30 articles, page 2 of 4
Adoption process
Adoption assistance and subsidies explained
Most children adopted from US foster care receive ongoing financial support. How adoption assistance works, who qualifies, and what Ontario pays.
Adoption process
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.
Adoption process
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.
Adoption process
Can you adopt if you rent instead of owning your home?
Home ownership is not a requirement anywhere we could verify. What is assessed is space and safety. What that means in practice.
Adoption process
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.
Parenting and support
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.
Parenting and support
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.
Parenting and support
Contact with birth family: what the evidence actually says
Most adoptive parents fear contact will unsettle a child. Sustained contact with birth relatives is linked to better adjustment in adulthood.
Parenting and support
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.