Adoption

Yes, single men and women may also adopt through the Foster-Adoption program as long as they meet the requirements.

Foster-Adoption is often referred to as “risk adopt” because there is a legal risk for prospective adoptive parents. A permanent plan of adoption can be determined as the best plan for a child by the Department of Social Services before their birth parents parental rights have been terminated by the juvenile dependency court, freeing the child or youth for adoption.  This is what is referred to as “concurrent planning.”  This means that the child/children are still in the dependency court process. The Department of Social Services can recommend a concurrent plan anytime between the dispositional hearing and the 18-month review hearing.

Foster/Adoptions are often open and include some type of post adoption contact with birth relatives. Openness in adoption refers to the amount of contact among birth parents and/or relatives, adoptive parents, and the adopted person. The amount of contact may vary from family to family and, within a family, may change over time. This communication may range from little or no contact; to mediated contact through a third party, anonymous email, or post office box; to ongoing communication with shared identifying information; to occasional in-person contact, holiday visits, or regular communication and visitation when all parties wish it to happen.

Typically, when a family is adopting through Independent Adoption or Intercountry Adoption there is a fee for the written report (home study) and other fees associated with the adoption.  VTR waives the fee for the written report for families adopting through our Foster-Adoption program.  There are minimal fees incurred while becoming an approved Resource Family, completing the required paperwork for the written report and travel expenses for children placed in your home from counties outside of Fresno.