What is a waiting child, and how does matching work?
Matching is led by the child’s caseworker and decided on the needs of the child, not on who applied first. How photolistings and family profiles fit in.
Author: Imole
School rights for a child in foster care in the United States
Under ESSA a child stays at their school of origin by default, transport cost is not a valid reason to move them, and every district has a contact.
Health checks and records for a child entering care
A screening visit within 72 hours, a comprehensive visit within 30 days. What the standards say, and the records checklist worth asking for in writing.
Aging out of foster care: what support actually exists
Around 18,500 young people leave US care each year without a family. The outcomes, the support available, and why extending care to 21 is not enough.
The first two weeks after a child arrives
Routines, belongings, introductions and sleep. What actually helps in the first fortnight of a placement, and what commonly goes wrong.
When a placement ends: grief that nobody warns you about
Success in foster parenting usually means a loss for the foster family. Why carers need preparing for that, and what helps.
Secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and asking for respite
Living alongside someone else’s trauma has a measurable effect on carers. The symptoms, what protects against it, and why families do not ask for respite.
Can you adopt if you are single?
Single people adopt from foster care in every US state and Canadian province. What agencies actually assess, and the one province with a marital status rule.
Adopting with a criminal record: what actually disqualifies you
US federal law sets a specific list of permanent and five-year bars. An old conviction outside those categories is not automatically disqualifying.
How much does it cost to adopt from foster care?
Adopting from US foster care is generally free or near free, with costs often reimbursable up to $2,000. What the figures actually are, and what is not covered.
- 1
- 2
