7. Domestic Public Agency / Foster Care Adoptions

Public agency adoption is the means by which the state provides adoption services for children who are in the custody of the state. Typically, these children are under the control of the state because of a history of abuse and/or neglect by their parents. Although children are sometimes placed at birth through public agencies, the vast majority of public agency adoptions involve children who are adopted after having been in foster care for a period of time. Adoptive parents apply to the agency and are matched with “waiting children”. Public agency adoption is attractive because there is little or no cost involved, the opportunity to adopt an older child (if desired) is more likely and there is sometimes financial assistance provided after the adoption in the case of a special needs or a hard to place child.