Exploding the Myths of Foster Care Adoption

There are many myths surrounding adopting from foster care. It is hard to do? Do the kids have all sorts of problems? How much does it cost? Host Dawn Davenport, Executive Director of Creating a Family, the national infertility & adoption education and support nonprofit, interviews Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. For more than 30 years, she has worked on behalf of abused, neglected and vulnerable children, providing leadership for local, state and national efforts.

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How can we tell if we are up to parenting children who have been abused and neglected, and will their behaviors be so challenging that we will regret our decision?
The myth that all kids from the foster system will be affected by RAD.
What type of post-adoption education and support is available for parents once the adoption is finalized?
Are there state laws that limit the time the children have in foster care?
If you want to adopt should you become a foster parent first. Will becoming a foster parent increase or decrease your odds of adopting a child from foster care?
Is it important to maintain birth order when adopting from foster care? Is adopting out of birth order allowed? Is there a difference between the US and Canada in allowing adopting out of birth order?
Can you reasonably foster and maintain a career? I have heard there are so many appointments and visits that you need to be available days to drive the kid(s) around.
Can singles adopt from foster care?
Can the LGBTQ community adopt from foster care?
Can older parents adopt from foster care? How old is too old?
How do you deal with the poor customer service that often happens in foster care adoptions, where case workers do not respond to requests for information on specific waiting children?
Is it possible to adopt an infant from foster care?
How easy is it to adopt from foster care in another state? What is the process? Is seems to be easier in theory than in practice.
Are foster kids over-diagnosed? Is over-medication a problem for kids in foster care?
How common are open adoptions in foster care? How important is maintaining contact with birth parents, siblings, grandparents? Who gets to make the decision on whether to have contact?
Why are some kids considered “unadoptable”?