Foster-Parent Adoption
Foster parents have a special relationship with the child they wish to adopt. Often they are not related by blood but have raised the child since infancy. Because they have a contractual relationship with the state, their rights are very limited.
In cases where the foster-care agency believes that reunification with the biological household is not in the child's best interest, they will ask the Court for the Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) of the birth parents, freeing the child for adoption. The foster parents are then considered pre-adoptive parents.
Once the child is free for adoption, the adoptive parents must hire an independent adoption attorney to work with the agency in preparing the adoption package and submitting it to the Court. The state will pay the attorney's fees.
In some cases, your child will be entitled to adoption subsidies from the state and/or federal governments to help cover living and medical expenses. While the agency prepares the applications for these subsidies and submits them to the state for approval, we can make sure your child gets everything she or he deserves.
We have experience successfully guiding foster parents through the adoption process, partnering with parents and agencies to ensure the stability, permanency, and safety of the child's family life.