Foster Child or Adoption? These are the differences

Foster Child vs. Adoption: Benefits of Adoption

Adoption is a wonderful step for a child and the couple who want to have children creates a new family forever. Compared to taking in a foster child, it is also associated with a number of advantages, which are expressed above all in terms of living together and the rights of the adoptive parents:

• With the adoption, your adopted child is also your child by law, so you have assumed all the rights and obligations of the natural parents. It’s different with a foster child. Because then the child remains the legal child of the biological parents. Important decisions have to be agreed with them and they can bring their child back under certain conditions. You can read more about this topic in our article “The rights and obligations of foster parents” .
• An adopted child becomes part of your family. This is permanent. However, taking in a foster child is only temporary. If the circumstances and wishes of the biological parents change, the child may return to them.
• An adopted child bears your family name. This shows your togetherness and further strengthens the “we” feeling. A foster child keeps his birth name.
• You are entitled to parental allowance and parental leave and all other transfer payments related to children and family. Just like with your biological child, you have up to three years of parental leave, but you can take it up to the age of eight when your adopted child comes to you. With a foster child, you are also entitled to parental leave, but not to parental allowance, since you receive care allowance here. You can find out more about this in our “ Foster Child ” section.
• The adopted child is protected in the event of the death of the parents, since it is treated like a biological child according to the legal succession and is therefore the first order of inheritance, even if there is no will. Foster children are not treated like natural children and must be recorded in the will so that they are entitled to inherit.

Foster Child vs Adoption: Benefits of Adopting a Foster Child

However, taking in a foster child also has some advantages over adoption.

• The adoption process can be very lengthy and is much less likely to lead to a successful placement than in a foster child process. Many couples apply for adoption every year. The selection criteria are therefore very selective. You can find out more about the requirements for adoption here . The criteria for taking in a foster child are not as selective and therefore the chances of being allowed to take in a child are significantly better.
• In the application process for an adoption, the entire private life of the potential adoptive parents is examined and put to the test. This can be very nerve wracking.
• A very small baby cannot always be adopted. Many older children are also looking for new parents. But that also means that an older adoptee brings his or her own story. The age of the foster child cannot be determined either. Wishes can be expressed to the youth welfare office, but in the end you will be assigned a child by the youth welfare office.
• In the case of international adoptions , there can be a problem of understanding and a legal problem due to different mother tongues. The adoption agency can inform you about the legal basis for adoption in the country of origin.
• A family receives financial support for taking in a foster child . This is not the case with adoptions.

More information on adoption and foster children

You can find more articles and lots more information in our “ Adoption ” and “ Foster Child ” sections.