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Can I adopt my foster child?
Most foster children in our program are placed in your home on what is known as a "Concurrent Planning" basis. This simply means that there are two possible outcomes. The initial preferred option is that the child will successfully reunify with a birth parent or biological family member. The concurrent plan, should reunification not occur, will be that the foster family can become the permanent family, through either adoption or legal guardianship. For this reason all our foster parents are approved for both foster care and adoption before a child is placed. Kinship Center professional staff will share with you all the information legally available to help you determine whether or not the child is likely to reunify.
Who helps me through all of this?
Our Master's level Social Workers and our office staff will help you complete the application paperwork. We will provide at least 40 hours of initial training that cover, among many other topics, the requirements of foster parenting, issues of trauma and loss experienced by the child, behavior management strategies and tools, and procedures for any birth parent contact that may occur. When the child is in your home our Foster Parent Support staff and Social Workers will work with you and the child on any behavior issues that may emerge, on issues with the school, and any medical or psychological needs that present themselves. We become your primary partners in your role as foster parents. We provide annual workshops and classes along the way, and are committed to your full inclusion in planning for the child.
Who can apply?
You must be at least 25 years of age, and at least ten years older than any child we will place in your home. You can be married or domestic partnered or a single parent. Your family must have its own source of income that meets your present needs. We welcome potential foster parents of any race, religion, ethnicity, gender and gender preference. You must be a legal resident of the United States and speak English, in addition to other languages spoken at home. You must be fingerprinted and cleared by both California Department of Justice and the FBI. Minor violations in the past may not be an impediment, depending on individual circumstances.
How do we get to know you?
We ask you for a lot of information in the application packet which you will complete after attending an Orientation Meeting at our office. This includes providing us with at least three references from people that know you well. Assuming all looks fine, a Social Worker will meet with you and your family to complete a Family Study, which is a joint assessment of your strengths, your personal history, discussion of the children best suited to live with you, and behaviors or situations that you know you want to avoid if possible. We also get to know you at the initial Training Sessions which you may attend either in San Jose or in Salinas, depending on which is closest to your home. The Family Study is the beginning of what we intend will be a close and supportive relationship with you. It is not a pass or fail situation, but simply a mutual assessment of what placement situations will work best both for you and the foster child.
What are the costs involved?
The only fees involved are for the fingerprinting of those over age 18 in your home, and for TB tests and a brief medical report from your doctor. Fingerprinting fees may be paid for you if they would cause hardship. Kinship Center charges no fees for its services for fostering or adopting a child from Santa Clara County.
So who pays for all of this?
Kinship Center has partnered with the County of Santa Clara's Department of Child and Family Services to provide this special foster care program under the terms of California law. The County pays Kinship Center a set monthly amount to cover its services, and from that amount we pay you a monthly stipend of $1,200. Internal Revenue Service rules find that this stipend is not usually subject to taxation. However, because we are not accountants, we advise that you check with your tax preparer as to receipts that you should keep.
How do I get the ball rolling?
Call us at 408-554-2550 or 877-33-AFTER, or click here to complete our form online.
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