Older/Waiting Child Adoptions
During 2006, we made the decision to phase-out both our international and domestic infant programs and to focus on Michigan’s waiting children. Michigan has more than 6,000 children in foster care available adoption because their birth parents are unable to care for them. Most will be adopted by their foster parents or relatives but close to 600 children have no family committed to them. At this time, we are only accepting applications from families who specifically meet our
statement of need, which is for:
families wishing to adopt "hard-to-place children" from the Michigan foster care system. Most "hard-to-place children" have been neglected, abused or abandoned. Many have been exposed to substance abusing parents and may have been exposed to drugs or alcohol while in the womb. Most of the children waiting for a family are of minority heritage, school-age (9 and older), males, or are brothers and sisters who need to stay together. Medical and emotional impairments, learning disabilities and developmental delays, are common among our children.
We are here to find families for our waiting children, therefore, we will prioritize families based on the ages and needs of the children we have waiting. To view photos and review information about children who are currently waiting for families, please visit the
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange website at
www.MARE.org.
Most of our children benefit from individual and/or family therapy and adoptive families find this a key ingredient to a successful adoption.
NOTE: Intake for adoptive families seeking a domestic infant or international adoption is permanently closed.
What Kinds Of Families Are Needed For These Children?Families who are:Patient
Tolerant
Open to therapy
Consistent
Open-minded
Committed
Stable
Flexible
Accepting
Have a capacity for change and growth
Able to laugh
Willing to learn
Fees
No agency fees are charged for adopting children who are in foster care. The only fees charged are court fees and a fee for the creation of a new birth certificate. Fees vary by county but are typically in the $200.00 range. These fees may be reimbursed to the family by the State of Michigan.
This program is funded in part by the State of Michigan.
Financial Assistance May Be Available
Two forms of Adoption Subsidies may be available to assistance to families who adopt children from foster care. The first is a monthly stipend paid to the family to reimburse them for the care of the children. The stipend is not meant to cover all expenses incurred in raising a child; rather, these payments are meant to help offset some of the cost. The amount paid is dependent on the needs of the child, not the family. The second is a Medical Subsidy, which can be obtained for most pre-existing conditions and will assist the family with out-of-pocket costs for medical or emotional treatments. In addition, many of the children adopted from foster care continue to qualify for Medicaid following their adoption. Subsidy eligibility must be determined before the petition for adoption is filed, and a subsidy agreement must be signed before the adoption is final. The subsidies are generally available until the youth’s 18th birthday with some exceptions.
LAS Adoption Process
Our adoption process includes:
Orientation and Intake
Training
Application
Adoptive Family Assessment (commonly known as the "Home Study")
Identifying and Matching a Child
Visitation
Placement
Adoption Supervision
Post Adoption Services
If you are interested in more information on adopting from the foster care system, please
contact us here.