Adopting a child from foster care can be a rewarding lifelong experience. Many CCR foster parents have adopted their foster kids. Although there are no promises of adopting a child through CCR it does happen. With the proper mindset and an openness to accepting the challenges that come along with it, your family may be a candidate for the opportunity to adopt a child from foster care. However, it cannot be the goal of fostering.

Can I become a foster parent with the intent to adopt?

Yes, you can become a foster parent with the intent of adopting; however, most foster agencies like CCR will advise against it. Not because we don't want foster parents to adopt but because it is a promise that cannot be made. The percentages are small, very small, and many hearts are broken along the way. If your end goal is to adopt a child, pursuing adoption through traditional sources such as an adoption agency may be the best to consider. We do not encourage families to pursue foster parenting as a means of adopting. Foster care is temporary, and the goal is generally reunification with the biological family.

Ask yourself these questions before considering becoming a foster parent with the hope of adopting.

• Is your heart leading you to love and care for children temporarily or permanently?
• Are you exploring foster care because you hope to adopt someday?
• Do you understand and accept that reunification is most often the goal for kids in foster care?
• Do you understand that the effects of past traumas will be a part of your adopted child's life?
• Do you accept that the "system" is not perfect and hearts are vulnerable to unexpected outcomes?
• Do you understand that the chances of adopting a baby out of foster care are extremely low?

We did not become foster parents to adopt. It took us a few years to decide if fostering was right for us, and adoption never came up. The placement we have now is likely going to TPR. He has been with us for eighteen months and has grown and healed from his many experiences. We are excited beyond words. What a blessing this will be if all goes smoothly. Hands folded, fingers crossed.   

Hundreds of Wisconsin children are adopted from foster care each year.

Most often, the goal of foster care is reunification, and the majority of Wisconsin foster kids will be reunified with their birth family, as shown below, according to the most recent data:

If parental rights are terminated, The CCR foster parents caring for the child(ren) are the first adoptive resource considered. If the foster family is not interested in pursuing adoption, other CCR families and outside sources are explored. CCR does not license foster parents to specifically adopt from foster care. We are a foster care agency.

An excellent resource for adoption is adoptuskids.org

Less than 15% of kids at CCR are adopted by their foster parents each year.

We are blessed to have witnessed many families grow through adoption at CCR over the last 30+ years. On average, less than 15% of children in our care are adopted by their foster parents each year. Foster parents wishing to adopt run the risk that the foster child they fall in love with will not be their child forever. Foster parents must emotionally prepare themselves that there may be multiple placements that come and go before the possibility of adoption comes along. These children and teens need support, guidance, and a family now and for the rest of their lives.

We've adopted four children that we fostered through CCR. There have been challenges, but we'd do it all over again. We cannot imagine life without them!

If you are interested in becoming a foster parent and are open to adoption IF the stars align, we would love to speak with you. If your end goal is to adopt, we encourage you to contact an adoption agency. The rewards are plentiful, and we have dozens of families that will testify to the joy and happiness that fostering and adoption have brought to their families. CCR staff is available to speak with you anytime you are interested in learning more.