Adoption & Foster Care

Adoption Services

The Randolph County Department of Social Services facilitates adoptive placements regardless of race, age, or national origin of the child or adoptive family.

The Primary Purpose - is to help a child become part of a new family. This includes preparing the child for adoption, recruiting and training adoptive families, pre and post-adoption services, etc.

Second - to provide Pre-Placement Assessments (home studies) to county citizens who want to adopt a child or children from the foster care system.

Third - to fulfill the Agency’s statutory requirements to supervise adoptions of children by relatives, including stepparents, and to file required Court forms in a timely manner.

Foster Care

The Primary Goal of Foster Care is to provide a safe, temporary place for children to live until they can be in a permanent placement, whether that may be with birth family, relatives or a pre-adoptive family. Children of any age from birth to eighteen years of age may come into care.

What kind of people are foster parents?

Foster parents are regular people. They may be younger or older; have young children, adult children, or no biological children. They may own their own home or rent. They are single, married, divorced and widowed. They are two-income homes, single-income homes, students and retirees. All kinds of people are foster parents. They are not “perfect” and they don’t have to have all the answers.

Different Types of Foster Care

  • Emergency/Respite Foster Care - A child may be in need of placement for a short period of time. The reasons vary from pending relative home studies, emergency removal by protective services, an existing placement may have had previous plans or just need a break, or current placement disrupts.
  • Family Foster Care - A family home where a child in care will live, as part of the family. 
  • Therapeutic Foster Care - Some children need more specialized care due to medical, emotional or mental health issues. These homes are licensed through private agencies.

Clients have the right to free interpreter services. Los clientes tienen el derecho de los servicios de intérprete gratis.