10 Questions to Ask When Adopting a Child from Foster Care

Adopting a child is an exciting and life-changing journey. Many adoptive parents first become foster parents and later adopt the child they have already fostered. Others adopt directly through the child welfare system without fostering. In either case, asking the right questions helps families prepare for adoption with clarity and confidence.

READ MORE: Do I Have to Adopt if I Foster?

Understanding the child’s life, needs, and support services helps families prepare for a successful adoption journey. Even when you already know the child, adoption brings new responsibilities, legal changes, and long-term planning. These questions help foster parents and adoptive parents better understand the child’s needs and the transition from foster care to permanent placement.

Here are 10 important questions to ask when adopting a child from foster care, for pre-adoptive parents with any (or no) experience with the foster care system.

1. What is the child’s history with biological family?

Understanding the child’s background as best you can is one of the most critical steps in the adoption process. Ask about the child’s history with their biological parents, birth parents, siblings, and extended biological family. Even if you have been fostering the child, it’s important to make sure you know the child’s family dynamics and what plan is best for them after adoption.

Will they still have contact with their biological parents, siblings, or other biological family members after adoption? This helps determine whether the adoption will be open or closed and how those relationships may continue in the child’s life.

2. What is the child’s long-term case plan?

Every child in foster care has a case plan created by the child welfare agency, case manager, and social workers. This plan explains the child’s needs, goals, and path toward reunification or adoption.

Ask if parental rights have been terminated and whether adoption is the best plan. The goal of foster care is reunification with the child’s biological parents or another family member. Adoption is the next step when neither is possible.

Understanding the case plan helps foster parents and pre-adoptive parents know where the child is in the adoption process, what decisions are still pending, and what timelines may look like. Knowing whether adoption is likely, possible, or still uncertain is necessary when making long-term family decisions.

3. What medical, mental health, or behavioral needs should we expect?

Children who have lived in the foster care system are often moved between different homes or placements as the system works to find safe, stable settings for them. These repeated changes (along with being separated from their parents and sometimes from siblings) can cause feelings of loss, confusion, and difficulty forming trust.

READ MORE: Understanding PTSD and the Effects of Growing Up in Foster Care

This history is important to consider when you are ready to adopt because it can affect a child’s behavior, attachments, and emotional needs as they adjust to a permanent home. Adoptive parents should be prepared to support the child’s emotional well-being, including any mental health or behavioral issues, while helping them build stability and trust in their adoptive family.

READ MORE: Understanding Reactive Attachment Disorder in Foster Youth

Ask about medical history, diagnoses, medications, and therapy recommendations. It is also important to understand how past experiences in out-of-home care may affect behavior at home, school, or in social settings.

4. What adoption assistance or services are available after foster care?

Many families adopting from foster care qualify for adoption assistance through the state agency. Adoption assistance is meant to help adoptive parents continue meeting a child’s needs after foster care ends and the adoption is finalized.

This assistance may include monthly financial support, medical coverage, or help paying for therapy and other ongoing care. The type and amount of assistance depend on the child’s needs and the adoption plan created while the child was in the foster care system.

READ MORE: Types of Resources Available to Foster Parents

Ask what assistance is available, how long it will last, and which expenses it can help cover. This support can be especially important when adopting children with medical needs, mental health concerns, or educational challenges, and helps families plan long-term and avoid unexpected costs.

5. How will adoption change the child’s daily life?

Adoption brings permanence, but it can also change parts of a child’s daily routine. Ask how adoption may affect school, daycare, transportation, schedules, and expectations at home. Even positive changes can feel overwhelming for a child coming from foster care.

This question is especially important for older children or children who have experienced multiple placements, as consistency can make the transition to adoption feel more stable and less stressful.

6. Do they have siblings?

Many children in the foster care system have siblings who are also in foster care or living with other family members. Ask whether the child has siblings in other homes, and what contact with them currently looks like. If the child has a healthy relationship with their siblings, you may want to work with their siblings’ caretakers to arrange visits to maintain their family bond.

When possible, adopting siblings together can be one of the healthiest outcomes for children in foster care. Staying together helps siblings maintain stability, emotional support, and a shared sense of family during a time of major change.

READ MORE: What Happens When Foster Care Separates Siblings

Sibling relationships can be very important to a child’s sense of comfort and identity. Even if siblings are not placed together, maintaining contact may help the child feel less alone and more connected to their past.

7. What does the home study process involve for adoption?

Even if you are already foster parents, adoption usually requires an updated adoption home study process. This process confirms that the home is safe and appropriate for permanent placement.

READ MORE: Home Safety Checklist for Future Foster Families

Ask what updates they will require, how long the process typically takes, and what steps are involved, such as interviews or home visits.

8. How should we talk to the child about adoption?

Talking to a child about adoption should be honest, calm, and age-appropriate. Children in foster care often understand more than adults expect, especially if they have been in out-of-home care or have experienced multiple placements.

Ask the child’s social worker or case manager how much the child already knows about their adoption plan. Use clear language and avoid making promises before adoption is finalized. It’s okay to say, “We hope to adopt you,” rather than speaking in absolutes too early.

Give the child space to ask questions and share feelings. Some children may feel excited, while others may feel scared, confused, or loyal to their biological parents. All of these reactions are normal.

Let the child know adoption does not erase their past. They can still talk about their biological family, siblings, and life before foster care. Reassure them that adoption is about adding permanence and safety—not taking away who they are.

Ongoing conversations help build trust and help the child feel secure as they move toward adoption from foster care.

9. What support is available after adoption is finalized?

Adoption does not mean support ends. Ask what post-adoption services are available, including counseling, respite care, and support groups.

Many families need continued guidance after adoption, especially during major life changes or transitions.

Ongoing services help strengthen the adoptive family and support long-term success.

The child’s welfare team can also explain how adoption will change what services and support continue after adoption.

READ MORE: Types of Resources Available to Foster Parents

Understanding the child’s case plan helps foster and adoptive parents make informed decisions, set realistic expectations, and ensure the child continues to receive the support they need throughout their journey.

10. How can I continue to support their identity?

Supporting a child’s identity is an important part of adoption from foster care. A child’s identity includes their culture, background, family history, name, memories, interests, and personal experiences before adoption.

Children adopted from foster care may worry that adoption means their past no longer matters. Adoptive parents can help by honoring the child’s story and allowing space to talk about biological family, siblings, and life before foster care when the child wants to.

One helpful tool is a lifebook. Lifebooks help children understand their personal history in a way that is age-appropriate and meaningful. They may include photos, timelines, memories, drawings, and important milestones from the child’s life before and after adoption. Lifebooks give children a safe way to explore their story and ask questions over time.

READ MORE: Creative Lifebook Ideas

As the child grows, their understanding of adoption and identity may change. Be open to ongoing conversations and questions. Supporting identity is not a one-time step—it is a long-term commitment that helps children feel secure, respected, and confident in who they are.

Adoption is not about replacing a child’s identity. It is about expanding their sense of belonging while honoring where they came from.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask More Questions!

By working closely with social workers, understanding the adoption process, and planning for long-term support, families can provide foster youth with the permanence they deserve. Adoption from foster care changes a child’s life—and with preparation, it strengthens families for years to come.