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Children in Foster Care

Who Can Foster and Adopt

In most instances, your marital status, age, income, and sexual orientation will not automatically disqualify you from adopting a child from U.S. foster care. You don’t need to own your own home, have children already, be young, wealthy, or a stay-at-home parent to adopt or foster.

Characteristics needed to be a good foster or adoptive parent include:

• Being stable, mature, dependable, and flexible
• Having the ability to advocate for children
• Being a team player with your family or child welfare worker
   

While most adults qualify to foster and adopt, eligibility requirements vary between States. Use our interactive map of state foster care and adoption information to determine if you’re eligible to adopt where you live.

Child Welfare Information Gateway also has a great summary of state laws about who may adopt, be adopted, or placed for adoption .

Adoption Laws and Resources for LGBT Families

Laws regarding adoption and foster care by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals vary from State to State. To help you in your adoption journey, we have compiled a list of resources and information for LGBT families.

• Find out more about LGBT adoption laws and resources
   

Adoption Resources for Military Families

Military families stationed overseas and within the U.S. are eligible to adopt children from the U.S. foster care system.

• Find out more about military family adoption resources
   

Global Adoption Resources

Both U.S. citizens and non-citizens living outside the United States are eligible to adopt from U.S. foster care.

• Find out more about global adoption resources

State Adoption and Foster Care Information

Learn about foster care and adoption guidelines in your State.

• Select State, Territory, or Tribe:

       Select       Alabama       Alaska       Arizona       Arkansas       California       Cherokee Nation       Colorado       Connecticut       Delaware       Florida       Georgia       Guam       Hawaii       Idaho       Illinois       Indiana       International       Iowa       Kansas       Kentucky       Louisiana       Maine       Maryland       Massachusetts       Michigan       Minnesota       Mississippi       Missouri       Montana       Nebraska       Nevada       New Hampshire       New Jersey       New Mexico       New York       New York City       North Carolina       North Dakota       Ohio       Oklahoma       Oregon       Pennsylvania       Puerto Rico       Puerto Rico Espanol       Rhode Island       South Carolina       South Dakota       Tennessee       Texas       Utah       Vermont       Virgin Islands       Virginia       Washington       Washington, D.C.       West Virginia       Wisconsin       Wyoming     

Select from Map:US Map

Courtesy: Adoptuskids.org

May is National Foster Care Month

You Can Change a Lifetime

May is National Foster Care Month...You Can Change a Lifetime!

Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity to shine a light on the experiences of the more than 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system. The campaign raises awareness about the urgent needs of these young people and encourages citizens from every walk of life to get involved – as foster or adoptive parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways. With the help of dedicated people, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will either reunite safely with their parents, be cared for by relatives or be adopted by loving families. Many children would not have to enter foster care at all if more states provided support and services to help families cope with crises early on. Thanks to the many advocates, child welfare professionals, elected officials and support groups around the country, the total number of children in foster care has decreased over recent years.  But more help is needed. Every year, approximately 30,000 young people leave the foster care system without lifelong families – most at age 18. On their own, these young adults must navigate a weakened economy offering fewer jobs and less support for vital services such as housing. They need – and deserve – caring adults who love and support them. We call on all Americans to join us in helping to change a lifetime of a child or youth in foster care. No matter who you are or how much time you have to give, you can help create permanent, lifelong connections for these children and youth. All children — including the 408,000 American children and youth in foster care — deserve a safe, happy life. Young people in foster care especially need nurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them.  Courtesy: Fostercaremonth.org

~ SUNDAY INSPIRATION ~

Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.

Mark Victor Hansen