Adoption

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The Need

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children in foster care will become legally free for adoption.

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children are currently waiting with no identified adoptive family.

Last year,

children were matched with a family through our adoption program.

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children and families received services from MARE in pursuit of a forever family last year.

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Steps to

Becoming an Adoptive Parent

Step 1:

Join us at Orientation

The first step to being approved for adoption is to participate in an Adoption Orientation with Judson Center. Adoption Orientations are free and presented by experienced adoption specialists at Judson Center’s Wayne Regional Office or in your home. Call today to schedule an orientation and click on the PDF provided to view our 2024 Orientation Schedule.

Step 2:

Submit an Adoption Application

Fingerprint clearance requests. Proper documentation will be provided to you during adoption orientation.

Step 3:

Attend Training

Once you've begun working with your Judson Center Licensing Worker you will be referred to attend GROW training. This free training helps prepare foster parents and adoptive parents for the journey ahead. It is a great place to meet other foster parents and ask additional questions. Topics covered include attachment and loss issues, discipline, effects of abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and the effects of fostering and adopting on the family. GROW must be completed by all families wishing to become approved for adoption.

Grow

culturally responsive relationships

Recognize

children’s developmental needs and the impact of trauma

Obtain

information and resources

Work

in partnership with families to support healthy relationships.

Step 4:

Complete a Home Assessment

The home assessment (also referred to as a home study) includes collecting all documentation; a physical assessment of your home; and interviews with each member of your household, including spouse, domestic partner, children, etc.

Step 5:

Receive Approval from the State of Michigan

After your report is completed, your Licensing Worker will submit it to the Michigan Department of Child Welfare Licensing. If your license is approved, the worker will contact you with the good news. Now you’re ready to hurry up and wait for your first placement call from us!

Step 6:

Begin making inquiries on MARE

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FAQ

Foster care is a temporary living arrangement and the goal is always to reunify children with their parents or other family members when safe. Foster parents assume care and responsibility for a child placed in their home, but the State maintains all legal guardianship. Sometimes, a child is unable to return home; it is then that the court terminates parental rights and the child becomes available for adoption. When adoption is finalized, legal responsibility and care are transferred from the State to the adoptive parents. Their lifelong commitment and responsibility are no less important than if the child was born to them.

The children available for adoption through Judson Center come from Michigan’s foster care system. Due to abuse, neglect, death, or abandonment, their parent’s rights have been terminated by the court. The children who wait range in age from 0-17 years old. Most are between the ages of 12-17.

The children available for adoption are residing in either foster homes, relative homes, hospitals, or residential facilities.

Any parent over 18 who has passed all requirements may be approved to adopt. We do not discriminate against any individual or group because of race, religion, age, national origin, color, height, weight, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political beliefs, or disability.

Individuals seeking to become single parents are allowed to adopt children. Many children will thrive in a single-parent home. However, if you are legally married, you must adopt along with your spouse. Individuals who are separated cannot legally adopt as single parents in Michigan.

If you wish to adopt a child from Michigan’s foster care system, there is no fee for the completion of your family assessment. However, you will be responsible for court filing fees at the time an adoption is filed, which averages around $200, and for purchasing a new birth certificate which costs around $50.

The Adoption Subsidy Program provides financial support and/or medical subsidies for families adopting children from the foster care system. There is also financial assistance available for those who provide foster care. Support subsidy assists with the payment of expenses related to caring for and raising the child. Not all children will qualify for adoption subsidies. It is dependent upon each child’s individual needs.

Depending on your availability and willingness to complete paperwork and training promptly, we can usually complete your home assessment for adoption in about 90 days. Once a family has an approved home assessment for adoption, matching with a child may take anywhere from 3 months to over a year. The length of time varies based on how specific a family is about the type of child they wish to adopt. Once a family is matched with a child, the adoption process can take anywhere from three months to a year, depending on a variety of factors.

With hundreds of children available for adoption on the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) website, the need is great. 80% of these children are over the age of 10. When it comes to adoptive families, the greatest need is for families who can say yes to at least one of the following questions:

  • Are you willing to pursue the adoption of two siblings?
  • Are you willing to parent a child with moderate or severe needs in any area?
  • Are you willing to adopt a child over the age of 10?

There are many post-adoption resources such as support groups, therapy, crisis intervention, respite care, and referral services. Please visit the Post Adoption Resource Center (PARC)’s page to learn more about post-adoption resources.

Resources

MARE

More than 3,000 children in Michigan are waiting for permanent, loving homes to call their own each year. Learn more at www.MARE.org.

PARC

The Post Adoption Resource Center (PARC) provides support and services to families after an adoption is finalized.

We provide the following services:

  • Educational and training
  • Support groups for families and children
  • Liaison for families with community services
  • Adoption-sensitive, time-limited, case management and crisis intervention services
  • 24-hour telephone access for adoptive families looking for support services

 

Self-referrals are welcomed from families who reside in one of Judson Center’s PARC regions:

Region 5:  Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, St. Joseph, and Washtenaw |734.794.2988

Region 6:  Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair, Tuscola | 810.732.8510

Visit Post Adoption Resource Center (PARC) for more information. PARC is a program of Judson Center and is funded by The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Closed Adoption Files

All closed adoption files for Judson Center, Child Safe Michigan, and The Detroit Children’s Baptist Home are held by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service’s Central Adoption Registry. Please send a written request for your information along with a copy of valid photo identification to:

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Central Adoption Registry/Post Adoption Inquiry Analyst
235 S. Grand Ave., Ste. 514
PO Box 30037
Lansing, MI 48909

The county court in which your adoption case was processed may also hold additional information about your adoption records. If you have additional questions, you can contact the Michigan Central Adoption Registry at (517) 335-6075

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Let's Get Started!

Contact us today for additional information!

Our team is here to answer your questions and connect you to the care you or a loved one need.