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    Browse our network of adoption services including infant and foster care adoption, home studies, and post-adoption support.

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Looking for Adoptions Together or FamilyWorks Together? New name, same us. Here’s why!

I Want to Adopt

Foster Care Adoption Process

There are several ways to begin the foster care adoption process. A licensed adoption agency or local department of social services can help you get started. Adoptions Together, a program of Paths for Families, can help you on your foster care adoption journey. Here’s how the foster care adoption process works.

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Little boy tickling his father

Step 1: Training

Foster care adoptions require you to complete a state-mandated 30-hour training program to prepare you for the challenges of parenting a child who has experienced life in foster care. Trainings are scheduled conveniently throughout the year and take place live online.

Foster Care Adoption Training

Step 2: Home Study

A home study helps us ensure you’re prepared to parent a child and that your home is safe for a child who has experienced life in foster care. You will submit documents to us for review, and a social worker will visit you to meet your family several times. Ideally, this takes 3-4 months, but the pace is largely driven by the family.

Step 3: Matching

Once you are approved, you will begin the matching process with our team. Using various search tools, we will connect parents and children whose family needs mesh well. We will help families and children learn more about each other with the help of their caseworkers.

Step 4: Visitation

Once a match is made, visitations will be arranged between you and the child. This will help facilitate a smooth transition between the child’s current living situation, often out of state, and your home. Visits are often arranged in the child’s home and in your own home.

Step 5: Placement

After the child and your family get to know one another and you decide to move forward, the transition and placement plan is made. This is when the child will officially come home with you. Our team offers extra support to your family during this time to ensure your bond is off to a healthy, strong start.

Step 6: Finalization & Support

Once your family has settled into its new relationship, the finalization of your adoption can occur. Adoptions Together believes that all families can thrive with ongoing support and offers a lifetime of services to families so that they can remain healthy and strong.

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Foster Care Adoption FAQ