There is a big difference between looking to be an adoptive family and being a foster family. The primary difference is that in adoption, the potential parent is looking specifically to adopt.
In a foster care situation, the foster family is simply providing a temporary residence to nurture and care for a kid until they are either adopted or returned to their biological parents. But some foster families develop a strong bond with the kid and want to make him or her a permanent member of their family through foster child adoption.
The typical adoptive family has to apply to adopt a child and then go through the lengthy process of home studies and background checks. Families already in the foster care system will have an advantage.
The first advantage to foster child adoption is that the child is already present in the home and has developed bonds with the family members. The second is that foster families know how the system works and can help speed the process along.
Most foster children are placed into foster care for several reasons. The first is because a court order was issued, demanding that the kid be removed from the care of the biological parents due to neglect or abuse. The second reason is that the parents were unable to care for the kid and subsequently turned over their parental rights to the foster care system.
The third reason could be that the guardians or biological parents died and no one else was able to care for the child. Foster care adoptions occur after a child has been placed with a foster family, so the hope is that the kid eventually becomes a permanent member of that family unit.
If the child was taken from the birth parent(s) and their rights were terminated, then the foster child adoption agency will ensure that no one else can come forward to claim the child. The last thing they want is for the kid to develop a bond with his or her new parents and then have to be taken away. The trauma of that removal could be devastating to the kid.
If you are looking to be an adoptive family, consider being a foster parent first. Yes, you may develop a bond with a kid that has to be returned to the parents but at least you will be helping children who need someone to love them unconditionally. The positives far outweigh the negatives.
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