Foster Care and Adoption

It’s amazing what a life-changing moment it is for you and a child when you choose to open your heart to a child in need of a temporary home!  There are approximately 2300 children in foster care in Clark County, from toddlers to teenagers.  Most of the children simply need a place to reside temporarily before they are returned to their biological family.  For those children who can’t return to their biological family, adoption provides these children with a permanent family to call their own.  Foster and adoptive parents are a valuable resource for children, their biological families and the entire community.

What is foster care?

Foster parenting is about believing and investing in the future of a child and their biological family. Our foster/adoption program offers a variety of services to assist current and potential foster parents to care for children. Children in foster care need strong and supportive caretakers who are willing to work with their biological families to reunify them.

Designed to provide temporary care for children who are unable to reside with their biological families, foster care provides education and training to individuals and/or families interested in becoming foster parents.  The process begins with an orientation to the foster care system.  Next is a pre-screening of prospective foster parent or parent’s background and fingerprints.  Approved families then go through 30 hours of training, obtain a home study and are then licensed to provide foster care.

How does the adoption process differ from the foster care program?

Adoption is a procedure by which people legally assume the role of parents for a child who is not their biological child. Being a foster parent may lead to providing a permanent home through adoption for a child. Adopted children become full members of the adoptive household, commonly referred to as Forever Families. All potential adoptive resource parents must meet the same licensing requirements that are set by the State of Nevada for foster parents. There are some additional requirements for an adoption to finalize. Being an adoptive parent means making a lifetime commitment to a child, while providing a positive resolution to a challenging situation that benefits everyone involved.

Due to pre-scheduled orientation classes, the upcoming holidays and a highly anticipated move to a new location, we are not offering foster parent orientations or training classes until early 2010.  But, we are always available to answer your questions as you consider becoming a foster parent. Please feel free to call us at 702.455.0181 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. And keep in mind; it’s not necessary to make a decision about what’s right for you before starting the foster care process.

Fast Facts

Who Can Foster or Adopt a Child?

• Married couples
• Non-married couples, but only one parent may adopt a child
• Single females
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender individuals and couples (only one parent may adopt, per Nevada State law)
• Individuals 21 years of age and older:
  A ten-year age difference between the child and the adopting parent is required for adoption.
• Individuals with disabilities

Adoptive and Foster Care Unit’s Needs:

• Those able to foster/adopt teenagers
• Those able to foster/adopt sibling groups
• Those able to foster/adopt infants/toddlers
• Those able to foster/adopt newborns
• Those able to foster/adopt drug and alcohol exposed infants
• Those able to foster/adopt children with special health care needs and developmental needs
• Those able to foster teen moms and their children
• Those able to provide short term care for other foster families as respite providers
• Those able to accept immediate placements 24 hours a day

Minimum Licensing Requirements which include, but are not limited to the following:

• Completed Department of Family Services foster care and adoption program application
• Approved background check
• Approved fingerprinting
• Complete 30 training hours
• Telephone
• Transportation
• Housing (can be a rental)
• Financial stability (we do not run credit checks)
• Home and car Insurance
• Lifestyle free from drug/alcohol or law enforcement difficulties
• TB Testing
• CPR Training if you have a swimming pool
• First Aid Training
• Five (5) satisfactory references
• A home inspection
• Note: Additional documentation is required for an adoption approval