Differs by state or province
Adoption from foster care follows a broadly similar shape wherever you are, though the detail, the timings and the names of the bodies involved differ by state and province. This page walks through it and, at each stage, says who is actually responsible, which is often not who people expect.
Set expectations first: who is actually adopted
The stages, and who does what
| Stage | What happens | Who is responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | A free or low-cost session on children in care and the process. No commitment. | Public or private agency |
| Application | References, consent to criminal record checks, proof of age, income verification. | You submit; the agency processes |
| Training | Mandatory. Both partners must attend if two people will be parenting. | The agency delivers it |
| Home study | Interviews, home visits, documentation, references. | A caseworker writes the report |
| Licensing or approval | Many US states require adoptive applicants to be licensed to foster at the same time. | State agency or licensed child-placing agency |
| Matching | A family is identified for a child. | The child's caseworker leads this, not you, and not us |
| Visits then placement | Short visits building to overnight stays before the child moves in. | Caseworker arranges |
| Supervision | Support visits until finalisation. At least monthly in Washington. | Agency caseworker |
| Finalisation | An attorney files the petition; a court makes the adoption legal. | Attorney and court |
How matching really works
This is the stage most misunderstood, and the one where misleading language does the most harm.
The decision is led by the child's caseworker, working with a team that sometimes includes the child or the sibling group themselves. They review shortened versions of home studies and family profiles.
Selection is made solely on the needs of the child, not on which family applied first, and not on who has been waiting longest. Your own caseworker acts as your advocate in that process.
Once a family is selected, you are given detailed information about the child and time to ask questions before meeting them. Take that time and use it. Inadequate information sharing about a child's history is one of the identified risk factors for an adoption disrupting later.
What it costs
Adopting from foster care in the US generally costs little or nothing. AdoptUSKids states that most such adoptions are free and that the minimal costs which do arise are often reimbursable. Public agency services are usually free or very low cost. Private agencies typically charge fees upfront, which is the main reason costs differ so much between routes.
Federal regulation provides reimbursement of up to $2,000 per adoptive placement for non-recurring expenses, adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, the adoption study, transportation and reasonable lodging. States may set a lower maximum, so check yours.
Adoption assistance is a monthly subsidy for children who meet the state's definition of special needs, which is set state by state and is often not medical: many states include older children and sibling groups. The monthly amount is negotiated and cannot exceed what the child would have received in foster care. It usually continues to 18, and to 21 in some states. In 2017, 93% of children adopted from foster care received some form of adoption assistance.
The federal adoption tax credit was $17,280 per child for tax year 2025, with up to $5,000 of it refundable from that year. Families adopting a child a state has determined to have special needs may claim the full credit even with no qualifying expenses paid. We have not published a 2026 figure because we could not verify one, check the IRS directly.
In Canada, adoption from public care is typically low or no cost, but we can only verify that explicitly for two provinces. Ontario states there is no cost to prospective adoptive parents in a public adoption. Alberta states there are no costs to apply, be approved or be placed with a child in permanent government care. Elsewhere, ask, and note that incidental costs such as documents, medicals and police checks are rarely addressed.
Financial support after adoption
Ontario publishes the clearest figures we found: targeted subsidies of $1,035 per month for each eligible child up to age 21, or standard subsidies of $475 per month up to age 18, both subject to a combined net family income threshold. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia all operate support programmes but do not publish amounts.
These are exactly the kind of figures that change on review cycles. Confirm before relying on them.
What to do next
The first formal step is an orientation session with the licensed agency for your area, normally free and committing you to nothing. Before that, we can go through the figures above with you and tell you which of them apply where you live, so you arrive knowing what to ask.
Talk to us first. Tell us which state or province you are in and what you are trying to decide, and we will explain what applies where you live, what the next step is, and what to expect from it. There is no cost and no obligation. Contact Foster Care Adoption Home, or start your application when you are ready.
Everything on this page is checked against the official source for each jurisdiction, and those sources are listed below so you can read the wording for yourself. We would rather you have both: our explanation of what it means, and the original to confirm it against.
United States. AdoptUSKids publishes a page for every state, plus DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Cherokee Nation, naming the responsible agency in each. Read the state pages.
Canada. There is no national system, so the rules are published province by province:
- Ontario, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Local body: a children's aid society.
- British Columbia, Adopt BC Kids, MCFD.
- Alberta, Children and Family Services.
- Quebec, Director of Youth Protection, via the Banque mixte programme.
- Manitoba, Department of Families.
- Saskatchewan, Ministry of Social Services.
- Nova Scotia, Department of Community Services.
If your province is not listed here we have not finished verifying it, and we would rather say so than guess. Ask us and we will find the current answer for you. The Adoption Council of Canada is the national umbrella body, though it is not a regulator.
Sources
- AdoptUSKids: Being matched with a child
- AdoptUSKids: Adoption from foster care
- 45 CFR §1356.41: non-recurring adoption expenses
- IRS: Adoption Credit
- New York OCFS: the adoption process
- Washington DCYF: steps to adoption
- Ontario: public adoption is free to adoptive parents
- Ontario: adoption services and supports, subsidy rates
- Alberta: adopt a child in government care, no cost
Facts on this page were checked against the sources above on 20 August 2026. Rules change. If you are making a decision, confirm the detail with the agency responsible for your area.