You may have been fostering for years but never considered adoption. A child in foster care comes into your home and takes a place in your heart forever. After being in your care for a while, you find out that he will soon be legally free and available for adoption. You know you want to adopt him, but you may be feeling overwhelmed and not sure of what steps to take. What do you do? When it comes to adoption, like countless things in life, there are many variables to consider.

According to Adopt America Network (AAN, there are approximately 130,000 children in care that are waiting for a forever home. Nationwide, the basic steps for adopting children from foster care include completing an initial application, participating in a home study, creating a match with an individual child, placing the child in the home and, lastly, the approval of adoption in the court of law. Of course, this is just a brief summary of the adoption process as it goes into great detail and varies depending on the state. Continue reading →