What Are My Options

Foster Care

If you think foster care is a good interim plan, we can assist you in locating social services to arrange that. Please be aware, however, that once you place your child in foster care, you will no longer be the sole decision-maker for him or her.

Social services and a local judge will not only be involved in planning for your child’s future, but will also be responsible for ensuring that your child’s daily needs are met.

It is important to remember that foster care is just a temporary arrangement for a child, who, for some reason, cannot live with his or her birth family. Depending on available resources, a child in foster care may have to move one or many times to different foster homes and/or congregate care residences. If your child remains in foster care for over a year, local social services may file with the court to legally terminate your rights as a parent. Once that happens, social services will serve as the child’s legal custodian and decide if and who will adopt the child depending on what kinship/foster parent resources are available.

After a judge determines that a child is freed to be adopted, that child will continue to live in foster care until adopted. Often, the child will be adopted by his/her foster parent. If the child is not adopted, then s/he will remain in foster care until his/her 18th birthday or possibly until his/her 21st birthday if s/he decides to do so. To hear the story of one child’s foster care experience, read the story about Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter.

For more information on Foster Care, you can contact the New York State Office of Children & Family Services at 1-800-345-KIDS or read more at Foster Care - New York State Office of Children & Family Services . The New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children also provides guidance for those who are considering foster parenting , as well as state, regional and national statistics and research on adoption and foster care.