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If you are thinking about adoption, you've likely considered the possibility that you will be adopting a child in another state. In this episode, we talk about everything involved with this process. Our guests are Jim Thompson, an adoption attorney and the author of the book South Carolina Adoption Law and Practice. He has been a Fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys since 1993 and Joan Smith, the District Supervisor of the Pittsburgh office of Adoptions From the Heart.

In this episode, we cover:
Infant Adoption

• Is it possible to adopt an infant in another state?
• How does a prospective adoptive parent find an expectant mother in another state?
• What things must prospective adoptive parents be cautious of when looking for expectant parents in another state, especially if they are not working with an adoption professional?
• How does the domestic infant adoption process differ when the adoptive parents and the expectant moms live in different states?
• What is the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC)?
• What are the steps on the ICPC as it applies to domestic infant adoption?
• What state’s adoption laws will be used for the adoption?
• How long should adoptive parents expect the ICPC process to take?

Adopting from Foster Care (relative adoption and non-relative adoptions)

• Is it possible to adopt a child from foster care in another state?
• Can you foster a child in foster care in another state?
• How do you find a child in foster care in another state legally free to adopt?
• How does the foster care adoption process differ when the prospective adoptive parents and the child live in different states?
• What are the steps with the ICPC as it applies to foster care adoption?
• How do visitations between the adoptive family and the child work?
• How are adoption subsidies handled when adopting a foster child from another state?
• Which state pays the adoption subsidy? 
• How are health care benefits or Medicaid handled?

Resources:
AdoptUSKids Understanding Interstate Adoption

This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

• Weekly podcasts
• Weekly articles/blog posts
• Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Please leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamily

Support the show

Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

• Weekly podcasts
• Weekly articles/blog posts
• Resource pages on all aspects of family building