Indiana increases money for families to support foster care children post-adoption

Adopters and guardians of children from Indiana’s foster care system will soon receive more money to help with expenses, the Indiana Department of Child Services announced Wednesday in a news release.

Beginning July 1, families will be entitled to the same amount of financial support that went toward their child’s care when they were in the foster system, according to the release.

Currently, families receive financial support equal to at least 50% of the amount the child received in foster care, and they may negotiate for more based on individual circumstance. DCS said the increase to 100% support means for help for families and reduces the need for negotiations that can delay permanency for children.

“We often hear from families who are interested in adoption or guardianship, but they worry they might not be able to afford the additional costs that are necessary to meet a child’s needs,” Indiana DCS Director Eric Miller said. “By making assistance more readily available, we are creating more opportunities for Hoosier children to find their forever home and better supporting the families who make that happen.”

Subsidies and financial supports are provided through Indiana DCS’s Indiana Adoption Assistance Program and its Guardianship Assistance Program.

For more information about Indiana’s adoption program, visit: https://www.indianaadoptionprogram.org.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana DCS increases money for families to support foster care kids