Get started by registering for the next Adoption Orientation at Eckerd Connects. Contact Jenny Kassay @ Jenny@HeartGalleryTampa.org for more information. At Orientation, you’ll learn about foster care, adoption, requirements for prospective parents, and about the children waiting for a place to call home.
Following Adoption Orientation, sign up for the next Professional Parenting class. This 8-week training will give you a better understanding of grief, loss, trauma, and parenting children in foster care.
Next, you will be assigned an Adoption Family Recruiter who will conduct your home study. This will include background screenings, references, and an in-depth assessment of your family and home to ensure you are prepared and ready to adopt.
Learn about children that are available for adoption by visiting our Available Kids page, attend Adoption Recruitment Events to meet the children, and work with your Adoption Family Recruiter to best match your strengths to the needs of a child or sibling group. Once matched, visitation will begin. When everyone is comfortable, the child will move into your home and must live with you for a minimum of 90 days prior to finalizing with the courts.
Finalization! Your child will legally become a part of your family when you finalize in a court of law, complete with a new birth certificate listing you as the parent. Adoption finalization is a legal process that marks the beginning of a lifetime commitment.
If a child in foster care is in the Heart Gallery, reunification with their biological family was not possible so an adoptive family is needed. Most Heart Gallery children are at least 9 years old, part of a sibling group, and/or have special needs. All children in foster care have experienced abuse, abandonment, and/or neglect; therefore, need support to heal from the trauma they have experienced.
All children are different, with a variety of unique strengths and needs so all types of families are needed. In Florida, you must be at least 21 to adopt a child from foster care. There are no restrictions based on age, race, marital status, or sexual orientation. You may live in a home or apartment that you own or rent. Adoptive parents must have a stable income sufficient to support their family.
In Florida, there is no cost to adopt a child from foster care. In fact, families who adopt may qualify for a monthly adoption subsidy. Health care for children adopted from foster care is covered by Medicaid until age 18. They also receive free tuition at any Florida state college, university, or vocational school.
Federal tax credits and exemptions may also be available. Visit the IRS website to learn more.
Prospective adoptive parents must complete Adoption Orientation, a 36-hour Professional Parenting course, have an approved home study, and approved background screenings. Most importantly, you must be willing to make a lifelong commitment to a child in need.
Yes. One of the benefits of adopting from Florida is having access to a comprehensive case history. You will be given information on the child’s background, medical history, and personality. This information helps you determine if your family is the right fit for the child.
This can vary greatly depending on the situation. However, as a general rule, it usually takes about 12 months from the time a family begins training to the time when a child is placed with the family.
Yes! Your approved home study should be accepted by any child welfare agency. Each circumstance will be assessed to determine if it is appropriate for a child to move out of state. Keep in mind these adoptions can be more complex and take longer, depending on the case.
Adoptions appear to be more stable when parents have flexible and realistic expectations for their children and when they use post-adoption supports to help with challenges.
