Washington State – Process

Available Children

Nearly all children available through the state have suffered some degree of abuse and/or neglect and all suffer from the loss of a biological family. Infants often have tested positive at birth for illegal drugs. There are relatively healthy toddlers who are part of sibling groups, so it is not unusual to have an infant and a three year old, or a two and four year old brother and sister. The children represent all racial and ethnic groups. Parents seeking children under four can expect to wait an average of six months for a placement. Those seeking children older than five and sibling groups of three or more children can expect a placement very quickly.

Parent Eligibility

The primary criteria are the ability to provide a safe, caring, permanent home; sufficient income to support a child; and good mental and physical health. There are no specific income, marital, or other requirements except that you must be at least twenty-one years of age. Although AAI serves children from the foster care program in Oregon, families MUST be residents of the State of Washington to take advantage of this program facilitating adoptions from Washington or Oregon.

Process

You will have a homestudy completed and approved by your AAI counselor who will also help you to become foster licensed at the same time. ( Foster licensing does not mean you are embarking on a revolving door of children. It is state requirement for the adoption of state children.) You can see some of the available children online at nwae.org and boysandgirlsaid.org. Mostly these children are older and/or have special needs. About half of the placements are made directly through the social worker and so the children are never listed on these sites. You can review the websites, and if you see a child or sibling group that interests you, you can notify the AAI office and they will contact the child's social worker and send him or her your approved homestudy. Your homestudy will be reviewed by the child's social worker and you may get a call requesting a home visit. If you are chosen as the adoptive family, you, the foster parents, and the child's worker will schedule some day and, ultimately, overnight visits. If these visits go well, the adoption process will begin. Generally children may be legally adopted after approximately six months. Prospective parents are required to participate in 30 hours of DSHS training in order to obtain the foster license. Parents are required to take an additional 36 hours of training, over the next three years.

Referral Information

Information available includes medical reports, psychological and school reports if applicable, foster parent observations, reasons for termination of parental rights, and some material regarding the biological family.

Travel

Families are usually required to travel two to four times to visit the child in his or her foster home and/or community. Most expenses incurred in this process including gas, food, and lodging are reimbursable.

Costs

The Washington Foster/Adopt Program fee is $450. This fee covers the homestudy, foster licensing, post placement visits and reports, and preparation of materials necessary for Adoption Support and finalization. Virtually all expenses including the $450 program fee, the court filing fee, attorney fee, and other expenses incurred during the adoption process are reimbursable by the state up to a total of $1,500 per child. Families receive a few hundred dollars a month throughout the post-placement period and some funding usually continues, after finalization, until the child is eighteen years old. Medical, dental, and counseling services are frequently available.

Please contact Yvette at the AAI office by telephone or by email at for information on costs.