Can you adopt from CPS without fostering first?

Thanks for all of the information everybody. Barksum, that was really comprehensive - thanks for typing all of that out.I already have an approved homestudy - approved in February for that match that I had. I'm single. I am open to race, and some drug/alchohol use. Right now I am only open to age 0-3 months. I will call and see about attending an orientation meeting - that seems to be the way to go. I did attend an orientation way back before being contacted by an emom privately. At that meeting, I asked if I could foster only one child at a time, and the people running the meeting didn't know the answer.

Requesting 0 to 3 months for a straight adoption from foster care is really tough. You'll have to check with your county office to see if it's possible. Just make sure you tell them upfront that you are open on race. If it's possible... you have to develop a relationship directly with your county. The CW's have to know your name and face. Find out directly from them what you need to do to make it happen. My state quotes a 5 year wait for the straight adoption of a newborn. It's much faster if you foster or do respite. When a straight adoption for a newborn comes through you will be placed ahead of the people who won't foster. My DS was the only child we had in our home that was supposed to be a straight adoption. The average wait was about a year and half to get a legally free newborn if you foster during your wait time. The CW's expected us to earn our way to a baby because after all they are not an adoption agency. Some people have luck and get a straight adoption of a newborn on the first try. The stars have to be in alignment for that one to happen. Make sure you ask about their abandoned baby procedure. Foster care usually gets the babies that abandoned at hospitals or in public places. Make sure you set ground rules for taking placements and do not let the CW's talk you into any situation that you are uncomfortable with. We were approved for 0 - 4 years old but got calls for 0 - 17 years old. Good Luck!

ARGH!!! I had a long post and just lost it. :grr:First: Mondk, it's exactly like Yash and Dannie said. You have to call (ad nauseum) and some cw's are better than others.Also, some states (mine, for instance) only allow 'worker to worker contact', so you, as a hopeful adoptive parent, can't call the cw, you have to request that your cw call the cw representing the kids. Additionally, some cw's aren't very motivated to call back if they are no longer recruiting for those kids (for whatever reason; they've decided to wait to pursue an adoptive home for the kids, they've matched the kids already, they've decided on a sib split, etc. etc. etc.)For every 10 hs we had our worker send out we would get about 4 responses of any kind. Of those 4 responses, 3 would be either that they were no longer recruiting (they had enough hs's from which to choose), the kids were already matched, or they weren't interested in our family. One response might show mild interest, and send us some more info and see if we were still interested. It was very rare that we'd have a cw actually like our family enough to respond with some positive feed back and say, "I'd like to sonsider your family at committee for this child." So 6 out of 10 inquiries we sent out went unanswered at all.Momat41, I had a long paragraph on why and whatnot, but if you want to adopt a 0-3 month old that would be VERY difficult through the foster system. It is the exception, NOT the rule that a bio mom will contact the state and want them to place her newborn baby adoptively. I'm not sure of the legal timelines involved for an abandoned baby, but even so those babies are, in all likelihood going to be placed with foster licensed families who are wanting to adopt. The reason that kids of less than 1 year old are so few and far between without doing foster-to-adopt is because of the legal timelines set up for bio parents to work their caseplan. Our kids, at 1 and 2 years old, were very young, in light of adopting a legally free child from foster care. TPR had already been done before they came to our home, so they were really young when you consider all that had to be done before they were legally free for adoption.We also did do foster care. We fostered a few babies, and some older kids, too. Of all the kids we fostered, I only know of one who went on to be adopted. And yet, every time a kiddo was placed with us the cw's would mention adoption. They knew we were an adoption ready home (we were still adopting at that point) and they would ask when they called to see if we'd accept a foster placement if we would be willing to adopt. (Just a head's up, always say, "We'd be open to the possibility, but let's see how things work out.") None of those kids went on to be adopted, but I think the cw's thought it would be good to have that lined up so that they could tell the judge (if it came down to the concurrent plan) that they had an identified adoptive placement, and there would be continuity of care for the kids, etc. BUT part of me also thinks they said that because they thought it would get the kids into a foster home that might otherwise say no. (We didn't usually think about adopting our foster kids because our LEGAL FOCUS had to be on reunification, and that's where we liked to keep ourselves focused.)

You can adopt through CPS in Texas. I know of a case recently where the family took a baby that was labeled legal risk. The risk was tiny that a relative might come forward, but they went ahead and took the baby and will soon be adopting him. It was all really fast too. So, it does happen that babies/toddlers are adoptable. We have adopted a toddler(foster parents). We will probably not adopt again for a while, so any kids that come to us and move to TPR would be open for adoption. Not all foster parents adopt.

Sorry you lost your long post, Barksum! I hate it when that happens... Thanks for all of your feedback.I thought initially that it probably would an outside chance at adopting a newborn-3 months. From these posts, I see that it can happen, but that it's the exception and not the rule.Let me ask this -- what would be the advantage in trying to go the CPS route for straight adoption of a newborn (or, more likely, baby-already-born infant)? Is there any advantage in going that route (over agencies, quad-A attorney, etc.), or is it more like just another spoke in the wheel of a comprehensive plan - giving yourself as many options as possible instead of just going one route (for example, just signing up with an agency)?

I agree with others that straight adoption of a newborn or young infant from foster care would be extremely unusual - if it is possible at all. The court process and the search for family members to take the child takes time - and until that process is completed, the child is in foster care. Then, the foster parents will get asked first if they want to adopt. TPR doesn't happen after just a few days or weeks, so a 3-month-old who was legally free for straight adoption would be rare indeed. In my state, there has to be a minimum of 120 days between the hearing to terminate reunification services for a parent and the TPR hearing. So that's four months right there. And nearly all parents are given reunification services at the start because the goal is always to have the child return to his/her family. TPR happened in my son's case when he was 8 months old, and our caseworker (who has worked in fost-adoption for 20 years) said ours was the second easiest adoption from foster care that she had ever seen. Although it sounds like Dannie got even luckier! :)As far as having adoption from the county as another option along with pursuing private adoption . . . when we went through our homestudy process to be licensed for foster-adoption, we were specifically asked if we were also looking into private adoption. They did not want us with more than one agency at a time. Basically, they wanted a family committed to adopting from foster care, rather than it being a back-up plan, if you see what I mean. I don't know if other families have had that come up, though. I don't want to be discouraging. We have a beautiful, healthy son and are trying to adopt again. But I think it's helpful to get a realistic picture of what is possible before you get your hopes up too much. I'm sorry about your recent experience. I'm sure that is very painful and I wish you the very best.

Yes lucky is the right word....although my mom was fervently praying that my *first* experience would be guided by God and that we would "Know" it was by God's providence....happened to be, the legal name L has is of significance to my mom so that gave my family peace as well.....that's me and my experience with faith on this journey. My cw also has told me, wow, this is such an "easy" case for me, no visitations even, she was TPRd at 6 months. Really, it has been a nice ease into foster/adoption through CPS, BUT my case is right now the exception and NOT the norm by any means....

So before I go much further, I guess I should find out what my state/area says about also pursuing private adoption at the same time. If it's not allowed, then I'll at least having my options narrowed, helping with my decision.Thanks for the good wishes. That was so painful, but oddly, one thing that's helped me a lot is seeing that other people have gone through this too. Why that should help, I'm not sure, but it seems to. I guess because I also see that most of them have gone on to find a successful placement.

Our last adoption cw was perennially frazzled because she had couples who wanted to adopt BABIES. She, in an particularly exhausted moment, shared that she wanted to tell them to take out a loan and go the private route. If you do try to adopt an infant through CPS just be aware that they ARE few and far between, and you are LIKELY to wait a fair bit of time. There are ALWAYS exceptions to the rules, but one should not plan on being the exception.I don't think our local CPS agency would work with a family who was also trying to adopt through a private agency, unless it is one of the private agencies that is contracted with the state to work to help find a-families for special needs kids.

Your worker was more gentle about it than ours. Even though we were signing up for foster/adopt of a black child age 1 to 5, at our first meeting she ranted for half an hour about people wasting her time by thinking they were going to adopt a healthy white infant.

I had been previously matched with a 4 y/o boy and then later a 5 y/o girl....I was excited about both of these matches and devastated when they fell through....I was really expecting a child around this age....I FREAKED out when they matched me with an infant, since my brain was so not there, I had NOTHING....my room was bareish since I didn't have a gender preference, but would do for a preschooler with the bed I had, just had to add the rails...but the bed was low to the ground, great for preschool age.....I am happy with L, don't get me wrong, but I really wasn't expecting an infant. my purchases at target and babies r us was quite the sight LOL

Momat41: Would you like to be put on our atty's list of possible available situations? He only emails you as he receives them himself. PM me if interested...Blessings, Michelle

Not to hijak the thread, but we are going to meet with social services and hopefully start classes soon. Any of you experienced foster to adopt Moms have any advice on specific questions to ask?

Persian, go over to the Foster Care and Adoption list and post asking for ideas. I'm sure you'll get lots. I know I did, when I was new to the process!

I will PM you, thanks.