A lot of what people think they know about adoption, particularly adoption through the foster care system, is based on myth. Below, we’ve busted some of the most prevalent myths about adoption to give you the information you need to help decide if adoption through the foster care system is right for you.
Myth: It costs a lot of money to adopt.Fact: Other than an $800 home study fee that is refunded when you finalize the adoption of a child from the foster care system, there are no charges. This is essentially a free adoption program.Myth: There are no, or very few, children available for adoption.Fact: There are many children waiting for forever families! The greatest need is families for sibling groups and children over the age of six. Child Crisis Arizona believes there is a family for every child and a child for every family.Myth: It takes years to adopt a child.Fact: It only takes about four to six months for a family to be certified for adoption. This time-frame is partly determined by how long it takes your family to complete the requirements for adoption certification. Once you are certified, the wait depends on things like how wide your age range is, whether you are willing to adopt sibling groups and the types of children’s needs you feel you can meet. Our staff will work with you to help answer these questions and make a decision about which child(ren) are the right fit for your family.Myth: You have to provide foster care to adopt a child from the foster system.Fact: Child Crisis Arizona has an adoption-only program to meet the needs of families who feel they would have challenges helping a child to reunify with their birth family. This program is for families who do not want the risk of the child returning to their birth family.Myth: You are on your own if there are problems with the adoption.Fact: Our staff supports our families through the adoption process with weekly home visits for the first month, and monthly visits after that until the adoption is finalized which typically takes about six months. After the adoption finalization, our agency staff is always happy to help adoptive parents with resources and support.Myth: Your adoptive child can be taken from you after the adoption is finalized.Fact: Once the adoption is finalized, the child is yours just like a biological child is.Myth: The best way to build your adoptive family is by adding one child at a time and settling that child in before adding another child to your family.Fact: Many of our families have been successful in adopting sibling groups. The children’s attachments to each other help them feel more secure in their new home and make it easier for them to attach to the adoptive parents. By adopting sibling groups, you are also giving these children the lifelong gift of getting to grow up together!Myth: Many adoptions fail.Fact: A disruption, when a family asks for the child to be removed, is traumatic for everyone. The national estimated disruption rate is between 10 and 15%. Child Crisis Arizona’s disruption rate is only 3%. Our goal is to provide the support every parent and child needs to build a strong, successful family through adoption.Have more questions about adoption? Consider attending one of our upcoming foster care and adoption orientations or call us at 480.834.9424.
Marcia Reck is the Director of Emergency Children’s Services (which includes the Emergency Children’s Shelter, Foster Care & Adoption programs) at Child Crisis Arizona. She started with the agency 15 years ago and has been the Program Director for the last 13 years. During her tenure, Child Crisis Arizona's foster care program has tripled in size! Marcia's favorite thing about her job is being able to provide training and support to foster and adoptive families as they make a difference in the lives of the children in their homes.
