Programs & Services

Adoption Services

No child should have to live with the uncertainty of not knowing where they really belong; foster care was never intended to be a long-term solution to the danger and deprivation children in the foster care system have endured. While Pathway Family Services operates as a high quality therapeutic foster care environment, we also are licensed as a California adoption agency, so that once it’s determined a child’s biological parents aren’t going to regain custody of their child, resource families are able to secure their foster child’s permanent future through adoption. Working in tandem with the child’s county social worker, Pathway completes the required adoption home study at no cost to the family who is adopting. The process is very similar to the assessment completed when a family becomes certified to provide foster care, and meets all of the state and federal home study requirements for a family to be able to adopt.

Pathway to Adoption

Do you have a caring and compassionate heart? If so, there is a child waiting to hear you say “I Love You and would like for you to be a part of my Family Forever.” Pathway is looking for loving families who are willing to embrace neglected and abandoned children by providing them with HELP, HOPE and HEALING. Pathway Family Services is a state licensed, private non-profit adoption agency. We are committed to assisting caring and loving families who want to provide permanent, enduring and loving homes for children who need them.

Why Adoption?

Currently, there are about 122,000 foster children in the USA who need to be chosen as a member of a forever family. Each year in the state of California about 14,000 children are adopted by foster families. Adoption provides the greatest amount of legal permanency for a child. The child has a sense of belonging and a chance to develop permanent emotional attachments to a family. The child knows that he or she will always be a part of your family and have someplace to call home forever…. a family they can return to during college breaks…. parents to be at their wedding…. people their children can call grandparents…. family relationships that will last a lifetime.

Requirements

To become an adoptive parent through foster care there are a few basic requirements that you need to meet:

  • You must be a mature adult and at least 21 years of age.
  • You must be able to demonstrate financial stability.
  • Attend Pathway’s Foster Care/Adoption orientation Training – sessions for a total of 12 hours.
  • Complete Necessary paperwork.
  • All adults living at your residence must complete a Criminal Records Clearance.
  • All adults must complete a health screening and TB test.
  • Allow a home inspection to be completed by a Pathway representative. A bedroom must be available for no more than two children to share.
  • Have a Home Study (Permanency Assessment) completed. (Participate in 3 separate interviews with professionally trained Pathway team members.) During one interview each family member will be interviewed individually. A written report will be prepared to provide to the County Adoption Department.
  • You will be matched with foster child(ren) who have been identified as compatible with your family. Note: It is important to know that the placing county always has the final approval/disapproval of an adoptive home.

Application Process

How Do I Become A Fost/Adopt Parent?

The first step is to contact Pathway Family Services at (877) 550-KIDS or send an e-mail requesting information to adoptions@pfsffa.org. You will be sent information about the agency as well as a schedule of upcoming orientations and classes. In addition, someone within our Adoption Program will be available to meet with you and provide an overview of the adoption process, covering the different types of adoption available and answering any questions you may have. Next, you will be asked to attend an orientation. The orientation will cover such topics as the foster care system, ways to build a family, the children in the system, requirements for and benefits of becoming a foster and adoptive parent. There are 12 hours of training offered. Contact your nearest Pathway office for dates and times in your area. Additionally, you will have to be certified in First Aid and CPR, which is offered through the agency, obtain a criminal record clearance and meet all foster care requirements. Once all of the documentation is received a Home Study and Home Inspection will follow.

Ongoing Support

Does financial support terminate after an adoption is finalized? In a fost/adopt situation, the adoptive family is entitled to Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) financial support once adoptive placement papers are signed. This is a monthly benefit that continues until the child is 18 years old. The monthly AAP rate may be as much as what the county foster care rate would be should the child have remained in the foster care system.

What other Family Support options are available?

All children are entitled to Medi-Cal benefits until the age of 18. In addition if the child qualifies, professional services from California Regional Center Services, California Children’s Services and Individualized Educational Program and Special Education Services may be available. Federal income tax (IRS) credit for adoption of special needs children. U.S. Department of Labor states the following: “the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement” qualifies for Family Medical Leave Act. In addition, there may be a federal income tax deduction provided upon finalization of your adoption.

Are there Post Adoption Services?

Adoption is a life-long process. At any stage of development issues may arise that you need to help your child work through. The placing county adoptions department will help provide assistance.

"To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect... You just have to CARE."

Mandy Hale

  • In 2011 we began the process of writing our adoption services Program Statement-
  • We finished the Adoption Program licensing process on May 1, 2014
  • We have completed more than 300 adoptions in the last 6 years.

You can make a difference.

Sponsor a Child. Change a Life. Contact Pathway about becoming a Resource Parent or Adoption

Skip to content