Foster and Adoptive Parenting — What is the difference?

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What is the difference between foster and adoptive homes?

Foster Homes and Parents

Foster parents are for temporary care in which adults provide for the care of a child or children whose birth parent is unable to care for them. The role of foster parents is to provide a safe and stable home for the children and youth in their care. This means meeting the physical, emotional, and social needs of the foster youth or child for weeks, months, or years, but it is always a temporary arrangement. Additionally, foster parents do not have parental rights over the child. Foster parents cannot make medical decisions for a foster child. They also cannot make decisions about where the child will attend school or what religious services they should attend without the birth parents’ consent. In some states, foster children can’t even get haircuts without their birth parents’ permission. The biological parents still have parental rights, and can have visits, phone calls, and make decisions about their child in many cases while receiving parental support or other services in order to address the reasons for placing the child in foster care. The goal for a child living with foster parents is reunification with the birth family, but may be changed to adoption when this is seen as in the child’s best interest.

Adoptive Parents and Homes
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Adoptive parents also provide a safe and stable environment, meeting the needs of the child, but this placement is meant to be permanent compared to the typical foster care placement. Adoptive parents are also given full custody of the child and full parental rights, as they would their own birth child. In adoptive situations, the adoptive parents are responsible for all decision-making for their child, just as if he had been born to them.

Adoptive parents are responsible for the child’s medical care, financial obligations, and educational and spiritual development. Sometimes foster placements can turn into adoptive placements if the birth parents are deemed unfit by the court and lose all parental rights, but in most cases, foster placements are not foster-to-adopt.

Sample Supports Foster Care Program

Sample Supports is a licensed Child Placement Agency (CPA) with the state of Colorado.

Our Foster Care Program team certifies trained and skilled providers to become licensed CHRP foster homes which support children with disabilities. Our team completes a SAFE home study to certify all of our foster homes. This process includes extensive training and preparation for children with diverse needs.
Sample Supports Foster Care team helps foster parents provide stable environments for children of all ages and ability to thrive in community based settings.

Learn more about our Foster Care and CHRP Program here!

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Sample Supports
Social service agency raising the bar to provide superior and competitive community-based care options to the people most in need in our communities.