- An adoptive parent is someone that provides a permanent safe, stable, and loving home for a child or children when it has been determined that they cannot safely be returned to their birth parents or relatives.
If you live in Shasta County and you are open to both adopting and fostering…
The first step is to get approved as a Shasta County resource family, and you will work directly with the Shasta County Resource Family Approval unit.
Once you are approved, the expectation is that you will be available to foster, and your goal to adopt will be embraced and considered throughout the process.
FAQs
What is an adoptive parent?
Can I be both a foster parent and adoptive parent?
- Absolutely! There are some children whose birth parents’ parental rights have been terminated and these children can be adopted more readily.
- For children whose birth parents still retain parental rights, every effort has to be made to reunify a child with their birth parents before a child could be adopted. There is a need for the child to be placed in foster care in the interim while the social workers work with birth parents to engage them in reunification efforts. The social worker is also focused on identifying a permanent home for the child if reunification does not happen. As a resource family with Shasta County, you can expect to be the foster caregiver of a child who may return to live with their parent or with a family member. You can also expect to be the foster caregiver of a child you may adopt.
How can I know what type of caregiver family I should be?
- The process of becoming a resource parent is specifically designed to help you discover what is right for you and your family. Our classes and family assessments are conducted by friendly, experienced social workers that will work with you in determining the types of children you can best parent.
What is the cost of adopting a child from foster care?
- You do not pay for completion of the approval process with Shasta County. The process should be free, except potential expense for medical screenings.