Foster/Adopt Program
Over 114,000 children are waiting in the United States foster care system for a family to call their own. A New Beginning’s goal is to recruit families and provide them with the adoption education and support needed to have a healthy and successful adoptive placement.
General Requirements:
Adoptive parents must be at least 25 years of age or 15 years older than the child they hope to adopt. Applicants may be either single or married.
Services Provided:
- Home Studies
- Education
- Networking and searching for children nationwide.
- Support throughout the selection process.
- Agency Counselors to address attachment and transition issues.
- Post placement support for children, parents, and siblings.
Who are the waiting children?
The children who wait are often the survivors of abuse and neglect. They range in age from 2 – 18, and sometimes they are alone or sometimes they have brothers and sisters. There are children of all races and children with disabilities. These children live in a series of foster and group homes for an average of four years. There they wait while they hope for the stability and love of a permanent, adoptive family.
Training Requirements:
The caseworkers for these special children are looking for adoptive parents that are prepared to adopt and who have had extensive pre-adoptive education. They are looking for families that have a good understanding of the resources in their community and that have a strong support system. Because of this, A New Beginning provides extensive pre-adoption training for all of our families. Our families will receive from extensive hours of in-person, pre-adoptive training which sets them apart from other families and prepares them for a successful adoption experience. The classes provided by A New Beginning include:
- Footsteps to Adoption: This is a five hour orientation that discusses the foster/adoption process, understanding how to read a child’s on-line profile, what a selection committee is, how to identify and access community resources, developing a transition plan for the child from their foster family to their adoptive family, and the importance of post adoption support.
- Pre-Adoptive Family Training: This is a 10 hour class that addresses transcultural adoption, grief and loss, attachment, and drugs and alcohol.
Post Adoption Support
We are fortunate to have 2 Clinical Social Workers at A New Beginning. These Social Workers are able to review your child’s file before they arrive in your home and assist you in developing a service plan to meet the needs of your child. They are also available to provide counseling, crisis intervention, and community referrals as needed.
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