Domestic Infant Adoption vs Foster to Adopt in Kansas

When you make the loving decision to build your family through adoption, you might be surprised at just how many decisions you have to make:

• Will you adopt a boy or a girl?
• Will you adopt one child or multiple children?
• Will you pursue adoption or foster care in Kansas?

If you’ve been thinking about adoption, you have a lot of options to consider as you begin your family-building journey.

Here’s what you need to know.

Foster Care Versus Adoption in Kansas

When you’re first starting out on your adoption journey, you might be considering the differences between foster care versus adoption in Kansas.

There are many differences between these two family-building options, and it’s important to understand exactly what they are and how they can impact the way you build your family.

Here’s what you need to know.

Goals

The first difference when you’re considering foster care vs. adoption in Kansas is the ultimate goal of the process.

When a child enters the foster care system, the main goal of everyone involved is to help the children return to their parents. Sometimes this happens in just a few days, but it’s more common for children to be in foster care for several months or even several years.

While some children are adopted from foster care, this is not the goal of the foster care system.

On the other hand, when a child is placed for adoption with a private domestic adoption agency, finding that child’s forever family is the goal.

One concern that many parents pursuing foster-to-adopt have is bonding with a child they will never be able to adopt. When you choose private domestic adoption, you’ll know that you’re entering your adoption journey with the end goal of welcoming a child into your family permanently.

Timeline

One major difference between foster care vs. adoption in Kansas is that adopting through foster care can take years, while private domestic adoption through an agency like American Adoptions takes just 9-12 months.

The reason that adoption through foster care takes so much longer is that the system is designed to help the children be reunited with their birth parents. Not every foster child is eligible to be adopted. Even children who cannot return to live with their birth parents may be ineligible for adoption until their birth parents’ parental rights are severed.

It’s also important to remember that in Kansas if a child is over 14 years old, they must consent to the adoption.

Ages

When a child enters a foster home vs. adoption in Kansas, they might be anywhere up to age 17. Children who enter the foster care system were generally raised by one or both parents and were not planning to be placed in a new home. This can be incredibly frustrating and traumatizing for everyone involved.

Private domestic adoption, on the other hand, generally requires that children be newborns or toddlers under the age of two years old. This is designed to ensure that children who are adopted experience as little trauma as possible when they’re placed with their adoptive families.

What’s Right For You?

There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to foster care vs. adoption in Kansas.

Some parents love the idea of providing foster care to a child in need. In many cases, children in foster care also have siblings who are in the foster care system. This means that foster parents may have the opportunity to care for multiple children at the same time.

Other parents prefer the idea of adopting just one child as an infant who can truly bond with them. Private domestic infant adoption ensures that adoptive families have an incredible amount of control over the entire process, including whether they adopt within the same state.

Hopeful adoptive parents can also choose the gender of the child they adopt, as well as the heritage and medical background of their child. For parents who want to adopt multiple children, such as twins, this can also be arranged.

Before you decide on the type of family-building option that will work best for you, it’s important to ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have a preference when it comes to my child’s age?
• What about their gender?
• Do I want to adopt one child or multiple children?
• Would I be comfortable adopting a child who has experienced severe trauma?
• Am I okay with adopting a child who has medical needs?

These questions are a great starting point for making your decision and beginning the process of moving forward.

Starting the Process

After you consider the difference between foster and adoption in Kansas and make your decision as to which type of family-building option will work best for you, it’s time to get started.

If you’d like to pursue private domestic adoption, call 1-800-ADOPTION today to speak with an adoption specialist who can answer your questions and help guide your next steps.

Here at American Adoptions, we want to help you start the process of building your family through adoption, so don’t wait to call. Our team of experienced professionals is ready to help guide you through the process from start to finish.

Disclaimer
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