Unless there is recent history of siblings having parental rights severed or a baby was turned in to a Safe Haven location, babies that come into care will usually have a case plan of reunification.  We talked about the process of case plan changes and children becoming adoptable HERE (https://fosterarizona.org/question-how-long-does-it-take-before-a-child-is-adoptable/).

Although some babies are being placed in shelters, the majority of babies are placed with family (kinship placement) or foster families. These families have the first right of refusal meaning that when the case looks like it will change to severance and adoption, the family that currently has the baby will decide whether or not they are willing to adopt. A high percentage of families choose to adopt the babies that are in their care, although, by the time they are able to adopt, many are no longer considered babies.

If you are wiling to support reunification with the birth family first, fostering is one of the best ways to ultimately have a baby join your family.

Bonus information! All adoption costs are covered when adopting from Arizona’s foster care system. Some agencies have families pay up front for the home study (approximately $1000) and will reimburse after an adoption. Find out more about fostering and adopting by signing up for an orientation here (https://fosterarizona.org/foster-adopt/).

 

Thank you for your great question! If you have questions, send them to #youaskedfa or Kim@fosteraz.com