Adoption and Legal Guardianship

What is the difference between legal guardianship and adoption? This booklet Adoption and Guardianship: Making Permanent Plans Foster Children gives Alaskan families information about these two permanency options for children. Page 6 list the differences and similarities between guardianship and adoption, and Page 5 talks about subsidies.

The Alaska Adoption Exchange is a place for prospective families to meet prospective children from Alaska to adopt. See children now looking for homes and find out how to get your family listed as a prospective family for an Alaskan child. There is also the Northwest Adoption Exchange which matches children from the Northwestern United States with families. AdoptUSKids is the website sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that features children from across the United States.

There are federal tax benefits involved with adoption. It is always best to check with your accountant or tax preparer or the IRS for the latest information about tax benefits as things change year to year. Use these documents to find out what benefits may be available to you if you adopt.

Alaska’s subsidy program allows families to adopt special needs children with continued financial assistance from the state. Check with your worker as to how to negotiate for subsidies, and examine this quick overview of Alaska’s Subsidy Program.

Foster Parent Adoptions Are you a foster family making the change from fostering the child in your home to adopting him? This article looks at some of the issues involved.