive, it is important to keep in mind that everyone is working toward the same goal-ensuring the safety and well-being of children.

Educating yourself

Our website is a good place to start your journey to becoming an adoptive or foster parent. Our introduction to adoption from foster care and the information we provide about the children in care and the resources available to families give families a solid understanding of the process and the children.

Child Welfare Information Gateway has a great list of resources of things to consider before adoption, including how to preparing yourself emotionally and considering openness in adoption.

Many families tell us that one of the best sources of information about adopting or being a foster parent is other families.

Parents who have fostered and adopted share their motivations, doubts, and lessons learned in this AdoptUSKids video.

Contacting a local agency

To get started or find out more about adopting in your particular state or territory, contact your local public agency and/or one or more private agencies:

Public agency services are usually free or very low cost-and often reimbursable. Public agencies may suggest or require becoming licensed to foster before adopting and will explain to you the reasoning behind this. In short, even if you only intend to adopt, which is permanent, and are not interested in providing temporary foster care, being approved to both foster and adopt can expedite the placement of a child with you for the purposes of adoption. Find out more about foster parenting and the cost of adoption from foster care (usually nothing when done directly through a public agency).

Private adoption agencies guide you through the adoption process in much the same way that public agencies do. Their services may include helping you complete a home study, providing training, helping you find and secure a placement, and identifying or providing support services after adoption. They usually charge for these services up front. Some or all of the fees may be reimbursable.

You can search for local agencies in your state or contact us. Our adoption specialists can help you find contact information for your local public agency and also provide contact information for private adoption agencies in your area that will work with public agencies.

Attending an orientation meeting

When you contact a local adoption and foster care agency, you will most likely be invited to attend an orientation meeting where you will find out more about:

Children in foster care

Roles and responsibilities of adoptive and foster parents

The process you will need to go through to adopt or foster

Next steps to take on the journey to adoption or becoming a foster parent

If you attend an orientation meeting, all you need to do is:

Show up with an open heart and mind.

Ask questions and listen carefully to what the presenters say.

Take notes on things such as what you have to do next, who your important contacts are, and when the next meeting will happen.

During orientation, you may hear for the first time the real challenges involved with being a foster parent and adopting a child from foster care. It's natural to become conflicted as your emotions rise to the surface. You don't have to make any major decisions at this point. The only thing you need to do is decide whether you want to continue to explore becoming a foster or adoptive parent.

Things to do next:

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Educating yourself, contacting an agency, and attending an orientation meeting are the first steps toward adopting and/or fostering Although it costs little (if anything) to adopt from foster care, the process of becoming an adoptive or foster parent can be time consuming and requires persistence.