What’s the Difference Between Foster Care and Foster-to-Adopt?

Did you know there are over 100,000 children and teens in foster care who are waiting for a loving forever home? And with more than 360,000 children in foster care across the U.S., even more children need a loving foster home. But before you enter into foster care or pursue adoption through foster care, it’s important to understand the differences between the two paths and discern which might be right for you.

Purpose and Commitment

Foster care: The goal of foster care is to safely reunite children with their birth families. Foster parents offer a safe, temporary environment until the children and their birth family can be together again. You might foster a child anywhere from a few days to a few years, depending on the initial situation and how it progresses along the way.

Foster-to-Adopt: The goal of fostering-to-adopt is, of course, adoption. This path is for families who want to provide a permanent, loving and safe home to children whose birth parents no longer have parental rights, whether they were terminated by a judge or relinquished voluntarily. Once the adoption is finalized, it is a lifelong commitment. 

Although adoption is rarely the initial plan for children in foster care, many end up needing permanent, adoptive homes. If the foster family already caring for the children is not pursuing adoption, the children become available to be adopted by another family. To adopt from foster care, parents first need to become licensed foster parents and foster the children for at least 6 months before adoption. This is to ensure a good fit for the whole family. 

Rights, responsibilities and financial support

Foster care: Foster parents are caregivers who handle the day-to-day responsibilities. The foster care agency has legal custody of the child and makes decisions on their behalf. When a child is in foster care, their biological parent(s) maintain their parental rights. Foster parents receive monetary support and respite options.

Foster-to-Adopt: Families who pursue fostering-to-adopt will assume full custody of the child(ren) after the adoption is completed. All parental rights, legal responsibilities and financial obligations are transferred to them. Adopting from foster care typically has no fees or very minimal fees associated. When children are adopted from foster care, they can receive some ongoing support like medical insurance and college scholarships. Depending on the state and the needs of the child, adoptive parents can also continue to receive financial assistance.  

Omni is passionate about making sure our foster parents feel supported and have the resources they need to continue on this rewarding but often difficult journey. In addition to the financial support our foster parents receive, we walk alongside them every step of the way with additional practical support, encouragement, training and more. We do the same for our foster-to-adopt families, coming alongside them throughout the process.

Connection to birth families

Foster care: While a child is in foster care, contact with the biological family is facilitated through the foster care agency. This could look like regular visits or phone calls, or it may only consist of communication indirectly through the agency, depending on the situation. When it is safe and feasible to do so, consistent contact with biological family members is an important part of maintaining connections and moving toward reunification. Foster parents can help support the healing of children in their care by forming a positive relationship with birth parents when possible.

Foster-to-Adopt: For a child to be adopted, their biological parents’ parental rights have to have been legally terminated. Therefore, a continued relationship post-adoption is up to the discretion of the adoptive family. If it’s safe to do so, maintaining a relationship with birth family members can be beneficial for the adopted child long-term as they continue to understand their story and process their experiences.

Requirements

The requirements for becoming approved to adopt or foster are often similar. At Omni, prospective foster and adoptive parents need to pass background checks, be financially stable, be at least 25 years old and meet these additional requirements.

Foster care: Because children in foster care have likely experienced trauma, prospective foster parents may be required to attend specific training to better understand these needs. Different agencies require different classes, but Omni Family of Services offers comprehensive training to help prepare foster parents for this journey.

Foster-to-Adopt: Fostering-to-adopt has the same requirements as foster parenting, as you must first be certified as a foster parent to adopt from foster care.

Common Questions about Adopting from Foster Care

Can I eventually adopt the children I foster?

It’s important to remember the first goal of foster care is always reunification. When a child comes into foster care, his or her biological parents retain their parental rights, so they are not immediately available to be adopted. However, sometimes over the course of a placement, reunification with a child’s birth family becomes no longer an option. Adoption would then become the goal. A family who has already been fostering the child(ren) is then typically given the option to pursue adoption if they are interested.

Why adopt from foster care?

Many prospective adoptive parents are interested in adopting infants. As a result, children and teens in foster care are often overlooked for adoption—and those numbers rise every year. Today, there are more than 117,000 children and teens in foster care who need a forever home; the median age is 8 years old, but generally ranges from toddler to 21.

At the end of the day, choosing to adopt or foster a child or teen depends on your individual situation. Let what’s best for you, your family and the children be your guide. 

If you’re interested in becoming a foster family or fostering to adopt, Omni Family of Services is here to support you throughout your journey. Learn more about what we offer here.