Michigan Foster Care and Adoption Guidelines

Contact Information

• MARE (Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange)
  Phone: 800-589-MARE (800-589-6273)
  Email: MARE@judsoncenter.org
  Address: P.O. Box 980789, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Things You Should Know

• Foster and Adoption Licensing Requirements
• Costs to Foster and Adopt
• Agency Contact and Orientation Information
• Parent Support Groups
• Information on Michigan's Waiting Children
• Upcoming Events

Foster and Adoption Licensing Requirements

Here is a brief explanation of the different ways families and individuals help bring love and stability to the lives of children.

• Foster care is meant to be temporary; adoption is meant to be permanent.
• Because foster care is considered to be a temporary placement, it is not a good idea to become a foster parent with the expectation that you will always be able to adopt a child placed in your care. A foster parent is expected to work with the agency and birth parents in the hopes that the family will be reunited.
• If parental rights are terminated, though, relatives and then foster parents will be considered first as adoptive homes for the child.
• Here is more information about fostering.
• There are children whose parental rights have already been terminated, and these children need adoptive families.
• Once your licensing process is complete, you may start inquiring about children in whom your family is interested. Your adoption worker will share information about your family – including your family assessment – with the child’s worker. Usually, workers gather information on multiple families at the same time to find a family that best meets the needs of the child. Once the family has been chosen, the child’s worker will share more in-depth, detailed information with the family’s adoption worker. Usually called a child assessment, this report contains information such as how the child came into foster care, how long the child has been in care, how many placements the child has lived in, and any diagnoses the child may have. It is then up to the family to decide if they want to proceed with an adoptive placement.
• Here is more information about adoption.

Who can Foster or Adopt?

• You do not have to be married to foster or adopt a child or children. Many children will thrive in a single parent home.
• You do not need to own your own home. A rented home or apartment is fine, as long as there is adequate bedroom space per child. The home must be free from health and fire hazards and must have a safe play area for children.
• You do not need to be rich to adopt or be a foster parent. Even if you receive some type of financial assistance, you are still eligible to provide foster care or adopt as long as you have resources to provide for your family.

Anyone applying to foster or adopt must meet the following qualifications:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be of good moral character
• Be willing to provide care for children who are in foster care
• Understand the care which must be provided to the children, or express a willingness to learn how to provide that care
• Have enough time to provide care and supervision for the children
• Have a specific source of income, and be capable of managing that income, to meet the needs of the family
• Be of such physical, mental, and emotional health to be able to properly care for the children
• Be able to assure the proper care and safety of children
• Be willing to comply with the licensing rules

If you have a spouse or live-in-partner, they will also be required to participate in the homestudy process as well as attend the P.R.I.D.E. (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) training series with you.

For more information, the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange website offers a list of frequently asked questions.

Costs to Foster and Adopt

When working with a local Deparmtent of Human Services office to adopt a child from the Michigan foster care system, the family is not charged for the home assessment process.

Some private agencies will require a home assessment fee. However, once the family adopts a child from the foster care system in Michigan, the family must be reimbursed that fee by the agency for a Michigan child. If the family adopts a child from another state’s foster care system, that family may be reimbursed through that State’s nonrecurring adoption expenses. Also, if a child in foster care is also eligible for subsidy, then the adoptive family may be eligible for reimbursement of limited nonrecurring adoption-related costs.

Families and individuals can adopt a child who is waiting in foster care from any state in the U.S.

Agency Contact and Orientation Information

Due to changes at the state level, Michigan Department of Human Services offices no longer provide adoption services. Therefore, you will need to identify a private agency that can provide the adoption services you require.

Search these links to find a local DHS office or private agency.

To obtain orientation information, please contact the agency nearest to you or go to the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange (M.A.R.E.) for a list of trainings delivered by agencies across the State of Michigan.

Parent Support Groups

M.A.R.E. is a huge resource link for the State of Michigan. It is a vital resource, and it has a comprehensive calendar of support group meetings, conferences, and training opportunities.

• Spaulding for Children’s support group meets the second Monday of each month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Parents Helping Parents hosts a lunchtime support group meeting. Meetings are held at 1 p.m. at the Farmhouse Restaurant which is located in Lapeer on Lapeer Road. Please contact Kim Hall at 810-664-4743 or via email kimguy@intouchmi.com for more information.

Information on Children

There are 20,498 children in foster care in Michigan; 7,061 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.

Upcoming Events

Please consult M.A.R.E. for a comprehensive calendar of support group meetings, conferences, and training opportunities.

For more information, please contact Gloria Mitchell at 248-443-0300, Ext. 241.