INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) announced changes in its financial assistance programs Wednesday to help find permanent homes for children.
Starting July 1, families who provide a home through adoption or eligible guardianships to a child in Indiana's foster care system will receive financial supports equal to 100% of the amount the child received while in foster care.
The financial support helps make sure that people who adopt children in DCS care are set up in the best way to take care of those children, according to a news release.
This is made possible through DCS' Indiana Adoption Assistance Program and Guardianship Assistance Program.
"Finding the right, safe and permanent home in a timely manner is a top priority for DCS, and these supports play vital roles in accomplishing that," said Jeni O'Malley, a spokesperson for DCS.
Families receive at least 50% of the amount the child was entitled to while in foster care and may negotiate higher amounts based on the situation the child and family are in, the release said.
“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,” 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.”
DCS Director Eric Miller said nearly 2,000 Indiana children find permanent homes through adoption and more than 1,000 others find permanency through guardianship each year.
Click here to learn more about Indiana's adoption program.
