Maryland Foster Care and Adoption Guidelines

Congratulations! You’ve made your first step toward adopting or fostering children in the United States. We are pleased that you have chosen to inquire about services.

Our goal is to help you understand the process of adoption and foster care. We are glad to assist you with getting started!

Take care and best wishes as you begin the process to explore adoption and foster care support services.

For more information

Contact: Barbara Terry
Phone: 410-767-7908
Email: bterry@dhr.state.md.us

Things You Should Know

• Foster Care and Adoption Licensing Requirements 
• Costs to Foster and Adopt 
• Agency Contact and Support Information 
• Parent Support Groups 
• Information on Maryland's Waiting Children 

Foster Care and Adoption Licensing Requirements

Prospective parents in Maryland can be single, married or part of a same sex couple. Some families have birth children, and some don’t. Maryland families don't have to be wealthy to be approved to adopt or provide foster care for a child. All that is necessary is for them to have sufficient financial resources to provide adequate care for a child and to meet the family’s financial responsibilities. Families don’t have to own a home either, they can be renters.

The minimum age to become an adoptive or foster family is 21. There is no maximum age, although many agencies prefer to keep no more than a 45-year difference between the child and the younger parent.

According to state regulations, Maryland families who want to become adoptive or foster care families must complete a minimum of 27 hours of training.

Also, please note that if you are considering a domestic adoption, you don’t have to be a U.S. citizen but you must be a legal resident in the country.

View a more detailed list of Maryland requirements.

View additional foster care and adoption information.

Costs to Foster and Adopt

There are no fees involved when adopting or fostering a child through your local Department of Social Services.

However, when working with private agencies, there may be fees. These fees may be applied based on a sliding scale according to your family income. There is no state cap on fees in Maryland, so private agencies are free to set their fees upon their discretion.

In many cases, the child’s state may reimburse families or pay directly to the agency for some or all the fees associated with the placement and finalization of adoption.

If you choose to complete your adoption using the services of an attorney, you will be responsible for paying legal fees and courts costs.

When adopting a special needs child, Maryland families are eligible for a Federal Tax Credit once their adoption has been finalized. This tax credit is intended to help families with the expenses associated with their adoption. The state of Maryland also provides families with a state Tax Credit.

Agency Contact and Orientation Information

Choosing an agency can sometimes be confusing, but is one of the most important steps of this process. You must decide whether you prefer to work with a public or private agency. The best way to decide which agency is best for you and your family is by contacting some of them directly and attending their information sessions or orientations.

There are over 23 Department of Social Services locations and 33 licensed private agencies throughout the State of Maryland. To contact the department, please visit this list of local social services locations and this list of private adoption agencies in Maryland.

Visit this department site for more foster care information.

Please keep in mind that there is no universal orientation provided by the State of Maryland. If you wish to attend an orientation meeting, you must contact the agencies that you are interested in working with and get the orientation schedules directly from them.

Parent Support Groups

Information on Maryland's Waiting Children

There are 10,867 children in foster care in Maryland; 1,954 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.