Due to misconceptions, many people, including birth mothers considering adoption for their baby, do not fully understand the process. Because of this, you may be wondering, “If I give my baby up for adoption, will it go to foster care?”

The answer is always no. 

The most important thing you need to know about private infant adoption is that you’ll never have to live in fear of your child going into foster care.

• Working with an infant adoption agency means that you’ll be able to pick your child’s future family, no matter how far along in your pregnancy you are.
• If you decide to place your child through an infant adoption agency, you will have a trusted adoption specialist to help you find the perfect adoptive family that will raise your child for the rest of their life.
• There are plenty of families for you to choose from, so you’ll be certain to find the one that is the perfect fit for you and your child.

This guide helps explain how children placed for adoption never go into foster care and how choosing adoption for your baby provides them a lifetime of opportunity and peace of mind knowing your child is being cared for in a loving home. Anytime you have questions about the adoption process, if children placed for adoption go to foster care, or anything related, you can fill out this form to get more information from an adoption specialist.

For now, keep reading to learn more about how as long as you follow your adoption plan to its completion, you never have to wonder, “When you put a baby up for adoption, does it go into foster care?”

The Differences Between Private Adoption and Foster Care

Maybe it is false information on the internet, maybe it is just assumptions. For whatever reason, we are commonly asked questions like:

• “If I give my baby up for adoption, do they go to foster care?”
• “I’ve heard that putting a baby up for adoption means it ends up in foster care. Is that true?”
• “If I don’t have an adoptive family lined up, can my baby go to foster care?

While foster care and private agency adoption have the same overarching goal — placing a child with a loving family — there are some key differences.

When you choose to place your child through an infant adoption agency, you are in charge of the process from the very beginning. Many prospective birth mothers worry about what happens if they’re not able to find a family or that nobody will want to adopt their baby — leading them to think that it’s possible that their child will end up in foster care.

We want to reassure you that this will not be the case if you work with an infant adoption agency. You will be in charge of making a voluntary adoption plan from the very beginning. You will choose the adoptive family for your baby, and you will place your baby directly with the adoptive family when you are ready.

Foster care works a bit differently from private infant adoption. Usually, children that are placed into foster care come from homes with neglect and abuse. Children that are in state care tend to be older and part of a sibling group as well. So, when a child is placed into foster care, it’s involuntary.

While biological parents or their closest family relatives can go through the reunification process to be with the child again, they won’t be able to decide who the child is placed with in the meantime, unlike in an infant adoption placement.

Many birth parents choose adoption because it provides clarity on their child’s future. With foster care having so many unknowns, birth parents appreciate the peace of mind and involvement of finding the adoptive family for their baby.

If I Don’t Have an Adoptive Family Lined up, Can My Baby go to Foster Care?

Many prospective birth mothers are not only worried about their child going to foster care but also that they won’t be able to find an adoptive family. They might also be wondering, “If you give a kid up for adoption will they be in foster care if they don’t get adopted?”

Finding an adoptive family is the most important part of an adoption process but also the most exciting. Many birth parents fear they won’t find an adoptive family for their baby or that their child will go to foster care if they do not find a family fast enough. This is simply not the case.

No matter what stage you’re at in your pregnancy, or even if you have already given birth, not being able to find an adoptive family right away never means that your child will go to foster care. You can take as much time as you need to find an adoptive family, and your adoption specialist will work closely with you to find the adoptive parents that are perfect for your baby, no matter how long it takes.

Every baby put up for adoption is placed with a family, you never have to worry about not finding adoptive parents, nor that your baby will be put into foster care.

Can the State Make You Give Up Children for Adoption?

In some situations, birth parents worry the state will step in and decide what is best for their children. If you already have children in foster care and are worried that the state will take custody of your baby when he or she is born, contact a private adoption agency right away.

Although they cannot force you to choose adoption, you may be able to take control of your situation and help your child avoid foster care by making a private adoption plan for him or her on your own. Know that when you are working with a private infant adoption agency, placing your child up for adoption will only ever be your decision, and no one can or should pressure you into making this choice.

Adoption can is a life-changing decision. Gain peace of mind knowing that if you choose adoption for your baby, you never have to worry they will be put into the foster care system

If you have serious concerns about, “Will My baby go to foster care?” when they are born or if you’re wondering how private adoption works, fill out this online form to get more information from an adoption specialist. They will be more than happy to educate you on the process, answers your questions, or even begin your adoption journey today!