Short answer
There is no separate "foster-to-adopt" track in the DFCS policy we read. Children come into foster care to be kept safe, and the first goal is usually to return them to their parents. If a child cannot go home, DFCS policy says it will consider the foster parents of a child who has lived with them at least 12 months as an adoptive resource, and a court has to end the parents' legal rights before any adoption.
Verified Oct 18, 2026 Source: DFCS policy 11.6, Foster Parent Adoption Consideration Evaluation
We're not attorneys, and this is not legal advice
We quote Georgia DFCS policy and statute word for word and link to them rather than interpreting them. Adoption is a court case. For advice about your situation, talk to an adoption attorney; the guardianship guide lists free legal help.
Reunification comes first
Most children enter foster care with a plan to go home. DFCS policy on permanency planning tells staff to: Verified Oct 18, 2026
"Select reunification as the preferred permanency plan, and make reasonable efforts to reunify the child with his/her family, unless the court has ordered that reunification services are not required"
So a family that fosters hoping to adopt should expect to support reunification. Our reunification guide explains how. A child is only adoptable after the parents' legal rights end, and that is a separate court process covered in the termination of parental rights (TPR) guide.
How adoption from foster care works
1. The child cannot or should not go home. For adoption assistance, DFCS policy treats that decision as based on a court order ending parental rights, a filed TPR petition, or a voluntary surrender, among other events. Verified Oct 18, 2026
"The child cannot or should not be returned to the home of his/her parent(s). This decision is based on the following: An order from a court of competent jurisdiction terminating parental rights; The existence of a petition for termination of parental rights; A voluntary surrender of parental rights for a child;"
2. DFCS considers you. The policy on consideration of foster parents says: Verified Oct 18, 2026
"Consider the foster parent(s) as an adoptive resource for a child in foster care who has resided in their home for a minimum of 12 months and it has been determined the child cannot or should not be returned to the home of his/her parents"
The Foster Parent Bill of Rights puts a similar right in state law, with a hedge: Verified Oct 18, 2026
"The right to be considered, where appropriate, as the first choice as a permanent parent or parents for a child who, after 12 months of foster placement, is released for adoption or permanent foster care"
"Where appropriate" matters: being considered is not a guarantee. The adopting your foster child guide goes into what that hedge means in practice and how to say early that you want to adopt.
3. The process and the court. DFCS publishes a seven-step adoption process (inquiry, information session, pre-service training, family evaluation, pre-placement, placement, finalization). Its last step says: Verified Oct 18, 2026
"Upon receiving a release from DFCs, the attorney of prospective adoptive parents will file an adoption petition, after which a hearing will be held for a county superior court judge in order to finalize the adoption procedure. The cost of this hearing is nominal and may be reimbursable when adopting a child with special needs."
The same page says the timeframe "varies depending on the circumstances of the child or children to be adopted and the family interested in adopting." We found no official timeline, so we don't give one.
What does it cost?
The only cost DFCS describes on the page above is the finalization hearing, which it calls "nominal" and possibly reimbursable for a child with special needs. Beyond that, DFCS policy lists a one-time non-recurring adoption assistance payment toward "reasonable and necessary adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees and other expenses directly related to the legal adoption of a child with special needs" (policy 12.1).
We use this box for something we couldn't confirm with an official source, or that is changing. See it on our list of everything we're still confirming
Dollar maximum not confirmed for this fiscal year
Policy 12.1 (effective March 2025) states a maximum for this payment, but the document predates Georgia's fiscal year 2027, which began July 1, 2026, and our claim gate holds the figure until a current document confirms it. We don't print it here. Ask the Resource Development Worker or your case manager for the current maximum in writing.
We did not find a published fee for the home study or training for adoptive families. Ask your case manager what, if anything, is still required for your family.
Adoption assistance basics
Adoption assistance is monthly help after adoption for eligible children, agreed with DFCS. Three points from DFCS policy, quoted exactly:
No income test. Verified Oct 18, 2026
"In determining eligibility for adoption assistance payments, there is no income eligibility requirement (means test) for the adoptive parent(s)."
The amount is negotiated and capped. Verified Oct 18, 2026
"the State of Georgia limits the maximum adoption assistance rate to the foster care maintenance payment amount paid at the time of adoptive placement, the adoption assistance rate must be negotiated with the adoptive family"
The foster care payment is the per diem. We don't print a dollar amount for it here; the per diem guide shows what DFCS publishes and what we could not yet confirm.
Medicaid goes with it. Verified Oct 18, 2026
"A child who is determined to be eligible for adoption assistance payments is eligible to receive medical coverage under Medicaid whether funded through Title IV-E or state funds."
Sign the agreement before the adoption is final
Policy 12.1 bases the eligibility decision on "The execution of the adoption assistance agreement prior to adoption finalization." Verified Oct 18, 2026 Ask about assistance before the hearing, not after.
Who counts as a child with "special needs," the federal adoption tax credit and a difference we found between DFCS pages on time in care are covered in the adopting guide, so we don't repeat them here.
Where do I start?
If you are already fostering, tell your case manager in writing that you want to be considered to adopt. If you are not yet a foster parent, see how to become one, or start with the DFCS adoption page, which says: Verified Oct 18, 2026
"To make an initial inquiry, a prospective adoptive family should contact DFCS by calling 1-877-210-KIDS (5437)"
What to do next
Adopting your foster child
The full process, special needs eligibility, and the assistance agreement gotcha.
Guide · 12 minTermination of parental rights
The court process that has to finish before an adoption can happen.
Guide · 9 minBecome a foster parent
The path to approval, step by step.
HubThe foster care per diem
What DFCS publishes and what we could not yet confirm.
Guide · 7 minRelated questions
Sources & verification
- DFCS policy 10.22: reunification is the preferred permanency planpamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 18, 2026
- DFCS policy 11.6: foster parent as adoptive resource after 12 monthspamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 18, 2026
- DFCS policy 12.1: cannot-return criteria, Medicaid, non-recurring payment, agreement before finalizationpamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 18, 2026
- DFCS policy 12.5: no income test; negotiated rate and its cappamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 18, 2026
- DFCS, The Adoption Process: seven steps, finalization, 1-877-210-KIDSdfcs.georgia.gov Oct 18, 2026
- O.C.G.A. § 49-5-281(a)(20), Foster Parent Bill of Rights (snapshot in
research/sources/ga-code/)advance.lexis.com Oct 18, 2026
Foster411 summarizes Georgia policy in plain language. Rules and amounts change; if today is past our verified date, confirm with your case manager or the source above.