Category: Adoption process

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.

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.

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.

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.

Training four to ten weeks, home study three to six months, approval six to twelve. Realistic ranges per stage, and why the totals disagree with each other.

In most US states adults of any age can adopt and there is typically no upper limit. What agencies consider instead when an applicant is older.

Fostering is temporary care with parental rights elsewhere. Adoption is permanent. Why many US states require adoptive applicants to be licensed to foster too.

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.

Home ownership is not a requirement anywhere we could verify. What is assessed is space and safety. What that means in practice.

US federal law sets a specific list of permanent and five-year bars. An old conviction outside those categories is not automatically disqualifying.