With federal participation, subsidies are an effective way to secure permanence for children who may have spent years in the foster care system. Unfortunately, state and county agencies throughout the country are faced with several disincentives that limit the use of subsidies. This document provides a historical perspective of state and federal subsidy programs, highlights discrepancies between foster care and adoptive subsidy rates, and outlines the barriers inherent in the system. More children are coming into the system under these reform efforts. Change is imminent.
Subsidies can achieve permanence for waiting special needs children.
In this section, we discuss the underlying purposes of adoption subsidy programs why they were created and what they were intended to accomplish. The section also reviews the historical underpinnings of adoption subsidies, compares 1996 foster care and subsidy rates, targets barriers to permanence, and suggests useful policy, management, and practice solutions. In the past, parents who chose to adopt without the safety net of adoption subsidies often faced tremendous financial difficulties. In many cases, special needs children require costly medication, frequent occupational or behavioral therapy, specialized schooling, etc. Without support, these families have a difficult time raising their children.