Prepare for the Placement
Just how you prepare will depend on the particular special need (or combination of needs) and age of your child. If your two-year-old daughter has sleep apnea and spinal bifida, you will need portable oxygen and a sturdy stroller. You'll also need the services of physical and occupational therapists who will help her achieve mobility. Your teenager with Down syndrome will need special education classes and a way to interact with her peers. Meeting physical and mental needs will be expensive, so it is important to understand exactly what needs there are and how they must be met before you adopt.
Legislatures are finally beginning to recognize that special needs foster kids are difficult to place, mainly because of the excessively high cost of ongoing medical and psychiatric care and equipment. However, if you don't ask for financial help, nobody's going to offer it. It's a classic case of “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Financial resources are available to you, especially if you adopt your child from the foster care system, and your social worker should tell you how to apply. You may find that your child qualifies for social security and welfare payments through your state because of her situation before placement. You may also qualify for Adoption and Safe Families Act funding. This is a relatively new federal program that is administered differently by each state. If your child is legally disabled, she will also qualify for Medicaid.
If your household income is under $150,000 per year, you are entitled to a $10,390 adoption tax credit, without proving expenses for your child (unlike with other adoptions, where you can only deduct your actual expenses). Depending on your circumstances, you may want to space it out over a few years. See your tax consultant for specifics about applying.
Keeping a child in foster care is much more expensive for the government than subsidizing an adoption. In addition, adopted children are much more emotionally healthy and their ultimate outcomes are many times better than those who stay in the system. Because of this, most states will enter into an Adoption Assistance Agreement, which lays out the state funding your child will receive after the adoption. Again, don't expect anyone to tell you about it unless you ask directly. Contact
Negotiate an adoption assistance agreement with your state, regardless of whether you adopt through a private or public agency or whether you enter into a kinship adoption. Don't finalize the special needs adoption until your agreement is in place. It should:
Be in writing
State amounts and duration of the payments
Specify reporting requirements
Indicate any agreements made about respite care
Get legal advice before you sign. The stakes are too high for you to rely on your emotions alone.
Setting Up Your HouseIn some cases, you may want to remodel to allow easier access and care for your child, from adding an extra room to rearranging living areas for safety and ease of navigation. You may need to install ramps to accommodate a wheelchair, grab bars in the bathroom, and or replace a stove with front controls that may be in the reach of a seven year old with reduced mental capacity.
If you are a licensed foster home and plan to adopt or care for more than one special needs child, your state may have funds available for remodeling or even construction. Private agencies often have simpler application forms and quicker response times, so check these out, too.
