When children cannot remain in their own homes due to safety concerns, and appropriate relatives are not available, Foster Care is the next least restrictive and preferred setting. While Foster Care is considered a temporary situation it is a full time commitment. A child will remain in a Foster home until such time as their parents or an appropriate relative are able to safely resume their parenting responsibilities or an adoptive family is found. Sometimes this process moves quickly yet the length of placement varies with each child’s circumstances.

During the time a child is residing with a Foster family, a case worker will visit your home monthly to monitor the child’s progress. You will also have a monthly visit from your placement specialist who is there to support you in your role as a Foster Parent. You will receive a monthly stipend which is reimbursement for meeting the basic needs of the child or children placed in your home.

Adoption is the permanent and legal transfer of all parental rights and responsibilities from one family to another. When adopting children through Wayne County Children Services, the agency would first obtain permanent custody of the child through Juvenile Court and then the child would be legally eligible for adoption. Adoptive parents assume all the rights and responsibilities any biological parent would have. This is a permanent arrangement. Some adopted children are eligible to receive a monthly stipend from the state. This adoption subsidy is child specific and determined by the state on a case-by-case basis.

Can Foster Families Adopt a Foster Child?

Yes. When a child becomes eligible for adoption, often times the person or family with whom the child has been residing is the preferred option to adopt. Wayne County Children Services firmly believes moves hurt kids and we strive to reduce the number of moves children experience. Sometimes however, circumstances exist which might make someone else a more appropriate choice to adopt. Some examples of this might be a relative, or to reunify a child with siblings already being cared for by someone else who is willing and able to care for all of the children together.