Fost-Adopting

Here's something else you may not know about our adoption process. We have chosen to participate in a program that is called "fost-adopt." When a child is removed from their birth family by CPS (Child Protective Services), the child is placed in foster care as soon as possible. (Sometimes they stay in a temporary shelter for a period of time.) Initially, the case plan for that child is reunification with their birth family. When it becomes clear that reunification is no longer an option, the child's case plan changes to adoption and the state begins a 12-18 month process of severing the parental rights of the birth family. Once these rights have been severed, the child is considered "legally free" and is available for adoption.

We have chosen to open our home for "fost-adoption," which means that we may be placed with a child whose case plan has been changed to adoption, but who is not yet legally free. We will serve as the child's foster parents until he/she becomes legally free and then we will begin the process of legally adopting him/her. This means that there is a small risk that we may have a child come to live with us and then be returned to the birth family. Of course, I find this possibility rather horrifying, but we weighed the pros and cons of the whole situation and decided to take the risk because it will widen the pool of children that may be available to us... and hopefully shorten the wait time before we receive our placement.

I went to the Child Crisis Center last night- I've been volunteering there for a couple of years with the "Tiny Tots," children ages 0-3. I find it incredibly cathartic to spend time with these children. It affirms my belief that children can survive terrible trauma and still turn out to be wonderful little people. Also, it reminds me that at that age, they really are still babies. Sometimes I feel sad that because we have chosen to adopt an older child, I won't get to know the child at ALL stages of life- that I might miss out on the "babyhood." But when I see these little angels, I realize that 2-3 years old is such a precious age. And it makes me all the more excited for our child to come home and join our family.