The California foster care system allows children in a very vulnerable time to find a safe place. Whether a temporary or permanent place to call home, the goal is to provide a good environment for them to thrive. The ultimate goal is to find them a family to be a part of. Some foster parents go into fostering knowing that they may want to adopt. Knowing how the system works can help this to be seamless and the child to feel more secure.
Requirements for Fostering
To become a foster parent in California, you must have a license. Couples must pass criminal and civil background checks. Their living situations, lifestyle choices, and work schedules will be assessed to ensure that it is suitable. Health and safety standards must be met and there has to be space for whatever child is placed there. Looking at your home, living situation, age and work schedule will allow a foster licensing worker to determine what foster children are a good match for an applicant’s living arrangement.
Requirements for Adoption
There are a lot of parallels between fostering and adopting. The checks will go a bit deeper and employment history will be carefully examined. Safety and security are the primary concerns on the part of the state when releasing a child into the care of an adoptive family. The more thorough a background check, the less likely that a child will be placed in a home that will be temporary. Some of the measures taken to find kids the right home are:
- A financial assessment- Childcare is expensive. The state of California wants to make sure that a parent can afford that before they take in a child.
- Home study- Adoption experts are going to make sure that you have food, electricity, heat, running water, and space for a minor of whatever age to live. Much like the foster application, work schedule and the like will be assessed.
- Prior history with children- Potential parents’ interactions with children in the past, whether it was their own or not, may be investigated by adoption workers. This would include past foster children or possibly the children of those you listed as references.
- Occupant relationship status- The family dynamics in the country are changing and marriage is no longer required for adoption in California. In the interest of providing the child with a loving and stable home environment, information about how long you have been married or living with your partner will be gathered.
The Concern about Cost
A private agency adoption is very costly. The California Department of Social Services sometimes requires a fee. It can be up to five-hundred dollars, but only in some cases. These fees are at the court’s discretion in many cases. Prior to adoption, there is naturally red tape and there are a few hoops to jump through. In this case, they come in the form of medical tests, fingerprinting, filing paperwork with the court, CPR and other safety classes. These may not amount to more than a few hundred dollars themselves.
In every county of California, there is a Department of Social Services office. If you are interested in making a difference in a child’s life by fostering or adopting, contact your local adoption office for more information and start the process.
Farbod Majd Esq.
Divorce Attorney w/ offices in Beverly Hills/Los Angeles
Services in English, Turkish, and Farsi/Persian (Iranian/American Lawyer)
8383 Wilshire Blvd Suite 646, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310.956.4600 | Fax: 310.878.8989 | [email protected]