When I arrive here, I learn that US doesn't have orphanage but you have foster system. But, they say that many foster homes are closing and also not all families want to accept all kids. I did ask an agency few months ago but they never answer me. If there are more kids than the foster house offered, what will they do? Where do they live? I met a pregnant homeless girl, what will happen to the baby once she is born? Where will they put the baby? Or does US have orphanage that I don't know? Are they adoptable. Are these babies are the babies on advertisement I see in the campus magazine that can be adopted ? Or usually prospective parents choose to adopt from non homeless mommy, just like Juno? I am curious. Because in Indonesia, the system is so different. I feel so sad for these babies. I hope they can have a good family.
Infants are adopted very quickly.... to the point where couples spend a lot of money even putting ads in the paper and online looking for infants. It's the toddlers and older children who people don't want. It's very, very sad that those families who are waiting years for an infant don't adopt an older child.
They usually spend their entire lives between group homes (like an orphanage) and being passed around in foster homes.
People LOVE to adopt babies. If she is willing to put the baby up for adoption she could have her pick of many many couples, she could choose the race, religion, city etc of the prospective parents, she could ask that the parents send her photos of the baby every year, she could even ask for visitation. The foster care problems are older kids, who were not given up at birth. If she does not give consent for the baby to be adopted it will probably end up in foster care temporarily. Then if she gets her act together she could regain custody. However, that is how babies grow into older children still in the foster care system. She is so young and could always have another baby or get custody of the children now living with relatives. IF she puts this baby up for adoption she would be giving the best gift ever to a couple who has been waiting and waiting and waiting for a baby to love and cherish. Every night I thank God for the woman who decided to give me her son to love and care for and raise in a beautiful neighborhood, with nutritious food and good schools and a loving extended family.
There is a mess of different resources. I wish it was more organized because the system looks completely different from region to region.
So far as the pregnant homeless woman she has the same choices as the rest of us. She can keep the baby and hope the system helps her find a job so she can take care of the baby, she can put the baby up for adoption, or she can place the baby in foster care and not give up her rights.
Planned Parenthood has resources that could help her. They can help her with prenatal care and can help get her in touch with agencies that can help her and her baby to be. She could also go to a local police station to get help. Adoption of newborns is often the most desired so if she can get in contact with the agencies that can help her it is possible she could have an adoptive family ready to take her baby straight from the hospital.
There are a few options. Her in Las Vegas, a mother can drop a newborn baby off at a fire department, no questions asked. They will take the baby to the County Child Haven and hopefully the baby will be adopted.
When she is in the hospital (hopefully) to give birth, being that she doesn't have an address to provide the hospital, she will be assigned a social worker. The social worker will discuss her options for her. The social worker may place the baby temporarily until the mother can establish a residence.
If the mother is on drugs and the baby is found to be a drug baby, the social worker will place the baby in the State/County foster care system.
So, those are the few options I can think of. Hopefully they will be alright and the baby will have a chance at a good life.
To know:
- The waiting list to adopt an infant is YEARS long.
- Because of the huge wait, even though it's illegal, many people 'sell' their infants to adoptive parents (sometimes this is done legally by the adoptive parents paying for all the living expenses of the birthmother -apartment, car, living money, doctor's visits, legal expenses, bills, etc. These cases often run into $50,000-$150,000 dollars or more... other times it's completely illegal and the birth mother is handed a check for 50k-150k after the adoption is final). Even LEGAL adoptions are very, very expensive. 20k is standard in just what the bare bones paperwork costs.
((You don't have to sell your baby... you can choose a family to give them to, and there are hundreds of thousands of people waiting to adopt, you can allow an adoption agency to place your child, or you can drop them off at any firestation/ER/police station))
- Because of the huge wait AND/OR because many people like specific disorders/issues... there is ALSO a waiting list for babies with severe medical conditions.
In the US... infants rarely wait 24hours without a home as long as the birthparents are consenting to adopt (babies of unknown origin -like those left at a fire station- have to be checked out first to make sure they weren't kidnapped and don't have any underlying medical issues... and then they'e adopted in the wink of an eye).
In the US... children under age 5 rarely wait more than a few weeks to a few months without a home.
It's children over the age of 5 that are hard to place, and it's children who are NOT adoptable (children removed from parents care, but parents can earn them back) that are hard to place.
It's not the babies that have a rough go of it, it's the older kids. In the US, people want babies, but don't want older kids.
In this country child protective services (a state agency--it may have different names in different states) handles foster care placements and adoptions of children who the parents give up for adoption. There are also private agencies that handle adoptions, especially newborns. If a parent has a baby and does not want to keep it she can ask at the hospital for help getting in touch with the correct agency. Many states have "Safe Haven" laws that a very young baby (up to maybe 6 or 8 weeks depending on the state) can be surrendered at a hospital or police station with no legal consequences. Also in many states pregnant women can get free prenatal care if they apply for it (usually through the state welfare agency). Sometimes there are programs where pregnant women can live in a group home type situation until the baby born (most are privately funded so it varies a lot). It is kind of a patchwork of what help is out there but there may be something that could help.
Everyone has given you good answers. I will just add that the U.S. DOES have orphanages, although that term is rarely used anymore. Instead, you will hear about children living in "group homes," or a "boys home" or "girls home." However, our system favors foster families, as children in group homes often get less attention and, in theory, affection than in a home setting. The town where I currently live has two group homes, both are for boys and both are run by the Catholic church. They tend to be older boys, since babies are often adopted if they are available for adoption.
Not all children in foster homes or group homes are available for adoption. Sometimes, the State will remove a child from their family for various reasons without terminating the parents' rights, meaning if the parents take steps to make their homes better, the children can return home.
It's very complicated. Is it a good system? I think a lot of it depends on chance. There are wonderful foster homes, and truly terrible foster homes. Sometimes, a child gets to group up in one home, or gets adopted. Sometimes they are passed from home to home to home until they turn 18. In general, of course, any time you have a child that doesn't belong somewhere, that is a sad situation.
