A picture drawn by a 6-year-old biological daughter of what foster care looks like for their family — happiness. (Provided)

A picture drawn by a 6-year-old biological daughter of what foster care looks like for their family — happiness. (Provided)

By Ashley McCarty

People’s Defender

Adoption can be a transformative and life-changing experience for both the child and the prospective parent.

The process of adoption begins when an agency receives a report of child abuse or neglect. If the allegation warrants the removal of the child from the home, the child is placed into foster care, kinship placement, or a residential center, such as our local Wilson Children’s Home.

“After the completion of the investigation, the case is then transferred to an ongoing worker. The ongoing worker will assist the family in the completion of case plan goals and objectives to rectify any problems to work toward reunification with the family and child. If reunification cannot be achieved, then the agency can file a motion with the court through their legal representative for permanent custody or termination of parental rights,” said Foster and Adoption Specialist Dawn Grooms with Adams County Children’s Services.

Ohio Revised Code (O.R.C) section 2151.414 outlines the rules in determining whether or not it is in the best interest of the child to permanently terminate parental rights and grant permanent custody to the agency.

“If Adams County Children Services receives permanent custody of a child, the case is then assigned to a Certified Adoption Assessor. Adams County Children Services currently has three adoption assessors within the agency. The adoption assessor handles the case and assists the prospective adoptive parents and child through the adoption finalization process, which is completed through a final court hearing. The process from first intake report to adoption finalization can take 18-24 months or longer to complete,” said Grooms.

A child must live with a prospective adoptive parent for at least six months before a final adoption decree can be issued. Most adoptions finalized through Adams County Children Services involve a child who was originally placed into a foster home. Once the agency receives permanent custody, the child can be adopted by their foster caregivers.

“In order for an individual or family to be approved for foster care or adoption, they must complete 36 hours of preservice training, criminal record checks, child abuse/neglect registry checks, sex offender searches, medical statements, fire inspection, proof of finances/expenses, a safety inspection of the home and home study/visits with the foster/adoption specialist. A family can be approved for foster care only, adoption only or simultaneously approved for foster care/adoption,” said Grooms.

Since 2016, Adams County Children’s Services has facilitated 70 adoptions.

“Adoption is important because it provides stability and permanency for children, so they do not languish in foster care indefinitely. Ideally, children would be able to safely return to their primary families; however, when that cannot be achieved, a legally secure permanent placement must be obtained and located for children in the permanent custody of Adams County Children Services. Research shows that children have the best outcomes when they grow up in a stable, safe home,” said Grooms.

Currently, there are 16 children in the agency’s permanent custody that do not have identified adoptive families. These children range in age from 10 to 17.

“It is important for these children to have a safety net to help them grow into adulthood and become productive members of society. There are over 3,000 children waiting for permanency within the State of Ohio. It is important for communities to step up and help take care of these children. So many children in our custody have been able to be placed with kinship/non-relative families that they have met through school, athletics, clubs, churches, the Wilson Children’s Home Mentoring program, etcetera. These children have suffered many degrees of trauma; from a one-time situation to years of abuse and neglect,” said Grooms.

It’s not always an easy undertaking, but children need a safe adult they can rely on, she said.

“Can you imagine your teen being on their own at 18, with little or no adult guidance? That is what many teens face when they emancipate from foster care, group homes or residential facilities. The State of Ohio has the BRIDGES program which can assist a young adult, but it’s not the same as calling up a trusted “mom or dad” for advice, emotional support, financial assistance, help moving, writing a resume, starting college and so many more ‘rites of passage’ with regard to becoming an adult. Children do best in stable, supportive families and that is why adoption is so important to me on a personal and professional level,” said Grooms.

An anonymous adoptive parent shared their personal testimony on the metamorphic and beneficial journey that adoption can be.

“When it was initially placed upon our hearts to become foster parents, we both agreed with some degree of reluctance. We had heard others lament, “I don’t know if I could ever do that” and received those cliche questions like, ‘what if it’s not the right fit?’ and ‘what if they go back to their families? I could never do that.’ All of this — and more — came from family and friends who had the best of intentions and were only looking out for us,” said the parent.

We admittedly had our own worries, they said.

“At the top of the list, we have biological children and we sought to continue providing a safe and budding social and emotional health system for them. Adding a brother or sister, especially one with the potential to one day be removed from our home and reunited with their family, had us wondering: how would that impact our current children? Despite all the uncertainties, we allowed a great deal of prayer and listening to our hearts to finally spill over into taking the leap to become foster parents,” said the parent.

The family took their classes, prepared their home, and then, they got the call.

“There was an eight-month-old child who needed a home. We sat down with our children and did our best to explain the situation to them. They were getting a brother. He may not be around forever. ‘In fact,’ we explained, ‘that’s actually the plan. But he needs us now.’ We walked our kids through the importance of our job with this child: play with him, rock him, and love him deeply as if he was our own,” said the parent.

— and we did just that, they said.

“We have learned so much from the little one who joined our life. We have learned the necessity of building resilience; we have learned just how foundational compassion is in all avenues of life. We have learned that being outnumbered by children in the household is more of an adventure than a worry. Over the course of the last few months, we have laughed deeply and also held back tears at different junctures. We are so lucky to be a part of this little one’s life — even if it is just temporary,” said the parent.

They have since taken him to therapy sessions, got the child glasses, introduced him to new foods and watched him learn to walk.

“After a few weeks of having our foster child, our 6-year-old biological daughter introduced him to her friends by saying, ‘He is my brother right now. His mom is working on getting better. But right now, he needs love — and my family has a lot of love to give. Maybe one day his mom will be better, but right now, I am happy to get to love him.’ Our hearts have never been fuller. We are so proud to be foster parents and that we have been given the opportunity to love our foster child. We are better people for it. Maybe your family also has “a lot of love to give,” or maybe your family can support these little ones who need love by casting your vote in honor of them,” said the parent.

Grooms can imagine there are many questions or worries when considering the addition of a child or children.

“We have all heard the “horror stories” of adoption, but there are many beautiful stories of adoption and permanency, as well! Children, whether birth, foster, adopted, are going to have struggles, they are going to have missteps. We have to help them grow into productive members of society. Not all adoptive children have been diagnosed with a mental illness, just like not all birth children have a mental illness, but some do. An adoptive child may not resemble you, but your birth child may not resemble you either,” said Grooms.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” with children and families, she said.

“Each child and each family are unique and there are many challenges with parenting, no matter how your children come to you. I just ask that you consider foster care and adoption and request information to see if it might be the right path for you and your family,” said Grooms.