South Carolina Foster Care Adoption

There are an estimated 3,700 children in South Carolina foster care. Although most of these children will be reunited with biological family, some will become eligible for adoption from foster care if reunification with their biological family is no longer an option in their situation.

Most of the children who become eligible for South Carolina foster care adoptions are older children, part of a sibling group that must be adopted together, or have additional needs.

While American Adoptions specializes in the adoption of newborns and is unable to provide South Carolina foster care adoption services, adopting a child from foster care is a great way for many families to grow. The following information will help you learn more about foster care adoption in South Carolina and whether or not it’s the right family-building method for you.

How You Can Be a Foster Parent in SC

There are three ways you can become involved with foster care in South Carolina:

1. Foster Parenting

Becoming a foster parent in South Carolina means that you provide temporary care for children while they’re waiting for permanent placement — either with their biological family or with their adoptive family.

2. Foster to Adopt in South Carolina

If you’re licensed as a foster parent but you’re considering the option to adopt a child from foster care, you can foster to adopt in South Carolina. When you foster to adopt, you have the option to adopt a foster child if they become eligible for adoption. Although most S.C. foster children don’t become eligible for adoption, their foster parents will be considered as a permanent placement option if their biological family is unable to care for them.

3. Adopting from Foster Care in South Carolina

If you want to add to your family through the SC foster care system, it’s not always necessary to become a foster parent first. You can apply to adopt from foster care in South Carolina and be matched with children in foster care who are already eligible and awaiting foster care adoption in South Carolina.

South Carolina Foster Care Subsidies

Adoption assistance via state-funded adoption subsidy may be available for families who foster-to-adopt or adopt through foster care in South Carolina. The amount of foster care adoption subsidy that you may be eligible to receive will vary depending on the individual needs of the child(ren) you foster or adopt.

Who Can Foster to Adopt or Adopt through Foster Care in South Carolina?

The minimum age to foster or adopt a child from foster care in South Carolina is 21 years old. You must also be screened through a home study.

All foster parent applicants must meet the individual requirements their foster care professional sets for their prospective foster and adoptive parents. Contact your South Carolina foster care agency to learn more about how to become a foster parent according to their requirements.

Who Can Be Adopted from Foster Care in South Carolina?

In order to become eligible for a South Carolina foster care adoption, a child’s biological parents’ legal parental rights must first be terminated. This termination of parental rights can be done voluntarily by the biological parents themselves, or it can occur involuntarily by the court if the parent(s) are unable to meet the custody requirements established by the court.

A child in South Carolina foster care “ages out” when they turn 18, but they may still be adopted through an adult adoption by foster parents who have cared for them and wish to include them as permanent and legal members of their family.