Adopting From Foster Care

Toni’s journey began when she recognized the tremendous need for loving, stable homes for children in her community. Motivated to make a difference, she became a licensed DC foster parent. While the licensing process prepared her for the technical aspects of foster parenting, Toni sought practical guidance from people with firsthand experience navigating the foster care system.

That search led her to the Foster and Adoptive Parent Advocacy Center (FAPAC), where she found exactly what she needed. Through trainings, support groups, and networking opportunities, Toni connected with a community of foster and adoptive parents who provided encouragement, advice, and real-life insight.

“Talking with other foster parents gave me the knowledge and understanding that better prepared me for my first placement,” Toni recalls.

Very soon afterward, twin infants – a boy and a girl – were placed in her care. Like all children entering foster care, the twins’ initial permanency goal was reunification with their birth family. Foster care is intended to provide a safe and stable home for children while parents receive services and support to address the circumstances that led to the child’s removal. Whenever possible, child welfare agencies work toward safely reunifying children with their families.

However, when reunification is not possible, or no longer in the child’s best interest, the court may determine that adoption is the most appropriate permanency option. In those cases, children will become legally available for adoption, allowing them to achieve the stability, permanence, and lifelong family connections every child deserves.

For Toni, what began as a temporary foster care placement eventually became a forever family through adoption.

Today, approximately 550 children are in foster care in the District of Columbia. While the majority will reunify with relatives or birth parents, some children will ultimately become available for adoption when a permanent family cannot be achieved through reunification or kinship care. Each year, between 30 and 60 children are adopted from DC foster care, creating life-changing opportunities for both children and adoptive families.

“Without the knowledge, guidance, and care FAPAC provided, I would have given up because I thought I didn’t have what it takes. And knowing that the child welfare agency continues to support me is a blessing.” Toni says.

“Being a single mom to now pre-teen twins is a lot of work, but it is also incredibly rewarding. That’s why I’m passionate about helping other parents adopt through foster care.”

Her personal journey from foster parent to adoptive mother gives her a unique perspective that inspires and encourages prospective foster and adoptive parents throughout the District.

If you are interested in adopting from foster care, the first step is becoming a licensed DC foster parent. Your journey may begin with providing temporary care, but as Toni’s story demonstrates, it could also lead to creating a forever family.