Adoptive parents become the legal parents to a child, providing a forever family. Both foster and adoptive parenting are vitally important and change the world—one child at a time.

Adoption is the legal process of becoming the parent to a child.  It includes all the rights and responsibilities of being a parent and includes the duty to protect the child and the responsibility to provide the child with food, shelter, education and health care, including the authority to consent to surgery or other extraordinary medical care in an emergency.

Our adoption services connect children who have suffered abuse and neglect with loving forever families. Adoption transfers all parental rights to adoptive parents, making the adopted child a legal member of the new family. Ask yourself if you feel called to open your heart and home to a local child or group of siblings.

Kids Central is charged with providing adoption services for all five counties in Circuit 5 and contracts with its case management agencies to also provide adoption services. Kids Central recruits, trains and licenses adoptive homes whom are interested in adopting children from the child welfare system. Kids Central, Lutheran Family Services, and Youth and Family Alternatives are responsible for case management services to children available for adoption.

Kids Central continues to provide oversight and final approval for all the Adoption Subsidy files, Separation of Sibling Staffings, Post-Placement Staffings, and the Adoption Applicant Review Committee Meetings.

Post Adoption Support

The goal of Adoption Parent Support is to let you know You Are Not Alone.

Post-Adoption Coordination Services

Post-Adoption Coordination services are available to all adoptive parents until their adopted child turns 18 years old.

Support: The Post Adoption Coordinator will complete an assessment with the parent addressing concerns involving an adopted child to provide the most appropriate referrals for services.  The Post Adoption Coordinator provides an unobjective ear by listening to the parent concerns and frustrations regarding a child’s behaviors, lack of service providers or quality of care from a provider and the child welfare system. The Post Adoption Coordinator provides positive feedback and alternatives to address any issues with the child. The Coordinator explains to parents the process in obtaining services or additional funds for their services not covered by Medicaid but are a part of their treatment or service plan. The Post Adoption Coordinator will attend juvenile court to support families if needed. An initial assessment can include home visits, and crisis intervention with the child and/or parents.

Follow up: The Post Adoption Coordinator follows up on the status of pending services, family situations if unstable, pending admissions into SIPP placements ensuring all documents are completed, STGH (Statewide Therapeutic Group Homes) or Traditional residential placements; The coordinator informs parents of appointments, meetings/staffing, etc.  The Post Adoption Coordinator follows through with the information needed to request additional funds for activities recommended by service providers such as summer camp, after-school activities, specialized therapy, and a request to increase subsidy.  Transportation is normally provided and covered through the child’s Medicaid insurance provider if they need to be transported to a facility.

Case Management: The Post Adoption Coordinator gathers information for residential placements, links parties involved with child/family with services, participates or collaborates in treatment plan meetings (Florida and out-of-state in-patient programs), staffing, local review team (Lock outs-DCF), etc. and follows through with recommendations or tasks appointed. The coordinator works to provide family preservation and stabilization, post adoption services may include assisting families with funding for temporary living arrangements, respite care, multiple home visits to address critical concerns to provide immediate services that can include referrals to counseling.

Referrals: Referrals are provided to mental health service providers, Family Services Planning Team for statewide inpatient programs, traditional residential placements, parenting, mentors, play therapy, and specialized services such as autism.  Referrals are made to residential programs when a parent requests the adoptive child come back into care or when behavioral issues exist. The coordinator provides follow up with referrals to facilities, advocate for placement, and provides feedback to parents. Referrals are also made to our in-house Point of Contact to complete an assessment tool for Human Trafficking.  Parents can also be referred to in-house counsel as needed for legal advisement. 

For more information or to RSVP to support group, please contact PostAdoptions@KidsCentralinc.org