Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS

800.394.3366 | Email: info@childwelfare.gov | https://www.childwelfare.gov

WHAT’S INSIDE

Issues adoptive families 

often encounter

Changing needs for 

support at different 

ages and developmental 

stages

Importance of having 

a range of services to 

support adoptions

Types of services

Finding services

Paying for services

Conclusion

FACTSHEET 

FOR FAMILIES

June 2018

Accessing Adoption Support 

and Preservation Services

Provided both before and after adoption, adoption 

support and preservation services can help you 

and your family with a wide range of issues. These 

services are available for everything from learning 

how to explain adoption to your preschooler, to 

helping address the needs of a child who has 

experienced early childhood abuse and trauma, to 

supporting your adopted teen’s search for identity. 

All family members can benefit from some type of 

support. This factsheet outlines the types of services 

available, their benefits, and ways to find services in 

your area.
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This publication is available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-postadoption/.

Various Terms for Support 

Services

Across the country, a variety of terms are used 

to refer to services and forms of support for 

adoptive families and adopted people. You may 

hear agencies use terms such as “postadoption 

services,” “adoption support and preservation 

services,” “postplacement services,” and “family 

support.” 

For this publication, we primarily use the term 

“adoption support and preservation services” 

as a way to align with common terminology and 

to emphasize the purpose of the services. We 

also include some references to “postadoption 

services,” given its continued use by some 

agencies. Depending on where you live and the 

specific agencies you work with, you may hear 

services referred to by other terms. For additional 

information on terms, see Information Gateway’s 

Glossary at https://www.childwelfare.gov/

glossary/. 

Issues Adoptive Families Often 

Encounter

For many years, postadoption services were commonly 

viewed as services that were provided after the legal 

finalization of the adoption—and in some cases only 

for short periods of time. However, adoptive families 

and adoption professionals recognize that a full range 

of support is necessary to ensure well-being, long-term 

stability, and true permanency for children who have been 

adopted and their families. 

Adoption affects people who have been adopted and 

their families in many ways over the course of their 

lifetime. Several issues—such as loss and identity 

development—affect all adoptive families, while other 

experiences may depend on the child’s and family’s 

background and the type of adoption. The following are 

some issues for which adoptive families typically identify 

needs and seek support and services.

Loss and grief. All children and youth who have been 

adopted, even those adopted as infants, experience some 

level of separation and loss from their family of origin. 

They may grieve as they come to realize the role that 

adoption has played in their lives. They also may struggle 

with feelings of abandonment as they try to understand 

why they were placed for adoption and how that affects 

who they are and the person they hope to become. 

These feelings may appear and reappear at different 

stages of life, even when their adoption and family life is 

a positive experience. Children and youth who have been 

adopted may need support working through conflicting 

feelings, mourning their losses, and understanding 

their experiences in developmentally appropriate ways. 

Adoptive parents may experience loss and grief issues 

of their own, which may relate to infertility or grief over 

having the reality of adoption and parenting not match 

expectations. For some adoptive parents, these issues 

may cause strains in their marriages or partnerships. For 

others, it may lead to depression. 

Trust and attachment. Any child or youth separated 

from their birth parents has experienced a break in 

attachment. Adoption requires the development of new 

attachments and bonds. Children who have experienced 

abuse, neglect, foster care, or institutionalization may 

have difficulty trusting and attaching to their new family. 

These children and youth may need help building healthy 

relationships. They may also need help understanding 

that they can build new relationships without having 

to end their existing relationships and attachments. 

Developing new relationships doesn’t mean they are 

replacing other important people and relationships in 

their lives. 
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Identity formation. The process of identity development 

can be more complex for children and teenagers who 

have been adopted, regardless of when they were 

adopted. This process may be further complicated if 

the child’s race or birth culture differs from that of the 

adoptive family. Teens, in particular, may experience 

identity confusion as they confront the primary questions 

of adolescence and consider how they are similar to or 

different from their adoptive parents and birth parents. 

Teens may struggle with questions such as, “Who am I?”, 

“How am I different from my parents?”, or “Which of their 

values will I take as my own?”

Birth family connections. At some point in their 

lives, many people who have been adopted want 

information about their birth family or to reconnect with 

birth relatives. Social networking sites and apps (e.g., 

Facebook, Snapchat) connect people in new, more 

immediate ways. While these tools can help accelerate 

a birth relative search, this faster pace of contact can 

sometimes be emotionally overwhelming to participants 

if they are not prepared. Think about how to set safe and 

appropriate boundaries for social media use—for you, 

your child, and other family members—to minimize the 

potential privacy and safety risks. For more information, 

see Information Gateway’s resources on social 

media safety at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

management/workforce/tools/socialmedia/safety/.

Challenges due to early experiences. Children who 

have been abused, neglected, placed in foster care, 

institutionalized, or exposed prenatally to drugs and 

alcohol may have ongoing emotional, developmental, 

physical, or behavioral difficulties. You may see some of 

these difficulties reflected in the following ways:

 Effects of early childhood trauma. Research shows 

that early traumatic experiences, such as abuse or 

neglect, can affect a child’s early brain development, 

which can have consequences for how a child behaves, 

expresses emotions, forms relationships, and copes 

with stress. The effects of trauma on development 

vary from child to child and may not appear until years 

later or may increase a child’s mental health needs. 

See https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/impact/

development/brain/ for more information.

 Health issues and developmental delays. Children 

who have been neglected or have spent more than a 

few months in an institutional setting may have missed 

out on important developmental activities due to a 

lack of stimulation and proper nutrition. They may have 

difficulties with eating, sleeping, speech, and forming 

healthy attachments. Additionally, children may also 

have developmental delays, disabilities, and other 

medical needs due to other health conditions (e.g., 

Down syndrome, spina bifida, etc.). As a parent, you 

may also face challenges meeting your child’s needs 

related to a specific health-care issue or incomplete 

medical records/information. You may find it helpful 

to seek an assessment by an adoption-knowledgeable 

physician and may need ongoing health services 

to support children or youth with developmental 

delays and/or health-related needs. See Information 

Gateway’s tip sheet Parenting Your Child With 

Developmental Delays and Disabilities at https://www.

childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/parenting_dev_ts.pdf for 

more information.

 School issues. Some children and youth who 

have been adopted experience learning delays or 

behavioral problems that affect how they do in school. 

If you see your child struggling in school, you can work 

with your child’s teacher or other school personnel 

to provide specific support to your child. You have 

the right to request that your child be evaluated for 

a disability and their eligibility for special education 

services (see http://www.parentcenterhub.org/

evaluation/). If your child has a learning disability and 

is eligible for special education, school staff must work 

with parents to develop an Individualized Education 

Program, which identifies services that will be provided 

to help the child meet educational goals (see http://

www.parentcenterhub.org/iep/). For more information 

on adoption and school, see https://www.childwelfare.

gov/topics/adoption/adopt-parenting/school/.
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Sexual orientation and gender identity and 

expression. Like all children and youth, those who are 

adopted will go through normal developmental stages of 

identifying their sexual orientation and gender identity 

and expression (SOGIE). You may have expectations or 

assumptions about your child’s SOGIE (e.g., making an 

assumption about your child being heterosexual) that 

may not be accurate. Youth who have been adopted 

may have also experienced bullying, harassment, and 

discrimination before being adopted—and may still face 

such challenges—due to their actual or perceived SOGIE. 

You may need additional support in order to create an 

emotionally healthy, safe environment so your child can 

thrive without judgment. You may also need additional 

support and education being your child’s advocate and 

assisting them with dealing with adverse experiences 

within the family, school, and community.

Other issues. Different types of adoptions may raise 

additional issues and service needs. For example:

Open adoption. Many families are participating in

a range of openness in adoption in which a birth parent 

or other birth relative(s) continues to have some contact 

with the adoptive family after the adoption. Adoptive 

families, birth families, and children or youth who have 

been adopted may need agency support

in building relationships among family members,

navigating appropriate roles, and setting boundaries.

(For more information, visit https://www.

childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/preplacement/

adoption-openness/.)



 Adoption from foster care. All children adopted from

foster care have experienced some level of trauma.

Families adopting children and youth from foster care

need information on parenting a child who has been

abused or neglected and helping them heal from these

past traumatic experiences; the needs of children

at different developmental stages; or, if they were foster 

parents, on making the transition from foster to

adoptive families. (See Information Gateway’s Helping

Your Foster Child Transition to Your Adopted Child

at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-transition/.) In

many cases, adopting a child from foster care means

that your child remembers his or her birth family, so 

there may be additional dynamics for adoptive parents 

to navigate, including talking with your child about 

their memories of their birth family and helping them 

understand that it’s okay to love and feel connected to 

both families. In addition, relatives and kin who adopt 

their relative children may need support around their 

changing relationships and family roles. (Find out more 

at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/

kinship/.) 

 Transracial/transcultural adoption. Many families

adopt children from racial or cultural backgrounds

that differ from their own. Given the importance of

promoting their child’s heritage and supporting and

embracing their child’s racial or cultural identity,

parents may seek related educational resources or

learning opportunities. They also may need assistance

building skills to cope with public scrutiny or racism.

This may include speaking with neighbors or coworkers

or visiting houses of worship that share your child’s

racial or cultural background. (For more information,

visit https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adopt-parenting/foster/transracial/.)

 Intercountry adoption. For families that adopt

children from another country, there are potential

implications from changes in U.S. policy and practices

related to citizenship and documentation of their

children’s legal status. For example, families may need

assistance ensuring that they have their children’s U.S.

citizenship status established and they have all of the

documentation needed to ensure it won’t be at risk.

In addition, adoptive families may face questions or

assumptions about their child that make the child

or family feel marginalized or judged. See more

information from the U.S. Department of State about

adopting children from another country at https://

travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en.html.
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Related Resources on the Impact 

of Adoption

Information Gateway has a specialized website 

section with information and resources on the 

lifelong impact of adoption and common issues 

people experience after an adoption, available 

at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adopt-people/impact.

Changing Needs for Support at 

Different Ages and Developmental 

Stages

Most of the time, children and youth who have been 

adopted are not thinking about adoption and its 

complexities. Like other children and youth, they are busy 

with schoolwork, sports, and social events. But there are 

developmental stages as well as milestones and events that 

can trigger emotional or behavioral responses or prompt 

new questions and thoughts related to being adopted. As 

you think about your child’s development, it’s important 

to keep in mind that experiences of trauma, abuse, and 

neglect can affect how and when children reach various 

developmental stages.

Developmental stages. Children and youth understand 

and feel differently about their adoption at different points 

in their life. For example, children adopted as infants may 

first learn about their adoption story as toddlers or young 

children. When entering school, a child may become 

aware that most children were not adopted and may be 

challenged to respond to questions and comments from 

peers. During adolescence, as youth go through the normal 

process of exploring identity issues and independence, 

they may have new questions about their birth families and 

their relationships and they may begin searching for birth 

family members. Additionally, as people who are adopted 

become parents or become old enough to consider 

parenting, they may experience desires to reconnect with 

birth relatives or know more about their genetic history. 

Consequently, people who are adopted have questions, 

concerns, and needs that often change over time.

Milestones and events. In addition to developmental 

stages, multiple milestones and events, such as the ones 

below, can trigger adoption issues and tap into powerful 

emotions:

 Birthdays of the adopted child, siblings, parents, or 

birth parents

 Anniversaries of placement into foster care, an 

orphanage, or the adoptive family; or the date of 

adoption finalization

 Holidays and ceremonies (especially Mother’s Day and 

Father’s Day, but any holiday or event that involves 

family gatherings and sentiment)

 School projects in which a child is asked to talk about 

his or her family, such as “family tree” assignments, 

the history behind their name, or identifying inherited 

family traits

 A doctor’s visit in which an adopted person is asked to 

supply medical history information

 Adopted mother’s pregnancy, birth of a child, or 

adoption of a sibling, which may upset the adopted 

child’s sense of security in a family

 Divorce

 Accessing your child’s original birth certificate or your 

child hearing news about changes in laws regarding 

being able to access original birth certificates (e.g., 

when there is media coverage of policy debates about 

whether or not to allow adopted people to access their 

birth certificates)

 Contact with a birth relative, whether unexpected or 

planned

 Deployment of a military family member

 Death of a family member or pet
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During these times, you should watch for signs indicating 

that your child—or you—needs special support. Signs 

might include changes in mood, eating habits, or sleeping 

habits. Parents can prepare children and youth by 

discussing the possibility that these triggers may cause a 

reaction. Let your children know that you understand what 

is happening and will be there to help, including getting 

additional support if needed (see the section below on 

therapy and counseling services). For more information 

about how to meet your child’s needs at various ages and 

developmental stages, see our tip sheets Parenting Your 

Adopted Preschooler (http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/

factsheets/preschool/), Parenting Your Adopted SchoolAge Child (http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/

parent-school-age/), and Parenting Your Adopted 

Teenager (http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/

parent-teenager/).

Adoption and Customary 

Adoption of Native American 

Children

For Native American/Alaska Native children being 

adopted—whether through adoption involving 

a termination of parental rights or through 

customary adoption—it is important to help 

children maintain connections to their culture, 

especially for children adopted by non-Native 

parents. In many cases, adoptions involving 

Native American/Alaska Native children will have 

the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) apply, 

which includes multiple requirements for tribal 

approval of the adoption. For more information 

about tribal child welfare practice and ICWA, see 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/

cultural/adoption/american-indian-families/.

Importance of Having a Range of 

Services to Support Adoptions

Children in adoptive families do better when their families 

are fully prepared and supported to address needs or 

issues as they arise, rather than waiting for challenges to 

reach a crisis level. Preadoption services and support, 

such as family and child preparation both on adoption 

in general and on child- and family-specific information, 

can help promote the long-term stability of an adoption. 

The following two key concepts for families are important 

to keep in mind: 1) Preadoption services are important 

for supporting the stability of an adoption, and 2) 

postadoption services can include both preventative 

services (e.g., preventing instability, disruption, or 

dissolution1

) as well as intensive services that help with 

maintaining the stability of an adoption. Families who 

are preparing to adopt or who have adopted may find it 

helpful to find out about what supports and services are 

available at various points in the process to help promote 

your family’s long-term stability and well-being.2

Types of Services

The wide range of issues that can be addressed with 

adoption support and preservation services means the 

services themselves must be diverse. The following 

are the most common types of adoption support and 

preservation services, including those that families often 

identify as most helpful.

1 Adoption disruption is when an adoption ends before finalization. Adoption 

dissolution is when the legal relationship between the adoptive parents and 

the adopted child is severed after finalization. For more information, see 

Information Gateway’s web page Adoption Disruption and Dissolution at 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/s-disrup/. 2 For more in-depth information about a framework on a full range of 

adoption support services, see the National Quality Improvement Center 

for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation’s Permanency 

Continuum Framework at https://qic-ag.org/continuum-framework.
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Preparation and Background Information

It’s crucial for you and your family to understand, to the 

best of your ability, your child’s history and background, 

including accessing educational and medical records 

and information about their experiences before being 

adopted. Obtaining this important knowledge will help 

you be better prepared to understand and meet your 

child’s specific needs. To learn more, see Information 

Gateway’s publication Obtaining Background Information 

About Your Prospective Adopted Child at http://www.

childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-background/.

For families who adopt through intercountry adoption, 

accessing detailed background information may be 

particularly challenging. You can still learn about trends 

and patterns often seen in children adopted from the 

same country or similar situations. Parents can also 

connect with services that provide information about 

their child’s needs and earlier life experiences even in 

the absence of detailed medical and social histories. For 

example, there are several clinics around the country that 

have expertise in medical and developmental issues in 

children adopted from other countries and can conduct 

assessments to help adoptive families be more aware of 

their children’s developmental progress. You can search 

online to find international adoption clinics in your area.

Support groups. Support groups can offer both adoptive 

parents and youth valuable opportunities to interact 

and share with others who have had similar experiences. 

Groups provide members with support systems, social 

interaction, and information resources. Groups may 

restrict their focus to families or children who share 

certain characteristics (such as children adopted from a 

specific country or parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, 

transgender, or questioning), or they may include all 

adoptive families in their programming.

 Adoptive parent support groups. Often organized 

by adoptive parent volunteers, support groups bring 

together experienced and new adoptive parents to 

share experiences in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. 

Parent groups offer a variety of services—discussion 

groups, social activities, family events, workshops, 

newsletters, websites, community referrals, and 

more. Groups exist throughout the country and vary 

extensively, from small community playgroups for 

parents of toddlers to large regional groups.

 Children and youth support groups. For many 

adopted children and youth, a peer support group 

is their first chance to interact with other children 

and youth who were adopted and to see that their 

experiences and feelings related to adoption are 

normal. Groups provide a safe environment where 

children and youth can talk about their birth and 

adoptive families and share their fears and concerns. 

Some groups pair older adopted youth as mentors for 

younger children.

 Online support groups. Available 24 hours a day and 

bridging geographical distances, Internet support 

groups, blogs, and Facebook pages or private groups 

have become a popular way for adoptive families to 

access support and information from people who 

understand their journey and experiences. Other 

forms of technology (e.g., text messaging, video 

conferencing) are increasingly being used to help 

connect adoptive parents or youth who have been 

adopted. As with any Internet activity, you should 

take precautions to protect safety and privacy for you 

and your family members. Many of these groups are 

private or closed groups and have an administrator 

who manages the membership and moderates 

discussion to help ensure the group remains safe and 

that information shared within the group is appropriate 

and kept confidential (when needed). For additional 

information about using Facebook groups to provide 

support to adoptive families, see www.nacac.org/

resource/support-adoptive-families-facebook-groups/. 
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Resources to Find Services and Additional Information

National Foster Care & Adoption Directory (Check 

Foster Care & Adoption Support Groups) 

http://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad

North American Council on Adoptable Children 

(NACAC), Database of Parent Groups 

http://www.nacac.org/parentgroups/database.html

FosterClub

https://www.fosterclub.com/

Foster Care Alumni of America 

https://fostercarealumni.org/

Information Gateway, List of state youth advocacy/

advisory boards and foster care alumni associations 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/

organizations/?CWIGFunctionsaction=rols:main.

dspList&rolType=Custom&RS_ID=160

AdoptUSKids, Respite Care and Adoption Support 

Groups

https://www.adoptuskids.org/adoptionand-foster-care/parenting-support/

for-adoptive-parents

NACAC, Developing a Parent-to-Parent Support 

Network

https://www.nacac.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/

parent-2-parent-network.pdf

Camps, social events, and heritage activities. 

Overnight camps or retreats are a way for members of 

adoptive families to connect not only with others like 

themselves but also with their own family members. 

Such events, which may take place over a weekend or a 

full week, often combine adoption and ethnic heritage 

support with traditional camping activities. Attendees 

frequently form powerful friendships with other adopted 

children and youth, and they provide each other with 

support all year long. Other adoptive family activities may 

include picnics, group outings, recreational activities, and 

celebrations of cultural events, as well as heritage tours of 

home countries.

Resources to Find Services and Additional Information

Rainbow Kids, Adoption Calendar 

http://www.rainbowkids.com/Events.aspx

PACT

http://www.pactadopt.org/app/servlet/HomePage

Therapy/counseling. As mentioned above, members of 

adoptive families may need professional assistance as 

concerns or problems arise. Needs will differ from family 

to family and may include the following: 

 Guidance on children’s attachment, trust, emotional, or 

behavioral issues 

 Assistance in working through the impact of adoption 

on the family and strains in marriages or partnerships 

and other relationships 

 Support in working through feelings when the reality of 

adoption does not match expectations

 Healing from traumatic experiences of abuse and 

neglect

 Permanency support that addresses parent-child 

conflicts
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Counseling and therapeutic services can help a child or 

youth learn to address multiple challenges. They can also 

help you understand your child’s behavior, especially as 

it relates to early trauma, and identify strategies to meet 

your child’s needs and allow healing to occur. Timely 

intervention by a skilled professional often can prevent 

concerns from becoming more serious problems. The 

type and duration of therapy will vary. Some families need 

a therapist’s help only for a short period; others build a 

relationship over years, accessing help as needed. There 

are many different types of treatment approaches and 

professionals offering therapy. It is particularly important 

to work with a therapist familiar with the unique issues 

and dynamics of adoption (often referred to as “adoptioncompetent” professionals) and involves parents in the 

process. 

Resources to Find Services and Additional Information

Center for Adoption Support and Education 

Directory of Adoption-Competent Professionals 

http://adoptionsupport.org/member-types/

adoption-competent-professionals/

Information about finding an adoption-competent 

therapist 

http://adoptionsupport.org/

adoption-competency-initiatives/

American Psychological Association (APA) 

Psychologist Locator

http://locator.apa.org/

Information Gateway 

Choosing Therapy for Adopted Children and Youth 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adopt-parenting/services/therapy/

Selecting and Working With A Therapist Skilled in 

Adoption

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-therapist/

Respite care. All parents need some time for themselves. 

This may be especially true for parents of children who 

require high levels of attention. Children and youth 

who have experienced trauma or who have attachment 

challenges may also find it helpful to get brief time 

away from their parents. Respite care offers families a 

temporary break by a carefully selected and trained 

provider. It is meant for families with children who require 

more skilled care than babysitters can provide, foster 

parents whose program requires a licensed provider, 

or families going through a crisis of their own. Respite 

care may be provided in your home or another selected 

site. To find out more about respite services available in 

your area, search online or ask your caseworker or other 

adoptive families nearby.

Resources to Find Services and Additional Information

ARCH, National Respite Locator 

http://archrespite.org/respitelocator

Information Gateway 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adopt-parenting/services/respite/

Information resources. Service providers may offer, or 

provide referrals to, useful information and resources that 

respond to adoptive family members’ questions and help 

them understand their child’s needs and the ways that 

adoption may affect the family over many years. Adoptive 

parents need to be equipped with relevant ongoing 

training, information, and development of knowledge 

and skills so they continue to have the capacity to meet 

their children’s requirements across their children’s 

developmental stages. It’s normal for adoptive parents to 

encounter new situations or topics you want to learn about 

as you and your children face new experiences. You may 

find it helpful to explore a variety of resources, including 

books, magazine, websites, workshops, conferences, and 

other sources of information. Accessing these various 

sources of information can help you both get reference 

information when you need it (e.g., using a reliable website) 

and learn from others who have experience with adoption 

(e.g., connecting with other adoptive parents at trainings 

and conferences). 
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Resources to Find Services and Additional Information

Information Gateway 

Conference Calendar (Select Adoption under Step 3) 

http://www.childwelfare.gov/calendar/

Parenting After Adoption 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

adopt-parenting/

Parenting Your Adopted Preschooler 

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/

preschool/

Parenting Your Adopted School-Age Child 

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/parentschool-age/

Parenting Your Adopted Teenager

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/

parent-teenager/

Adoptive Families 

http://www.adoptivefamilies.com

The Center for Adoption Support and Education, 

Education and Resources 

http://adoptionsupport.org/education-resources/

Openness, search, and reunion. State agencies and 

other organizations may help adoptive parents, birth 

parents, and people who have been adopted negotiate 

postadoption contact agreements or access information 

and adoption records, in accordance with state laws. 

(See https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/

laws-policies/statutes/cooperative/ and https://www.

childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/

statutes/infoaccessap/.) Some will provide additional 

services to arrange and prepare for reunions and mediate 

the relationships that may form. They also can answer 

questions and help children and youth who have been 

adopted, adoptive family members, and birth family 

members deal with the powerful emotions related to 

search and reunion. 

Resources to Find Services and Additional Information

Information Gateway 

National Foster Care & Adoption Directory Search 

(Check Birth Family and Adoptee Search Support 

Groups)

http://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad

Search & Reunion 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

search/

Searching for Birth Relatives 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-search/

Openness in Adoption 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/

preplacement/adoption-openness/

Financial assistance and waivers for youth. For some 

youth adopted from foster care, there may be financial 

assistance, waived fees, or other cost savings available 

for higher-education opportunities. Youth who were 

in foster care on or after their 13th birthday can file as 

independent and don’t have to include their adoptive 

parents’ income on their Free Application for Federal 

Student Aid (FAFSA). For additional information, see 

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/infographic-accessible

and https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/adoptpeople/assistance/. Additionally, some states offer college 

tuition reductions or waivers for youth who had been in 

foster care (see https://www.nacac.org/resource/collegeexpenses-adopted-child-foster-care/ for state-specific 

information).
Accessing Adoption Support and Preservation Services https://www.childwelfare.gov

11

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway. 

This publication is available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-postadoption/.

Additional Services

Many other kinds of adoption support and preservation 

services are available to your family. The table below 

provides information on where to find more information 

about accessing those services.

Service Resources to Find Services and 

Additional Information

General 

information 

and referrals

Information Gateway

Adoption Assistance by State (Question 7) 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

adoption/adopt-assistance/?CWIGFu

nctionsaction=adoptionByState:main.

getAnswersByQuestion&questionID=7

Finding Services for an Adopted Child 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

adoption/adopt-parenting/services

Financial 

assistance

Information Gateway

Adoption Assistance by State Database 

(Questions 1–6 and 12) 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

adoption/adopt-assistance/

Financial Assistance for Families 

(Adoption Assistance or Subsidies) 

http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/

postplacement/finassistance.cfm

Adoption Assistance for Children Adopted 

From Foster Care 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/f_

subsid.pdf

Medical 

assistance

Adoption Assistance by State Database 

(Questions 8, 9, and 13) 

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

adoption/adopt-assistance/

Health-care 

support 

Information Gateway, Health Services 

Locators

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

systemwide/service-array/health/locators/

Developmental and Physical Disabilities 

Resources

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/

adoption/adopt-parenting/services/

disability/

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 

Healthy Children 

http://www.healthychildren.org

Finding Services

Details about support services in a particular area are 

available from local, state, tribal, and national information 

resources. In general, to find information about adoption 

support and preservation services, you can do the 

following:

 Contact your state’s postadoption services contact. 

This is a staff member of the department of human 

services31and an expert on adoption support and 

preservation services and programs in a particular 

state or territory. Each state’s postadoption services 

contact, as well as the state’s adoption manager, is 

listed in the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory 

at http://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad/. (Search by 

selecting a state and checking State Postadoption 

Services Contact as the search category.) To find the 

appropriate contact within a tribe, search online for the 

tribe’s social services or human services department.

 Call the adoption service provider that arranged your 

child’s adoption and ask for referrals. You can also 

call other public and private adoption agencies in 

your area and ask to receive information on adoption 

support and preservation events and services. While 

some services may be restricted to families who 

adopted through the agency, many will be open to all 

adoptive families.

 Contact parent support groups for information about 

their events and local organizations that provide 

services.

 Find out if your employer offers workplace support 

groups, online networks, or referral services for 

adoptive parents.

 Search online for national and regional adoption 

support and preservation services databases and 

provider listings. 

 Ask family doctors, other adoptive families, or parent 

support groups for recommendations. Other adoptive 

families can be a great source of information both on 

service providers and how to access and make good 

use of those services, based on their own experiences.

3 The agency also may be known as the department of social services, 

department of children and family services, or other, depending on the state 

or tribe.
Accessing Adoption Support and Preservation Services https://www.childwelfare.gov

12

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway. 

This publication is available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-postadoption/.

Paying for Services

Some adoption support and preservation services are 

free of charge, while others require some payment. 

However, depending on the type of adoption and the 

needs of your child, there may be assistance available 

for some adoptive families to help cover the costs (e.g., 

reimbursement or costs being covered by your adoption 

assistance payments).

Federal and state adoption assistance for children 

adopted from a public agency. Many children adopted 

from public agencies qualify for adoption assistance 

(subsidies), which can often be used to pay for adoption 

support and preservation services. An adoption 

assistance agreement should clearly describe the types 

of adoption support and preservation services (e.g., 

respite care, counseling) that will be reimbursed. State 

assistance may cover expenses not covered by federal 

programs, particularly medical assistance (Medicaid); 

direct payments to meet a child’s special physical, mental, 

or emotional needs; and emergency assistance. Eligibility 

requirements vary by state. For more information, visit 

www.childwelfare.gov/topics/adoption/adopt-assistance/

and www.nacac.org/help/adoption-assistance/.

Adoption Tax Credits

Adoptive families may be able to claim an 

adoption tax credit for their federal—and possibly 

state—taxes. The federal adoption tax credit 

allows families to claim up to $13,460 (as of 2017), 

with adjustments based on income. For more 

details on the adoption tax credit, see www.irs.

gov/taxtopics/tc607.html and www.nacac.org/

help/adoption-tax-credit/.

Health-care and mental health-care benefits. Families 

with an adoption assistance agreement may be able to 

access Medicaid to cover certain health and mental health 

needs. In addition, some health insurance companies 

and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) may offer 

benefits that can be used for health or mental health 

services. Adoptive parents can check on the specific 

coverage with their insurance provider. Families must 

choose to use either Medicaid or their private health 

insurance but not both. For more information, see 

information on medical assistance at www.childwelfare.

gov/topics/adoption/adopt-assistance/.

Employer-supported benefits. Some companies may 

provide employer benefits, such as information resources 

or referrals and financial reimbursement for adoptionrelated activities. For more information, see Planning for 

Adoption: Knowing the Costs and Resources at https://

www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/s-cost/.

Conference, seminar, and educational event fees. 

Scholarships are sometimes available to help with the 

cost of attending adoption conferences and seminars, 

particularly for families who adopted through public 

agencies. To find out about available support, check 

with the conference organizers about scholarship 

opportunities or contact their state Postadoption 

Services Contact. For contact information, search the 

National Foster Care & Adoption Directory, http://www.

childwelfare.gov/nfcad, and check State Foster Care and 

Adoption Officials.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Administration for Children and Families 

Administration on Children, Youth and Families 

Children’s Bureau

Accessing Adoption Support and Preservation Services https://www.childwelfare.gov

Conclusion

Adoption is a lifelong experience for a child and a family. 

It is normal to face challenges; some challenges may 

even appear long after the adoption has been finalized. 

Adoption support and preservation services are a 

valuable way to get guidance and needed support and 

also to find others who understand, and perhaps share, 

your experiences. These services bring positive results by 

helping address issues common to adoptive families and 

by promoting healthy family relationships.

Suggested Citation:

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2018). Accessing 

Adoption Support and Preservation Services. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Children’s Bureau.