Frequently Asked Questions

A current listing of children awaiting adoption can be found here on our website under the “Waiting Children” tab. If you are touched by a child’s story and feel that your family may possess the qualities the waiting child’s team is looking for, please go to the inquiry form found at the bottom of the child’s profile and submit an inquiry on the child. The inquiry will be received by the Idaho Wednesday’s Child Recruitment Coordinator and will then be forwarded on to the child’s Permanency (Adoption) Caseworker for consideration.

As inquiries are received for our waiting children, the child’s caseworker will assess each inquiring family’s home study, if they have one completed, as well as the information provided in the inquiry form that you submit for the child. The child’s Permanency Team will be looking for characteristics of an inquiring family that would be a good match for the child. Some of the things they are assessing include your family make-up; whether your home is rural or you live in town; whether you have a completed home study; how much experience, information or knowledge you have regarding the needs of children who have gone through significant trauma, grief and loss; whether you reside in or near the child’s current community; whether your parenting style is a good match for the child and whether you have things in common with the child that would make for a good fit.

If the child’s Permanency Team finds that you may be a potential good fit for the child, they will contact you to learn more about your family, and to further discuss the child’s needs. Please note that further detailed personal information about the child can generally only be shared with families who already possess a completed and approved adoption home study, due to the child’s right to privacy and the confidentiality of their personal information.

Once a determination has been made that a family is a potential good match for a child, the process of the family getting to know the child begins. This process generally has no set timeframe and how it will move forward is decided upon by the child’s caseworker based upon the child’s needs.

Not every child in foster care will need an adoptive family. Most children in foster care are eventually reunited with their parents or other biological family members. Though there are a large number of children in foster care in Idaho, most of these children already have a permanency plan in place. Some children who cannot reunify with family may end up being adopted by the foster family who are their current caregivers. Children who may not have other family members or other supports in place who can become a permanent option for them, often end up benefiting from the efforts of the Idaho Wednesday’s Child Program to help them find their Forever Family.

Not every family who inquires about a child will be the right match for that child. The child’s Permanency Team has a great deal of knowledge concerning that child’s emotional, behavioral, educational, developmental, social, relational, and medical needs. All these things are weighed heavily when determining whether or not an inquiring family is the right adoptive family for the child. Sometimes a family may believe that they would be a great match for the child, given the information they know about the child that is shared publicly on our Idaho Wednesday’s Child website. Permanency workers may not always have the time to reach out to every family that has inquired on a child. Often times workers will only reach out to a family when they are interested in learning more about that family.

Each child has a unique history, personality, and characteristics. The child’s permanency worker takes all of this into mind as they consider what could be the best fit for the child’s growth, health, and safety. They also try their best to consider the growth, health, and safety of other children in the adoptive home. In some cases it is in the child’s best interest to be the only child in the home, due to past circumstances or the overall growth of the child.