How Soon Can I Adopt a Foster Child?

Foster family on a hike along a track with a child swinging in the air

At this point, you, your partner, and perhaps your kids are ready to become a foster family. After orientation and preparing for the Home Study, you may begin to imagine your first foster child placement. What will they be like? Might you adopt this child into your family one day?

You might want to foster to adopt, or you may only be interested in foster care. You may have considered different possibilities, including the decision you might make if you can adopt your foster child. The natural next question is, 'How long does it take to adopt a foster child?'

The shortest route depends on how open you are to fostering and adopting among diverse ages and circumstances. Also, shorter timeframes depend on having fewer overall preferences or a preference for older kids, teenagers, or sibling groups. The potential timeframe grows longer as your preferences and requests get more complex.

So, how long might it take to adopt children from foster care? First, understand the usual time it takes to go from providing a foster home to becoming a permanent family.

How Long Will It Take to Get My First Foster Care Placement?

The time it takes to get your first foster care placement can vary. It varies based on your preferred age group, the number of kids you want to foster, and whether you'll consider sibling groups. Other factors, like international adoption versus adoption within the United States, may also impact the timeline. The more open you are to a diversity of foster youth, the sooner you're likely to receive your first foster child placement.

Becoming a foster parent and meeting your first foster child can happen quickly or take a long while. The process can range from a few days to several months.

There may be times when your social worker calls you, but the situation falls outside your comfort zone. For example, an opportunity could arise to foster siblings, but you feel more equipped to care for only one child at a time. Often high school teens are in need, but you may prefer to care for a child in grade school instead. Prospective foster parents have different preferences around cases of abuse, neglect, mental health, and substance abuse.

Foster care and adoption can be unpredictable, and calls could come at any time. Still, there are a number of reasons that cause placements to fall through. Eventually, the time and situation will be right for you, but your patience will help you make the best match for your family members. Keep your spirits high by connecting with foster families and reading about foster and adoption success stories.

How Long Will My Foster Child Stay?

The duration of a foster care stay for children can differ based on their age and circumstances. Primarily, it relies on the case plan goals and on how quickly biological families meet court requirements. Children and family services work toward reunification whenever possible. Rejoining their birth parents and families is usually in the long-term interest of the child.

When children enter foster care, authorities in the child welfare system may place them with a foster family or in a group home. Older children in foster care sometimes stay with their foster family until they reach the age of emancipation. Some await a return to their biological family, while others eagerly await adoptive parents.

Reunification may be the ideal outcome, but it is far from being the only outcome for kids in the system.

The most recent Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS, 2021) report shows that over 113,000 children in the foster care system were waiting to be adopted.

The average time a child stays with a foster family is 13 months.

How Long Will it Take to Adopt My Foster Child?

Foster care requirements and open adoption laws vary by state. You must meet every state's qualifications and specific adoption agency requirements to adopt. If not, you will be unable to care for the many waiting children. You may also need to obtain a dual license.

Providers who are dual-licensed have approval to foster and adopt. This requires approval from the adoption agency. Over 25% of foster children await adoption. Many become part of their foster families.

It usually takes 9-18 months to adopt a foster child. However, many factors can change the time frame. Contact an adoption specialist in your state to learn more.

Will You Adopt a Foster Child?

How long might it take for you to adopt a foster child into your forever family? If you're interested in fostering to adopt, count on it taking 9-18 months, or less time if your preferences are flexible.

Find out if adoption is right for you. Learn more and discuss your goals with a child-placing agency near you. A foster care child advocate will answer all of your questions, including how long it may take to adopt a child through foster care.