If you live in Arizona and are considering adoption, there is some important information you should know about the Arizona child adoption process. Families residing in Arizona are eligible to adopt foster children in Arizona, as well as any other state in the U.S. At any given time in Arizona, there are at least 3,000 children whose parental rights have been severed who are immediately available for adoption. And that is just Arizona! There are foster children of all ages and races, as well as sibling groups and teenagers that are harder to find forever families for. You can search through a national database of foster children who are hoping and praying for forever families HERE.
You Can Foster to Adopt AZ Children But You Don’t Have To!
Many families who want to adopt foster children in Arizona think that they must become licensed foster care families before adopting a foster child. This is not true, and foster children whose parental rights have been severed can be directly adopted. The foster to adopt AZ children process can be helpful from an educational perspective, but fostering a child does not necessarily ensure that you will be able to adopt that child.
Most Cost Effective Program is to Adopt Foster Children in Arizona & Other States
If the costs of adoption are a concern, you will be pleased to know that adopting a foster child is the least expensive type of adoption in the United States. Building Arizona Families’ foster child adoption program is called the Forever Families U.S. Adoption Program. To be eligible to adopt foster children through Building Arizona Families, a family must reside in the state of Arizona. Arizona residents are eligible to adopt foster children in Arizona or any other state in the U.S. The Forever Families U.S. Adoption Program fee is only $3,500. There is an additional $1,100 cost for the home study required by the state of Arizona to certify that the home environment is a safe one. For more information about the Arizona child adoption process including children available, the adoption fee schedule, and time frames, go HERE.
Qualifications Required for the Successful Arizona Child Adoption Process
You might be surprised to know that you don’t have to be married or own your own home to adopt a foster child in Arizona. You must be 21 years of age or older, be morally fit, be physically and mentally healthy, be financially stable, and pass a background test including no court action regarding previous child abuse. Other states may vary in their individual requirements. Please download our complimentary information kit HERE.
Begin the Process to Adopt Foster Children in Arizona
The foster to adopt AZ process is different than the direct adoption of foster children. In either case, however, the State of Arizona requires families to pass a home study that certifies the home environment as a safe one. Do remember that you are not required to foster to adopt AZ foster children – it is your personal preference. The Arizona Department of Child Safety contracts with individual licensing agencies, of which Building Arizona Families is a provider. Go HERE to find out more about the home study process.
Building Arizona Families would be honored to walk with you on your adoption journey. As a non-profit, licensed Arizona adoption agency, we have been helping families with the Arizona child adoption process as well as around the country since 2004. Please contact us so that we can help your adoption dreams come true! You can reach out to Ixcel Baca, Program Manager for the Forever Families foster child adoption program at Building Arizona Families by phone at 623-696-9537 and by e-mail at [email protected]. Building Arizona Families also offers free adoption information seminars in Phoenix, as well as online. Be sure to reach out to Ixcel for seminar dates and times.