Vol. 8, No. 1• November 2003

A Reader Asks . . .

If you have a question about foster care or adoption in North Carolina, please write, e-mail, or fax your question to us using the contact information found here. We’ll do our best to respond to your question either in a direct reply or in a future issue of this newsletter.

Question: I am a licensed foster parent. I didn't think I wanted to adopt, but now I do and my agency doesn't do adoptions. What are my options?

Some child-placing agencies are not licensed to complete adoptions. Talk to your licensing social worker to see if your agency has a relationship with an agency that does adoptions.

Otherwise, you will have to identify an agency on your own. A list of all child-placing adoption agencies in North Carolina can be found at <www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dss/childrensservices/licensing/licensing.htm>.

You will want to select one agency and submit an application. Your current agency may be agreeable to sharing your foster care licensing file with your new agency, which may speed up the process. Your new agency may require you to attend their training meetings, since they will be the agency to approve you to adopt and provide you with post-placement services.

The state of North Carolina has a contract with four private child-placing adoption agencies. These agencies—Adoptions Plus, Another Choice for Black Children, Children's Home Society of North Carolina, and Methodist Home for Children—provide services free of charge to families willing to adopt waiting foster children.

The NC Kids Adoption and Foster Care Network is here to help you connect with a new agency. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Thank you for your willingness to provide a permanent family for our children!

Response by Jeanne Preisler, Director, NC Kids

Question: If I adopt my current foster child, will she continue to get Medicaid and will her daycare expenses still be covered?

We cannot give a definitive answer to your questions since this is a matter that must be determined by the agency that has custody of the child. The continuation of Medicaid will depend on whether the child has income of her own. If the child has no income, then Medicaid will continue until the child’s 18th birthday. Daycare expenses will depend on the child's pschological and/or medical needs prior to the adoption. These matters should be discussed with the child's social worker prior to the finalization of the adoption.

Response by Esther High, NC Division of Social Services

Copyright � 2004 Jordan Institute for Families