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Fostering to Adopt: How Temporary Homes Can Become Forever Families

Fostering a child you hope to adopt can lead to a permanent family, but reunification or placement with relatives may remain the plan. Learn what to expect and ask the agency.
4-minute read By Animalso Team
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Fostering a child you hope to adopt can lead to a permanent family, but it does not guarantee adoption. Foster care plans may prioritize reunification with parents or placement with relatives; the child’s needs, the agency’s case plan, and court decisions determine what happens. When reunification is the goal, foster parents are expected to support it while caring for the child.

What does “fostering to adopt” mean?

“Fostering to adopt” describes caring for a child in foster care while adoption may be a future possibility. It is not a private agreement between a foster parent and child, nor a promise that the child will remain in the home. The responsible child-welfare agency and court oversee planning and placement under the applicable state procedures.

A child’s plan may be reunification with parents, placement with relatives, or another permanency outcome. If adoption becomes the plan, the child’s foster family may be considered, but the child’s best interests and circumstances guide that decision. AdoptUSKids’ overview of adoption from foster care describes these possible paths.

How concurrent planning works

Concurrent planning means working toward reunification while also preparing another suitable permanency option in case reunification cannot happen. Depending on the circumstances, that alternative may be adoption or guardianship. The purpose is to support timely permanence for the child—not to predetermine which outcome will occur. The Children’s Bureau parent guide to reunification explains this approach.

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As a foster parent, you may be asked to care for a child while the family works toward reunification. If reunification does not occur and adoption becomes the plan, adoption by the foster family may be considered. The child may instead return to a parent or move to relatives. Foster parents cannot decide on their own that a placement will become permanent.

Can I foster a child I hope to adopt?

Yes, some families are considered for both foster care and adoption and may care for a child who could later become eligible for adoption. But the agency’s approval to foster or foster-and-adopt does not give a family a guarantee, or control over the child’s permanency plan.

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Be clear with the agency about your intentions before accepting a placement. AdoptUSKids says a family whose agreed intent is only to adopt is not automatically required to accept a foster placement that could be reunified; whether a particular placement is appropriate should be discussed and agreed in advance. Ask what the plan means for the child and what role the agency expects you to take.

What foster parents are expected to do

When reunification remains the child’s plan, foster parents are expected to support safe, beneficial family contact and reunification efforts. The child may return to a parent or move to relatives, even if the foster family hopes to adopt. That possibility can be emotionally difficult, so it is important to understand the current plan and available support before accepting a placement.

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Children may have important relationships with parents, siblings, relatives, and other people in their lives. Foster parents can help maintain those connections when contact is considered safe and beneficial. AdoptUSKids’ guidance on adoption from foster care emphasizes supporting reunification while it remains the child’s permanency plan, as determined by the agency and court.

Consider asking the caseworker:

  • What is the child’s current permanency goal, and what would cause it to change?
  • How will visits and other contact with parents, siblings, and relatives be arranged?
  • What training and support are available for the child and foster family?
  • How will the agency share updates and involve the foster family in planning?
  • If the plan changes, what transition support will be available?

These are useful questions for an agency conversation; they are not a universal list of legal entitlements. The child’s safety, relationships, and individual needs remain central to decisions about contact and planning.

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Why procedures vary by state

Foster-parent approval, home studies, and the process for considering a foster parent for adoption differ across states. Some states require an application or a period in the foster home; others may provide a placement preference if specified conditions are met. States also differ on whether foster and adoptive assessments are combined and whether they offer a legal-risk or “fost/adopt” approval pathway.

The Children’s Bureau’s survey of home-study requirements documents variation, but it is not a current state-by-state checklist. Contact the state or local child-welfare agency for the rules that apply where you live and to a specific placement.

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Adoption assistance and support

If adoption occurs, financial assistance may be available for some families. AdoptUSKids says assistance may cover all or most adoption costs and may help with medical and mental-health needs. Eligibility, amount, and terms depend on the individual case; confirm them with the child’s agency rather than assuming assistance is automatic.

What the national figure does—and does not—tell you

A Children’s Bureau factsheet published in June 2019 reported that 51 percent of children adopted from foster care in fiscal year 2017 were adopted by their foster parents. This is a historical national statistic, not a current rate or a prediction of any individual child’s outcome. The figure appears in Families Considering Foster Care and Adoption.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a child in my foster care is reunified with their family?

The child may return to a parent or move to relatives according to the case plan and court process. Foster parents are expected to support reunification while it remains the child’s plan.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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