Foster Care and Adoption in Oklahoma
Approximately 9,000 children are currently in Oklahoma foster care. Although the majority of those children will ultimately reunite with their biological family, some will not be able to achieve that goal, so their new goal will become adoption from foster care. About 500 of those 9,000 children are currently eligible for Oklahoma foster care adoption and are waiting for adoptive parents.
American Adoptions is unable to provide Oklahoma foster care adoption services, as we specialize in newborn adoption in Oklahoma.
If you want to talk to one of our adoption specialists about domestic adoption, you can contact us today by calling 1-800-ADOPTION or filling out our free online form. But, if you're certain domestic infant adoption in Oklahoma isn't right for you, adopting a child from foster care can be a great way to expand your family.
The information below can help you find out more about foster care adoption in Oklahoma, so you can decide if it’s the right option for your family.
How You Can Help with Foster Care in OK
There are three ways to become involved with foster care in Oklahoma:
1. Foster Parenting
As a foster parent in Oklahoma, you would provide temporary care for children who need a safe and loving environment while they await a permanent situation with either their biological family or an adoptive family.
2. Foster to Adopt in Oklahoma
If you’re a licensed foster parent, you can choose to adopt a child that you’ve been fostering if he or she becomes legally eligible for adoption. This option is known as foster to adopt in Oklahoma. Although most children in OK foster care never become eligible for adoption, their foster parents can be considered as a permanent placement option if they do become eligible.
3. Adopting from Foster Care in Oklahoma
You don’t have to become a foster parent first if you already know that you want to adopt from foster care in Oklahoma. Instead, you can request to be matched with children who are already eligible for adoption and awaiting permanent placement with an adoptive family through an OK foster care adoption.
Oklahoma Foster Care Subsidies
Families who foster to adopt or adopt through foster care in Oklahoma may receive adoption assistance through a state-funded adoption subsidy. The amount of any potential foster care adoption subsidy would depend on the individual needs of the child(ren) you foster or adopt through foster care in Oklahoma, as well as state regulations.
Who Can Foster to Adopt or Adopt through Foster Care in Oklahoma?
You must be at least 21 years old in order to adopt a child from foster care in Oklahoma, and you must also be approved via a home study. All prospective adoptive parents must also meet the individual requirements of the foster care agency though which they apply to adopt.
Who Can Be Adopted from Foster Care in Oklahoma?
Before a child is eligible for adoption from foster care in Oklahoma, the legal parental rights of their biological parents must first be terminated. The termination of parental rights may occur voluntarily by the parents themselves, but in foster care situations, TPR often occurs involuntarily when the court has ruled that the parents did not meet the court-mandated steps for regaining custody.
At the age of 18, children in Oklahoma foster care “age out” of foster care, but they’re still able to be adopted by former foster parents who wish to make them a legal and permanent part of their family through an adult adoption.
Resources and Oklahoma Foster Care Adoption Agencies
These Oklahoma foster care adoption agencies and Oklahoma adoption photolisting sites can help you begin the process of foster care and adoption in Oklahoma:
-
Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth foster care and adoption resources
To learn more about foster care adoption in Oklahoma, contact your OK foster care agency for additional resources.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.