How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Newborn Baby? - Weekend Wisdom

Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

10/08/23

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What factors do you need to consider when budgeting for the cost to adopt a baby?
Additional Resources:

What type of adoption would be the best fit for you?
Cost of working with an agency vs. working with an attorney.
Adoption Tax Credit

This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

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Please leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamily

Support the show

Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Previous Episode

Advocating For Your Child with Prenatal Substance Exposure

October 4, 2023

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47m

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Do you suspect or know that your child was prenatally exposed to alcohol or drugs? Join us to learn the best ways to advocate for that child, including how to get diagnosed. Our guest is Jenn Wisdahl, the Chief Operating Officer of FASD United and proud parent to 3 young adults with FASD. Jenn leads the FASD United federal legislative and policy agenda.
In this episode, we cover:

Why is it important to get a diagnosis of one of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) or prenatal drug exposure for your child?
- In the US, FASD is not a diagnosis but rather an umbrella term that encompasses a range of life-long diagnosable medical and mental health conditions that can occur when there is prenatal alcohol exposure, even prior to recognition of pregnancy.
  - Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE)
  - Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)
  - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
  - Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS)
  - Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
Increase in alcohol use during the pandemic.
Why is it so hard for parents to get a diagnosis of FASD for their child?
What should parents do to get a diagnosis?
What is the average age of diagnosis of FAS or FASD?
How does getting a diagnosis or prenatal drug exposure differ from getting a FASD diagnosis?
Another opportunity for parents to advocate for their child is in the school system. What are some of the typical issues a child with prenatal substance exposure to alcohol and drugs may face in school?
What are some of the ways a parent can advocate for their child in the education system?
Another way parents can advocate for their child is through the Registry of Unmet Needs and Innovation waivers.
FASD Respect Act. (Go to FASD United’s website and click on the policy center to get started.)

Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Please leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamily

Support the show

Weekly podcasts
Weekly articles/blog posts
Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Next Episode

Foster Care Adoption Subsidies

October 11, 2023

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48m

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Are you hoping to adopt from foster care. Don't miss this discussion of adoption subsidies with Josh Kroll, Project Coordinator for the Adoption Subsidy Resource Center at Families Rising (formerly known as the North American Council on Adoptable Children).
In this episode, we cover:

What are adoption subsidies?
What other names are used for “adoption subsidies”? Adoption Agreements, Adoption Assistance, AAP, monthly stipend. Is there a difference between these?
Who is eligible for foster care adoption subsidies?
Are private adoptions eligible for adoption subsidies? What if the private adoption is of a child with special needs?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Is there an income limit for receiving an adoption subsidy?
How is the dollar amount of the subsidy determined, and by whom?
Can kinship providers receive foster care adoption subsidies?
What other things can be included in an adoption subsidy agreement other than a monetary monthly stipend?
Does the money have to be spent directly and solely on the foster child, or can it be used to benefit the whole family or the foster child only tangentially—such as adding a bedroom so that kids don’t have to share or a family vacation?
What about situations where the child is either too young to be displaying needs or is not displaying needs, but the parents have reason to believe that the child will have needs as they age? How can they negotiate for future needs?
How to handle adoption subsidies when you are adopting an infant with prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs?
What other type of things might be included in adoption assistance? College tuition assistance/grant/tuition waiver?
How is residential treatment covered?
What if you face a difficult negotiation?
How can people get information about what particular states usually grant for adoption subsidies? https://nacac.org/help/adoption-assistance/
How are adoption assistance/adoption subsidies handled if I’m adopting a foster child from another state?
What should adoptive parents do if they believe that the adoption subsidy that is being offered is not enough?