Monroe Harding: Foster to Adopt
Adoption in Tennessee
Families come together in so many ways, and one of the most rewarding ways to grow a family is to adopt a child. Did you know there are over 400,000 children in the U.S. – 8,000 in Tennessee alone – currently in foster care waiting for a family? They’re in foster care through no fault of their own, often because they’ve previously been abused, abandoned or neglected.
Over half of the children waiting in foster care are age 8 or older. While it is possible to adopt an infant from foster care, children who are available for adoption typically range from toddler to 18, and nearly 30,000 of the children waiting to be adopted will turn 18 and leave the system without families. That’s a lonely road for amazing children who deserve loving and caring families who will help them to heal, thrive, and grow for all of their lives.
Every child deserves unconditional love and a safe and happy family of his or her own. Adopting from foster care is a great way to grow your family and provide a deserving child with security and love. Monroe Harding is a foster to adopt agency, and we’ve had many adoptions into forever families. You can read some of the beautiful stories here.
There are a lot of myths when it comes to adopting through fostering a child. The truth is, adopting via foster care is similar to other types of adoption in several ways. The end goal, after making the choice, preparing, doing all the paperwork, is the same: to enrich a family. Families are made by love and caring, not just by being birth-related.
A few foster care myths debunked:
High Cost.
As a foster to adopt agency, when a child is adopted out of foster care through Monroe Harding, there are no court/legal costs to the parent adopting.
You must be married to adopt.
Single and unmarried individuals can legally adopt: this is true for all 50 states, and close to 30% of the children adopted from foster care are adopted by single parents.
Children in Foster Care are delinquents/ have special needs.
Children usually end up in foster care because they have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. While some children are classified by the state as having special needs, it’s typically not for the reasons you might think. Often the term refers to a reason it’s harder for the child to find a home — such as being older or part of a sibling group.
This isn’t to say children in foster care haven’t ever experienced trauma. Parents who adopt from foster care with Monroe Harding undergo trauma-informed care parent training so they are prepared to understand the trauma their child has experienced, and are equipped with the best tools to help them heal.
When children in foster care are unable to safely be reunited with their birth families, adoption is a way to give them the loving and stable family they deserve.
A child’s biological parent can “reclaim” them.
Almost half of people considering adoption from foster care incorrectly believe that a child’s biological parent can regain custody post-adoption. Biological parents have no way of regaining custody of a child once their parental rights are terminated. Adoptive parents have the same rights and responsibilities and protections as parents whose children were born to them. This also means children who have been adopted have all the emotional, social, legal, and familial benefits of biological children.
Ready To Take The Next Step?
Talk to a member of our foster care team. Email us at fostercare@monroeharding.org
