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Connor

12 years old
Adopted

Eager and hopeful for a forever family with siblings to look up to and love..

"Sometimes being a sibling is even better than being a SUPERHERO!" Raul and Brisa are sweet, kind, tender hearted siblings who more than anything love spending time together.  They enjoy being outside riding bikes and playing sports. Brisa thinks it would be fun to be a famous singer and if she could wake up tomorrow with any superpower, she would choose to be lightning fast. If you look up and see a young man flying through the air, it's Raul, who says his superpower of choice would be the ability to fly. Raul's dream travel destination is the great state of Texas. Brisa shares in his enthusiasm and thinks jetting off to Texas would be fantastic. While Brisa's perfect day would be spent at the beach, Raul would rather dine on Chinese food with his siblings. Raul aspires to one day be a shoe designer and is proud of his attention to detail in keeping his shoes clean and his shirts neatly folded. Brisa wants to use her creativity as a hair and nail stylist. When it comes to an adoptive family, this brother-sister duo hopes to find the love of a family who is fun, active, enjoys being outside, and who will be supportive of their relationship with their older brothers.

FAQs

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.

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