As you view this website for Nebraska’s Foster children, we hope to answer as many of your questions as possible about adoption and the children who wait for families. No matter where your adoption journey may take you, Child Saving Institute hopes to be a part of it, as a resource for information, education and support.

WHO ARE THE WAITING CHILDREN?

On any given day in Nebraska, approximately 200 children in the foster care system are waiting for adoptive families. All the children are unable to live with their biological families, primarily because of abuse and neglect. Due to their past experiences, many of the children suffer from issues related to grief and loss, which may result in emotional or behavioral problems. The following are common characteristics of Nebraska’s waiting children:
· Many are teenagers.
· Most are over the age of eight years.
· Minority or multiracial children comprise the majority.
· Sibling groups of 2, 3, or more children are not uncommon.
· Most of the children benefit from open adoption arrangements so they can maintain contact with birth family members.
· Many have emotional or behavioral difficulties.
· Some may have physical, mental or developmental challenges.

As you go through this process, you may frequently hear the term, “Special Needs Children” or “Special Needs Adoption.” Many people associate this term with children who have physical or mental handicaps; however, it is important to note that this term is also used in referring to older children who are waiting for adoption.

Click here to view Nebraska’s foster children featured in the Heart Gallery.

WHAT IS THE ADOPTION PARTNERSHIP

The Adoption Partnership was created in 1999 as a collaboration between Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and three private adoption agencies, including: Child Saving Institute, Adoption Links Worldwide, and Lutheran Family Services. The goal of the collaboration is to find permanent adoptive homes for children who are legally free for adoption, and more specifically those children who have been waiting the longest.

The Adoption Partnership provides case management to 38 children in the foster care system available for adoption, as well as recruitment, training and support for prospective adoptive families. The Adoption Partnership case managers have fewer children on their caseloads so they are able to dedicate more time and energy to recruitment, permanency planning and support of the children. All the children for whom families are currently being recruited by the Adoption Partnership, are featured in the Nebraska Heart Gallery.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ADOPT STATE WARDS?

Different types of families are needed for different types of children. All prospective families go through a training and home study process. Some of the general requirements are:

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

There are no fees charged to families adopting children who are in the state’s legal custody. In most cases, a financial subsidy is made available to assist families with any special care need. This subsidy continues post adoption, through a child’s nineteenth birthday. Ongoing medical insurance (Medicaid) is usually available for the child as well.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ADOPT?

Below, you will find a step-by-step process of the adoption journey. The training and home study process generally takes at least 3 months and sometimes longer, depending on training dates and availability of families for home study visits. A child cannot transition into an adoptive home until this process is near completion.

Depending on openness to the types of children available for adoption, families may be quickly matched with waiting children, or may wait for a period of time before an appropriate match is found. As described, most of Nebraska’s waiting children are over the age of eight, many are of minority race, and may have emotional or behavioral needs resulting from their life experiences.

GETTING STARTED
STEPS TO ADOPT AN OLDER CHILD

Step 1: Inquire and Learn About Older Child Adoption

To learn more about the process of adoption, contact CSI’s Placement & Permanency Recruiter at 553-6000. The recruiter will help you continue your journey by sending you a complete inquiry packet, or connecting you with the appropriate trainer/recruiter for your area. If you are an already approved waiting adoptive family, and you wish to inquire about a child featured in the Heart Gallery, the recruiter can help connect you with that child’s case manager.

Step 2: Come to an Information Meeting

If you are near the Omaha area, you are encouraged to attend an Adoption Partnership Informational Meeting, held every two weeks, at varying times. These meetings are sponsored by the three agencies involved in the Adoption Partnership and will enable you to get all your questions answered. They are a required first step before registration for pre-service training. No need to call beforehand, anybody is welcome that may be interested in learning about older child adoptions.

Click here to find an orientation meeting that fits your schedule: (Link coming soon)

Step 3: Register and Attend PRIDE & Spaulding Training Classes

At the information meetings, families receive the schedule for PRIDE Foster Parent Pre-Service Training classes. PRIDE is a 9-week, 27-hour curriculum intended to prepare foster and adoptive parents for the placement of children in their homes. The training classes are for both experienced and first-time parents, to help in better understanding the needs and behaviors of children who have suffered abuse or neglect. Classes include training to become foster parents because any state ward placed in your home, even for the purpose of adoption, is considered a foster child until the adoption is finalized. This does not mean that potential adoptive parents are required to accept foster children who are still working toward reunification. With a focus on future adoption, these classes help you understand the challenging dynamics that older children share in relation to birth families.

After PRIDE, adoptive families are required to attend Making the Commitment to Adoption training. This 12-hour class supports potential adoptive parents through their adoption journeys by furthering knowledge of adoption, and answering questions about the process. It also helps prepare for post adoption issues.

Step 4: Complete a Home Study

Once a family has completed PRIDE training, a social worker within the Adoption Partnership is assigned to complete the home study. This process usually takes place in the adoptive family’s home and requires a minimum of six hours of contact with the family. The home study assesses a family’s strengths, limitations, financial stability, emotional stability, and the safety of the home environment. Some of the documents required to complete a home study include: Personal References, Employment References, Medical Reports, and a nationwide Criminal History Background Check.

Once your home study is approved, your family’s social worker licenses your home and your family can begin looking at waiting children.
 

Step 5: Start Looking at Waiting Children

You are now a waiting, approved adoptive family. If you’ve already been identified as a potential placement for a waiting child, the case manager may begin the child’s transition process into your home. If you do not have a child identified, by this time looking at waiting children’s profiles will be helpful in finding a match good for your family. You can search for waiting Nebraska children at the following websites:

You are also encouraged to attend open houses, and other area recruitment activities, generally held quarterly, to learn more about waiting children. The Adoption Partnership meets monthly with staff from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to talk about children in need of placement. Your information and home study will be shared with case managers whenever a potential match is determined. The case manager will contact you to give more information about the child and assess your level of interest in the placement.

Step 6: Experience the Placement of a Child

After making a commitment to a waiting child, the family and the child will begin pre-placement visits. The frequency and location of the visits will depend on the comfort of the child and the adoptive family. The child’s case manager will determine the transition date into your home. Adoption finalization can occur after a child has been in the adoptive home for at least six months.
 

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