Requirements for Adoption

With over 117,400 children waiting to be adopted in the U.S. and millions more worldwide, it’s evident that the world needs more adoptive parents. Many of the kids waiting to be adopted are older kids languishing in foster care, desperate for a caring adult to step up and provide them with the safe and loving family they deserve.

You may have heard that adoption is a long and expensive process with numerous requirements, and you aren’t sure if it’s something you can really do. Don’t worry. We’re here to help you learn about growing your family through adoption and other ways you can help change the life of an older child in foster care.

Just like how every person is unique, so is every family. If you are interested in growing your family through adoption, there are several paths you can take. Let’s look at a few of them.

About Kidsave 

Kidsave is not an adoption agency. We are a nonprofit organization that works with adoption agencies, local governments, and child protection services to help older kids in foster care to be seen, find a family, and thrive. Our program is unique in a lot of ways, but one of our most important qualities is that we give the kids in our program a voice and a choice in who they spend time with and, ultimately, who their family may be. While we designed our model to focus on and meet the needs of the kids in our programs, we also provide extensive support and resources for the adults in our programs. 

There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same. -Chinese Proverb

International adoption refers to the process of adopting a child from another country. There have been a lot of changes in international adoption over the last twenty years with the creation of The Hague Convention and more regulations to prevent trafficking or unlawful removal of a child from their home. These regulations are in place not only to ensure that the child is legally eligible for adoption but also to ensure that international adoption is in the child’s best interest.

The requirements for international adoption vary based on the child’s country of origin, the state in which the adoptive parents live, and the adoption agency used to complete the adoption. It can be tough to navigate international adoption on your own, but through Kidsave’s Summer Miracles program, you will have access to Kidsave staff and our adoption agency partners for help along the way.

Kidsave’s Summer Miracles

Summer Miracles is a program dedicated to finding forever families for older orphans from Colombia. All efforts to find permanency for these children in their own country have been exhausted, so through Kidsave, they can travel to the U.S. to connect with potential families here.

The kids in this program are:

• Between the ages of 10-15,
• Legally eligible for adoption,
• Living in foster care or institutions, and
• Are open to being adopted.

Kidsave works with Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF), La Casa de la Madre y el Nino, and U.S. agencies to connect children in the program with a host family here in the United States. Once a child and a host family are connected, the child comes to the U.S. to stay for five weeks in the summer (3 weeks if part of our winter program).

Requirements

To host a child through Summer Miracles, you must be:

• Age 25 to 60
• S. Citizen living in the continental United States (if a married couple, one must be a U.S. citizen)
• Interested in adopting or in helping a child find their forever family

In addition to meeting these qualifications, you must complete the following steps:

• Attend an online orientation,
• Complete an application (that includes a tax-deductible $275 application fee),
• Provide required documentation and identification,
• Undergo a background check and psychosocial study,
• Submit a hosting payment, and
• Attend host training.

Kidsave Staff will be available to answer any questions you have throughout the process. Kidsave Coordinators will work with you on the logistics of the program, weekend events, and support sessions throughout the child’s stay.

Additionally, if you choose to move forward with adoption, you will have access to Kidsave’s adoption agency partners and local volunteer coordinators to assist you through the completion of the adoption process. Our staff maintains contact with the families created through our programs and will continue to be a resource for you and your child.

Learn more about the program or book a 30 minute phone call with a Summer Miracles Coordinator below.

Adoption from foster care is the fastest growing method of adoption in the U.S. Despite this positive increase in adoptions, there are still, on average, 117,000 kids in foster care waiting to be adopted at any given time. Of the kids in foster care, 58% of them are over the age of six, and research shows that older kids in foster care are less likely to be adopted than younger children. This disparity in adoption rates among older kids is what led our founders to create Kidsave over 23 years ago. Our Weekend Miracles program works to help older kids in foster care in the U.S. connect with adults and families within their communities.

Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles

Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles program operates in Los Angeles County (LA Weekend Miracles) and Houston, Texas (Weekend Miracles Houston). We chose these two areas because each of these locations has one of the largest populations of kids in foster care in the U.S. Many of the kids in these areas are aged 10 and older, classifying them as an “older child.” The goal for a child in foster care is to establish permanency–meaning they are reunified, placed in legal guardianship, adopted, or otherwise connected to a loving support system. If they don’t establish permanency, then they will age out of the system, forcing them to navigate early adulthood on their own.

Every year, 23,000 kids age out of the U.S. foster care system. There are many adverse outcomes associated with aging out. According to the National Foster Youth Initiative, these are just a few of the odds they will have to try to overcome:

• 1 in 4 kids who age out of foster care will become instantly homeless.
• The average high school graduation rate among kids in foster care is 50%–26% less than the national average—and only 3% will earn a four-year college degree.
• 25% of aged out youth will be involved with the criminal justice system within two years of aging out,
• Nearly 50% will have at least one child by age 21.
• Because of homelessness and a lack of gainful employment or education, many will end up incarcerated or needing public assistance.

The numbers are staggering, but there is a solution. Kids in foster care who have at least one caring adult in their lives have significantly better outcomes than those who are forced to go it alone. One caring adult involved in the life of a vulnerable child can change communities for the better, including decreasing rates of incarceration, teen pregnancy, drug use, and trafficking — while increasing high school and college graduation rates.

Each year Weekend Miracles (WM) helps older kids in foster care (ages 9-17) make those all-important connections with caring adults from their communities. These caring adults will go on to serve as mentors, hosts, and even adoptive families to the kids they meet through Weekend Miracles.

How Does Weekend Miracles Work?

For the kids, Weekend Miracles starts with a referral into the program and then orientation to ensure they understand the program and want to participate. If the child wants to participate, they begin attending monthly connection events.

The kids participating in Weekend Miracles are:

• Ages 9-17
• Living in a foster home, group home or residential facility,
• Open to adoption, guardianship, mentorship, or a positive connection.

For the adults, Weekend Miracles starts with an orientation and an application process with a background check. Once the application is approved and the background check completed, they can also begin attending connection events to meet the kids in the program.

Weekend Miracles Connection Events

Connection events are a safe place where kids and teens in foster care can meet and connect with caring adults from their community through fun and interactive activities. Kidsave staff and local social workers supervise the events, but the kids and adults are able to spend time together in a low-stress environment, doing fun activities together like bowling and scavenger hunts and then having lunch together.

At the end of each event, both the kids and adults complete a confidential evaluation form indicating who they connected with and who they would like to get to know. If the connection is mutual, they can continue building their bond through in-person connection events and Zoom meetings. Having one-on-one time with a positive adult influence who can give undivided attention is a rare experience for kids in foster care. That’s why these events and relationships are so important for the kids in our program. While not all of the kids in our program are ready to move forward with legal adoption, they are all open to and need positive influences and mentorship.

For kids and families who are interested in moving towards adoption or would like to spend more time together outside of connection events can move into a hosting relationship.

Requirements

To ensure the safety and well-being of the kids in our program, families interested in becoming hosts must first complete background checks and clearances, CPR/First aid training, 14 hours of training on caring for a child from foster care, a home environmental health and safety check, and provide copies of their driving documents (driver’s license, insurance, and registration).

Weekend Miracles Hosting

When you host through Weekend Miracles, you are essentially taking your mentorship to the next level and opening your heart and home to a child who needs the stability, security, and support of a family.

As a host, you commit to spending regular time with an older kid in foster care at least twice a month through weekend visits or overnight stays. Host families spend this time getting to know the child better, building their connection, and supporting them as they navigate their lives. The goal of hosting is to continue to develop a lifelong, connected, caring relationship. Hosting often results in long-term mentoring relationships, legal guardianship, and adoptions.

Aren’t sure yet if adoption is right for you? That’s OK!

Other ways you can help.

There are plenty of ways to help older kids in foster care. Many of the kids in our program aren’t ready for or interested in adoption; they just want to feel loved and supported by a caring adult in their life.

Being a mentor or volunteer is a great way to have a positive impact on the life of a child. Learn more about all of the ways you can get involved.

Interested in getting to know kids in foster care?

If you live in one of the following regions, you can participate in a Weekend Miracles program:

• Los Angeles, California
• Houston, Texas
• Mecklenburg, North Carolina (through partner organization Congregations for Kids)
• Washington, D.C. (through partner organization D.C. Family and Youth Initiative)

If you live outside of these areas, we recommend contacting your local Child Welfare organization, such as CASA, or choosing your state’s website from this list.