Where Do I Start?
To begin, download the Foster Adoption Inquiry Packet. The information contained in this packet will assist you in the foster adoption process. If you need assistance please contact Jessica Kroeker at jkroeker@childsaving.org or 402-504-3616.
Please note that this informational packet pertains only to Nebraska residents. For information on other states, contact local adoption agencies in that area or the State’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Steps to becoming a Foster Adoptive Parent
Step 1: Contact your local service area agency
Nebraska is divided into five different service areas: Eastern, Southeast, Northern, Central, and Western. Each service area has one or more lead agency that is responsible for training prospective foster-adoptive parents, completing home studies, and submitting required licensing documents to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Find your service area >>
Eastern Service Area
Child Saving Institute
4545 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68132
402-553-6000
childsaving.org
Southeast Service Area
KVC
5220 S 16th St
Lincoln NE
402-476-0040
1-888-655-5500
kvc.org
Northern, Central and Western Service Area
Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Children & Family Services
P.O. Box 95026
Lincoln, NE 68509-5044
402-471-9272
dhhs.ne.gov/Children_Family_Services
If you are unsure of your service area, contact the Nebraska Foster and Adoptive Parent Association for assistance.
Step 2: Register and Attend Training Classes
Once you have contacted your lead agency, they will inform you of the criteria for Nebraska foster adoptive homes. If you meet the criteria, they will inform you of their upcoming training schedule. This training is for all qualified individuals or families. The purpose of this training is to inform potential foster-adoptive parents about the unique challenges that the children in waiting face.
Step 3: Complete a Home Study
During training, the agency will send a worker to your home to complete a fostering home study which takes six hours and typically occurs over three visits. During the home study some of the questions you will be asked are regarding your family’s dynamic, your childhood, your family’s strengths and limitations, financial and emotional stability, and safety of the home. During the home study the evaluator will request references, financial statements, employment history, and background checks. The purpose of the study is to help determine the family’s appropriateness for fostering and what type of child would be the best match for the family.
Step 4: Identification and Placement of a Child
Once you are approved to be a foster parent, you can view the adoption exchange websites listed below to help identify children that might be a match for your family. Contact the worker listed for that child(ren) you are interested in learning more about. You will be asked to submit your home study to be reviewed by a specialist to determine matchability between your family and the child.
If the child is a good match for your home, your home study will potentially be forwarded to the child’s case manager. The child’s case manager may then contact you to discuss this potential match further.
Websites for Children who are legally available for adoption:
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Adoption Page >>
After making a commitment to the child, the family and child will begin pre-placement visits. The frequency and location of visits will depend on the comfort of the child and adoptive family.
Step 5: Adoption
When a child is ready to move into your home, the case manager will arrange for the child and all of their belongings to come into your home. Once the child is officially placed with your family, there is a minimum of a six month period that must pass before the State of Nebraska will finalize the adoption.