California Waiting Child Program (aka "fos-adopt")

WHO ARE THE CALIFORNIA WAITING CHILDREN?

Each month, FCCA receives information about hundreds of children available and waiting for adoption. State and county agencies are always in need of homes for children who cannot be safely returned to their birth families. In California alone, approximately 80,000 children are in foster care, and almost 50,000 of those need permanent homes.  

 

The youngest and healthiest children in foster care are usually adopted very quickly, and usually by their foster parents or their relatives. So who are the waiting children in foster care, the ones who don't have families lining up to adopt them? They are:

 

Of course, some newborns and toddlers are also adopted from foster care. However, these are usually high-legal-risk cases, where the child is very likely return to the care of the birth parents or be placed with another birth family member. In contrast, the California Waiting Child Program focuses on the placement of low-legal-risk foster children into families who are committed to adoption. FCCA works with counties throughout California to match these waiting children with adoptive parents who have completed the FCCA home study process. This is the mission of our California Waiting Child Program. Of course, if you want to accept a higher risk placement, FCCA can help you with that, but most of our families choose this program because they don't have a high risk tolerance when it comes to losing a child who has been placed into their home.

 

This adoption-focused, low-legal-risk aspect is what differentiates FCCA's California Waiting Child program from county adoption programs and most other fos-adopt agencies. Unlike those agencies and programs, FCCA will never ask you to be "just" a foster family; only the specific child you hope to adopt will be placed in your home.

 

The majority of the children in this low-risk program are six years of age or older, although younger children are available with older siblings. In addition, most waiting children have some special needs, whether emotional or physical or both, ranging from mild to significant. Many children of color are available through this program, and no placement can be denied because the child and family are of different races or ethnic backgrounds.

 

Many children in foster care have siblings or other birth relatives with whom they need or want to maintain contact. FCCA encourages this in cases where the contact is safe and appropriate for the child. In every case, the adoptive family can decide how much “openness” is right for their family, before they accept placement of a child.

 

Because FCCA doesn't have a traditional foster care program, a home study fee of $1500 is charged to cover the costs of our work. Most families who want to adopt find that this fee is well worth the opportunity to work with an agency that is focused only on adoption, and that specializes in low-risk cases. In addition, FCCA provides finalization services (described more below) at no charge. Most private fos-adopt agencies require the family to pay an attorney to assist with this process, resulting in a higher net cost to adopt from a "free" agency than from FCCA.

 

Before a child can be placed through the California Waiting Child Program, the adoptive family home must be formally certified as a foster home and must meet all state regulations in this area. FCCA provides in-depth training to prepare our families for this process. Most of the requirements are not difficult for the average family. The family also needs to complete ongoing education throughout each calendar year, until the adoption is finalized. FCCA provides training resources for this purpose. (For more detail about the home study and matching process, please click on "The Process" link at the top of this page).

 

During the placement period, the FCCA worker and the county social worker will visit the child in the home at least once during each calendar month. The FCCA worker is required to interview the child privately, and to review the foster care certification checklist to ensure ongoing compliance with state regulations. More importantly, the social worker's goal is to provide you, the adoptive family, with all the resources needed for a successful transition into your home and healthy bonding with your family. We encourage families to share their struggles so that we can help you with any difficulties that might arise.

 

After a minimum of six months in the home, and after all parental rights are terminated, the adoption can be finalized. Unlike most other agencies, which require you to hire and pay for an attorney, FCCA will prepare your adoption finalization paperwork at no charge to you, and will file it with the court after you review it and sign it. When the hearing date has been set, we will notify you promptly.

 

Your job will be to appear with the child at the courthouse for the final adoption hearing. Don't forget to bring your camera - most judges enjoy adoption hearings and are happy to take pictures with the family. And don't forget to stay in touch with us - we love receiving annual Christmas photos, graduation announcements, and the like. We consider you part of our family!