Children adopted by their foster parents may have lived with their families for a long time, but they might need help when their status changes from foster child to permanent family member. Find resources in this section to assist foster/adoptive parents guide children through this transition.
A Foster Care to Adoption Guide (PDF - 766 KB)
Together We Rise (2014)
Guides parents through the foster-to-adoption process. In this resource, step 6 provides questions for prospective adoptive parents to ask the child’s current social worker in order to help the child transition smoothly into a new home.
Helping Families Build Relationships From Foster Care to Adoption
Our Lady of the Lake University (2018)
Discusses how change can be a challenge for children transitioning from foster care into an adoptive home and provides advice on how to give the child stability, where to go for assistance, and ways to make the transition easier.
| Series Title | Factsheets for Families |
| Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Availability | View Download (PDF - 484KB) Order (Free) |
| Year Published | 2018 |
How to Explain a Move to a Child in Foster Care: Moving a Child in Foster Care to Another Foster Home or to a Foster Adopt Home
Craft (2017)
Explores how parents can help children in foster care adjust to new placements, including an adoptive home. The resource provides a step by step guide for ways to make the transition go more smoothly.
Receiving an Adoptive Placement
AdoptUSKids (2017)
Guides prospective parents through the foster care-to-adoption transition process and includes suggestions about preplacement visits and welcoming a new child.
Undertaking Planned Transitions for Children in Out-of-Home Care (PDF - 121 KB)
Browning (2015)
Adoption & Fostering, 39(1)
Describes the transition from one family to another for children in long-term out-of-home care and how parents can make the transitions go more smoothly.