Foster Care/Adoption

General Foster Care/Adoption

In General Foster Care/Adoption, families begin as foster parents. They care for children on a temporary basis, with the goal of reunification. It is only when a child is not able to return home that adoption may take place.

About 60% of children in foster care can return to their families, while 40% of children find permanency through adoption and guardianship.

When a child first enters foster care, we typically do not know in which direction their case will take. The goal for all children placed through Children’s Wisconsin is reunification when possible. An important part of General Foster Care/Adoption is an openness to building relationships with the biological family of children in your care.

With more than 1,800 children ages 0-21 in foster care in Milwaukee County, there is a need for foster and adoptive families from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Foster and adoptive families who are open to caring for sibling groups and older children (over 4 years old) fill an especially important need for children in care.

To become licensed for General Foster Care/Adoption, you must:

  • Be at least 21 years old
  • Attend a foster parent information meeting (see below)
  • Pass a criminal background check, child protective services and caregiver check
  • Have at least two bedrooms (a child cannot share a bedroom with an adult)
  • Live in an apartment or a house and you may rent or own
  • Have a source of income
  • Pass a physical exam (any diagnosis must be under control through medication or treatment)
  • Participate in foster parent trainings during the licensing process and while fostering
  • Be willing to work with and respect the child’s birth family

The state of Wisconsin covers all costs for the licensing and adoption process in General Foster Care/Adoption.

General Foster Care/Adoption FAQs

Adoptive parents must be committed to providing a forever family for a child who cannot return to their biological family. They are expected to attend to and meet for all their child’s long-term physical, emotional and mental health needs. As an adoptive family, every effort will be made to find the child that matches your home best, but it depends largely on the children available at the time of placement.

The foster and adoptive licensing process takes approximately 90-120 days from your initial contact with a licensing worker. This time frame depends on the families’ ability to meet and provide the required paperwork.  No one may be refused a foster or adoption application, or license based on race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Training is a very important component to fostering and adopting because children in foster care have a variety of unique needs. Your licensing worker will arrange your foster/adoptive parent education schedule with you. General foster care and adoptive parents must complete three pre-license sessions prior to receiving a license. Treatment and respite foster care parents must complete nine pre-license sessions prior to receiving a license. These sessions provide prospective foster and adoptive parents the skills and knowledge essential to provide a stable and nurturing environment for children  and clarify any information you are learning through the licensing process. Once licensed, ongoing training is required and must be completed yearly in order to keep your license in good standing.

The costs associated with the adoption process are minimal and are reimbursable. The costs include a charge to receive a new birth certificate and a court-filing fee.

Adoptive parents are financially responsible for their child.  However, some children being adopted through the child welfare system are eligible for Adoption Assistance. Adoption Assistance is a federal program administered by the state that provides a monthly stipend and health insurance for children adopted from foster care until age 18.

Many adopted children maintain contact with their biological family if the adoptive family decides it is in the best interest of the child. This is discussed about with your social worker during the adoption process and is a decision you can make as a family.

Do you want to learn more about becoming a foster parent? Your journey starts here by attending a foster care meeting. All meetings are held by Teams or phone.

Current meetings:

Register by contacting Gwen Doyle at (414) 435-8895 or gdoyle@childrenswi.org

If you are unable to attend a meeting, contact Gwen Doyle for assistance.

Please note you need to attend a meeting to apply for our General Foster Care/Adoption program.

Want to learn more?
Childrenswi.org/fostering or call us at (414) 543-4376

We partner with Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to find loving, permanent homes for children. The foundation supports our work to create child-focused recruitment programs. The goal is to help kids who have been in foster care the longest get adopted.

To learn more about Wendy’s Wonderful Kids: contact Michelle Martin at MLmartin@childrenswi.org

Interested in taking the next step or learning more? Contact us!