How to Navigate the Process of Foster Care to Adoption

Raising a family is one of life's sweetest rewards. Unfortunately, millions of people try to have children every year without success. Many people who aren't biologically able to have children choose to adopt or foster children as a way to scratch their parental itch and help the less fortunate.

If you plan on adopting or becoming a foster parent, you have a lot to learn about the ins and outs of the process and what to expect as a foster or adoptive parent. Continue reading to learn some of the most important things to know about the fostering and adoption processes.

There are different types of adoptions.

If you've never been through the adoption process, you have no way of knowing how daunting it can be. In fact, did you know there are four different types of adoption?

Adoption from foster care is the most common type of adoption, as it's the fastest process. In fact, many foster parents end up adopting young children who they were previously fostering.

Being that the adoption process is a legal process, it's a good idea to hire a special legal advisor to help you navigate the adoption minefield. You'll be lucky if you find an attorney who fights as hard for their clients as Malliha Wilson does.

Malliha is the founder and senior counsel of Nava Wilson LLP and a former special legal advisor for the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario. However, before she was any of that, she was fighting for the human rights of the disenfranchised as Counsel for the Ministry of Government Services. Malliha's passion for serving others led her all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where she presented many cases in the realms of human rights and labour law. Malliha was also the first visible minority to serve as the Assistant Deputy Attorney General to the Ontario Government.

Not every attorney will have the same passion for children and human rights as Malliha, which is why it's important to do your due diligence when looking for legal representation for your adoption case. Sometimes, adoption cases require complex litigation, and if it comes to that, you want the best lawyer you can afford to represent your case.

Adoptions can take years to complete.

When we suggested that you might need a lawyer to help you through the adoption process, that should have been your first hint that it can be a long and expensive process. In fact, the price range for all types of adoptions is between $0 and $60,000!

It's best to line all your financial ducks in a row before you start the adoption process. You should also strap yourself in for a long ride as the process can take anywhere from six months to a few years to complete. However, can you blame adoption agencies for doing their due diligence before putting these precious children in a new home?

Most children in foster care are dealing with trauma.

One thing you have to prepare yourself for when adopting a child is the possibility that the child has endured trauma. In fact, if you adopt a child from foster care, you can almost guarantee that the child is dealing with some kind of traumatic event.

You will take parent training classes as part of the adoption process, but you should also consider parent child interaction therapy (PCIT). PCIT is therapy for parents of children between the ages of 2 and 7 who are exhibiting troubling behaviors or a lack of social skills.

There's nothing more important for parents than forging a positive parent-child relationship, but past traumas can make it hard for adopted and foster children to open themselves to that possibility. However, PCIT can help you and your child to overcome past trauma and build a lasting bond built on love and trust.

Wanting to adopt a child is a great idea, but it's of the utmost importance to see that children make it into loving and capable homes. Furthermore, you have to prepare yourself for everything that comes with fostering or adopting children.

Young children and adolescents need loving homes in which they can thrive. If you feel like you can provide those essential needs for an orphaned child, adoption might be perfect for you.