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While there are plenty of resources for couples who are looking to adopt an infant, however Colorado Springs families interested in a foster child adoption need very different information.  Because there are usually more complex issues involved with the family of a child in foster care, adopting a foster child can be more complicated and less secure than an adopting a baby.  If you are considering adoption from Colorado’s foster care system, a Colorado Springs family lawyer can help ensure your rights and the rights of your child are protected.

Be Prepared for a Rigorous Process

Once you make a decision to adopt, prepare yourself for a rigorous and lengthy process that can be frustrating and even discouraging.  You will need to participate in a visitation, supervision and home-study process and complete all the necessary paperwork. Plus Colorado Springs residents must have the child’s case worker recommend you as the child’s adoptive parent.

Before bringing a foster child into your Colorado Springs home, parents need to show the caseworker a plan for how they will adapt their lives around the needs of the child.  A foster child adoption will not become permanent until you have first completed a period of supervision and home study. Once this is complete, the final legal adoption usually takes another 9 to 12 months.

Foster Child Adoption Resources

Working with a qualified Colorado Springs family lawyer is crucial during this period.   There are also many state-wide agencies that can be of assistance in locating a foster child.  When inquiring with these agencies about adoption, be sure to clearly state that you are interested in an adoption from the foster care system.

Here are some valuable resources in Colorado:

Child Welfare Gateway
The Child Welfare Information Gateway provides comprehensive information on domestic and inter-country adoption. 

Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families (COCAF)
The COCAF is a non-profit organization providing information and resources to Colorado Pre- and Post-adoptive and kinship families.  They serve as an advocate for families at all phases of the foster-adopt/adoption/kinship process.

Colorado Association of Family and Children's Agency (CAFCA)
CAFCA is a broad-based group of non-for-profit organizations uniting together to develop the best care possible for Colorado's children and their families.

You can also search the yellow pages or look online for private adoption agencies that work with adoptions from the foster care system. Generally, private agencies complete homestudies faster than government agencies, but they charge a fee for the service, and government-funded agencies will not.  Once you have made a connection with an agency, a Colorado Springs family lawyer can help you through the process.

Patricia Marrison is a Family Law attorney in Colorado Springs, CO. and the owner of the Marrison Family Law LLC, Colorado Springs largest Family Law practice.  The Marrison Family Law LLC is devoted to assisting with the difficulties of the breakup of relationships, be it common law marriage, a non-marriage with children, or dissolution with or without children. We attempt to serve the entire spectrum of relationships, from those couples with the simplest, uncontested dissolution to the highly conflicted relationship involving allegations of domestic abuse.