Being faced with an unplanned pregnancy can be a scary and confusing time. It is important that women are aware of and understand all of their options. Adoption ARC options counseling includes adoption, foster care, abortion and parenting. While Foster Care and Adoption both involve having someone else care for the child, they are very different choices.
What is Foster Care?
Foster Care is the system in place by the local county/city Child Welfare office. Children typically enter the foster care system due to abuse and/or neglect and it is most often done contrary to the will of the child’s birth parents. In some cases, however, a parent may voluntarily ask that their child be placed in foster care because they are overwhelmed or do not have the resources to parent their child in a healthy and safe way.
The Foster Care Placement Process
The Public Child Welfare system will attempt to place the child with a relative or family friend but if none are available, they will move on to finding a certified foster home for the child. Foster Parents may include people in the community who sign up to care for children in the system. These homes are certified for safety by the Child Welfare Social Worker, and the foster parents are paid a monthly stipend for providing the care.
The Goal of Foster Care
The goal of the Child Welfare system is always to reunify the child with their biological family. They do this by putting services in place for the birth parents in an attempt to eliminate the barriers that keep them from safely parenting. These services may include housing and employment programs, mental health/addiction services or parenting classes.
What if the Child Cannot Return to Their Parent?
The system will work with parents for about a year but if no progress is made on the goals and the child cannot safely reunify with the parent then the Child Welfare office will begin working on a plan of adoption for the child. This would be accomplished by terminating the parental rights of a parent so that the child may be legally adopted by the foster parent or an adoptive parent that the Child Welfare professionals choose.
What to Expect Throughout the Process
Throughout the time the case is open, the biological parents typically have supervised weekly visits with their children. These often take place at the Child Welfare office. There will also be court hearings that occur throughout the life of the case. At these hearings, the biological parents are expected to show the courts that they have made progress in completing their goals. The judge will make orders on how to move forward based on the progress being made. If the plan for the child ultimately becomes adoption, the biological parents will no longer be offered visitation and will not have the right to know anything about who adopts their child. There is no post-adoption contact in foster care adoptions.
What Does the Adoption Process Entail?
Private and Open Adoptions—which is what we do here at ARC-–are very different. In these cases, a woman is able to see profiles of families who are approved to adopt. These families are also vetted, much like foster care families, but they are not paid to care for children. In this type of adoption, birth parents are able to select the family they would like their child to go to and have post-adoption contact.
Can You Have Contact With Your Baby After They’re Adopted?
All of the adoptive families at Adoption ARC are open to post adoption contact with the birth family, through picture and letter updates and oftentimes, an annual zoom or in-person visit. They also all participate in a meeting with the birth family after they take placement. Birth Parents tend to find this reassuring, as it gives them a chance to see the new parents interact with and care for the baby.
About Open Adoption
With open adoption, adoptive parents talk to the child from the start about the birth family. They ensure that the child always knows how much their birth parents love them, through photos, storytelling and at times, visitation. Adoption ARC provides grief and loss counseling to birth parents throughout the process, and we continue to offer that counseling for LIFE. We also provide support at the hospital post-birth, and we can even provide support during labor and delivery.
About Private Adoption
In private adoption, a birth mother can sign her legal surrender paperwork, which allows the child to be placed for adoption, 72 hours post birth. They do not have to attend court. Once the baby is placed with the family the birth parents have chosen, a social worker will visit the adoptive home regularly and write reports on how the family is adjusting. This monitoring is done for everyone’s safety, to ensure the placement is positive for all parties. The adoptive parents can then move forward with finalizing the adoption and the child is able to achieve permanency. This finalization typically occurs within 8-12 months of the child joining the family.
Adoption vs. Foster Care
Overall, Foster Care is designed more for parents who are looking for temporary placement of their child while they work on becoming more stable and able to parent. Though the Child Welfare professionals may change the goal to adoption without the parents’ consent, if the parents are unable to make the necessary changes. Adoption is designed for parents who do not feel they are able to or want to parent and have decided that they want their baby to have a permanent family from birth.
Hear From a Professional Adoption Social Work Supervisor
“I have worked extensively in both the Public Child Welfare/Foster Care System and in Private Open Adoption. The big difference for me is that in private, open adoption through Adoption ARC, birth parents have much more control and choice in the process. We know that birth parents know best regarding what type of family they want for their baby and how much openness they want, and we respect the choices that they make. In Foster Care, decisions about your family are made FOR you, not WITH you.”
– Ashley G, Adoption Social Work Supervisor, Adoption ARC
Schedule a Conversation with a Birth Parent Counselor
At Adoption ARC, we want birth parents to have all the information they need to make the decision that is best for them, their baby and their families. We are here, 24/7, to provide information and counseling.
Whether you are pursuing the adoption of a child, facing an unplanned pregnancy, or looking for an adoptive family for your child, Adoption ARC is here for you.
If you are pregnant and considering adoption, contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn about your options.
