Adoption Questions

What is an adoptive family?
An adoptive family is a family that embraces children through Christ’s love by accepting and providing each child with a permanent and forever family. Adoption is the permanent, legal transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from a child’s birth parents to the adoptive parents. Children are legally free for adoption only after the court has terminated the parental rights of the birth parents. An adoptive child is considered yours as if you had him or her from birth.

What does it cost to adopt thru foster care?
It is free to adopt thru foster care. During the foster care process there is a monthly maintenance payment per child, day care is paid for by the state for working parents and children are on Medicaid for their health insurance. After an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents continue to receive a monthly maintenance payment, daycare assistance; children can stay on Medicaid, and the state pays for all your legal fees for the adoption finalization.

Adoption, how do we get matched with a child/children in need of an adoptive family?
Your adoption worker will show you profiles of children in need of adoptive families. You can also help with this process by looking at adoptive websites to view profiles and then letting your licensing worker know about the profile and the case workers name and number that is assigned to the children that you are interested in. They will then talk to the caseworker and find out more information. They will let you know about the children and then if you are still interested they will fax over your home study to the caseworker. Once the caseworker has accepted the home study, they will schedule a staffing, which is a meeting that will be conducted by a professional team to determine the needs and strengths of the children. They will then determine what family will be the best fit for the children. After careful consideration, they will all make a decision. The process to be matched with children can take months, so this will be a time that you will have to have strong faith and a great deal of patience. Please note you have to have a life book ready if you want to be considered for children. In the adoption training we will discuss how to create a lifebook.

If we want to adopt, can we look for children on the internet in other states and pursue adopting them?
We prefer that you look within Missouri for 6 months after you license is complete. If you have not had a child placed with you during that time, you can begin to look outside of Missouri. Things get complicated when you adopt from another state but it can be done.

What is a life book? Do I have to complete one?
A life book is a photo album with about 20 pictures in it that tells the professional team about you and your family. This book will tell a story of you to the team so they will know you without you being there. This is a requirement so if you don’t have your life book ready to submit you will not be considered for children. This book is designed for adoptive parents to share with the professional team once a staffing is scheduled for adoption. Once you are interested in a child or children and have decided that you want your home study to be sent because you are interested in specific children, when a staffing is scheduled the life book must be sent to the professional team. This is required to complete in your Spaulding training.

Can the birth parents come back to claim a child after an adoption occurs?
After birth parents rights are terminated by the court, they do not have rights to come back and get that child, ever!

If we are going to be moving to another state in the next year, can we still are licensed in Missouri and transfer everything to the new state?
No. If you plan to move out of state in the near future, you need to wait and be licensed to adopt in the state you will be moving to. Each state has their own process to license foster and adoptive families.