Post-Adoption Services

Adoption Assistance includes monthly financial assistance, medical assistance (Medicaid/Amerigroup), and non-recurring one-time funds for legal expenses related to finalizing an adoption. Adoption Assistance is available for families adopting eligible children who meet federal and state criteria for special needs, as well as other eligibility criteria, as determined by the Social Services Administration Unit (SSAU) and the Revenue Maximization Unit. An Adoption Assistance Agreement must be signed prior to adoption finalization. Ongoing Adoption Assistance is available up to age 18 if the adoptive family remains legally and financially responsible for the adopted child. It is very important that adoptive parents who receive adoption assistance notify their PAD/case manager of significant changes, such as the child no longer residing in the home, in order to avoid overpayment/repayment of adoption assistance funds. Parents who are not aware of their PAD/case manager’s contact information may call the SSAU at 470-349-1705 or send an email to [email protected]. 

Adoption Assistance policy can be found at: pamms.dhs.ga.gov/dfcs/cws/12-00/.

In a move designed to improve continuity of healthcare and better health outcomes, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), as of March 3, 2014, transitioned children receiving Adoption Assistance Medicaid into a single Care Management Organization (CMO), Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia. The program is called Georgia Families 360°, and its goals are to:

1. Improve access to healthcare services, particularly for physical and behavioral health services covered by the Medicaid program
2. Increase continuity of care, including when members transition in and out of foster care
3. Enhance health outcomes, providing additional care coordination and improved physical and behavioral health oversight

Children receiving Adoption Assistance are automatically enrolled in Georgia Families 360°, but adoptive parents may choose to “opt out” within 90 days of enrollment and choose to have regular “fee for service” Medicaid. To get more information about Georgia Families 360°, including opting out requirements, adoptive parents should call Amerigroup at 855-661-2021 .

The Amerigroup Georgia Families 360° Education and Training Team offers numerous weekly webinars covering a wide range of clinical and child welfare topics. Presentations may include slides, guest speakers, or roundtable discussions. You can sign up to receive a weekly newsletter of upcoming sessions and registration links by emailing [email protected]. The Amerigroup website also offers information regarding care coordination, benefits, how to get in touch, and the Member Handbook. The website can be found at myamerigroup.com/ga/your-plan/georgia-families-360.html

Please Note: Adoption Assistance Medicaid/Amerigroup benefits automatically review annually, as long as the Georgia Gateway system can verify all required information. If required information cannot be verified, the adoptive parents will receive a renewal notice and will need to complete the renewal in the Gateway customer portal. If the parents encounter a problem with Adoption Assistance Medicaid/Amerigroup renewal, they may contact their PAD/case manager or the SSAU Office for assistance.

One-time funds up to $1,500 per child are available to go toward expenses related to the adoption of a special needs child. These expenses may include legal fees, pre-placement visit costs, physicals for adoptive parents, etc., and are payable after the finalization of the adoption. A special needs determination must be made, and an Adoption Assistance Agreement must be signed prior to finalization of the adoption. Applications for non-recurring only adoption assistance are submitted through the county DFCS office of the adoptive parent. Non-recurring only adoption assistance is an option for private, non-DFCS adoptions in cases where a special needs child may not qualify for monthly/ongoing adoption assistance.

Special Services utilizes state funds to provide time-limited or one-time-only funding for a needed treatment service when no other family or community resource is available. Special Services may include, but are not limited to, funding for medical services, therapy/counseling services, dental/orthodontic services, respite services, or other treatment services related to the child’s special needs. These funds are dependent upon the annual state budget and there is no guarantee of their availability from year to year.

Special Services funds are only available for children who:

• Were in the permanent custody of the Georgia DFCS at the time of being placed on adoptive status or who were transferred from DFCS custody into the permanent custody of a specified relative/individual for the purpose of adoption; and
• Are under 18 years of age; and 
• Are currently receiving monthly adoption assistance benefits.

Adoptive parents may contact their child’s adoption assistance PAD/case manager to learn about and apply for Special Services benefits. If unaware of the PAD/case manager’s contact information, parents may contact the SSAU at 470-349-1705 or send an email to [email protected]. Special Services benefits may be approved for up to a 12-month period; and such approval is contingent upon the availability of funds and the appropriateness of the request. 

The Family Intervention Team (FIT) provides services to adoptive families in need of professional help to improve overall family functioning, preserve the family unit, and provide links to community resources. FIT assists adoptive families of special needs children who receive Adoption Assistance benefits.

When a parenting challenge becomes a serious problem, FIT can provide early intervention services designed to prevent disruptions and dissolutions and preserve the family unit. The program includes an intervention specialist, who provides an in-home family assessment and counseling to families on a statewide basis. All team members understand the dynamics of the adoption process as well as the unique problems of attachment, trauma and loss, and identity crisis which are common in children who have been adopted. FIT members are trained in the prevention of aggressive behaviors, the de-escalation of crisis situations and the development of therapeutic intervention plans to address interpersonal relationships, school performance, and physical/emotional health issues.

While FIT is not designed to replace medical or therapeutic care, it helps the child and family identify and resolve problematic issues. Services provided by FIT are for a limited time only. When intervention services are concluded, families are referred to community resources coordinated by the FIT intervention specialist.

Family Intervention Team (FIT) Service Providers

Request for a referral form should be emailed to [email protected]. 

Teen Adoption and Guardianship Support (TAGS) is a statewide post adoption service program designed for adopted teens, 13 to 18.5 years old. TAGS provides teen participants with an opportunity to gain mutual support and self-expression through group interactions with other adopted teens. Meetings are alternately hosted virtually and in-person across the State of Georgia.

Teens who have experienced adoption or guardianship may struggle with complex issues which can affect adolescent development. These teens can benefit from sharing with others who have similar circumstances. Even when teens appear happy and well-adjusted in their adoptive or guardianship families, they may still be dealing with the effects of their early life experience. 

With the help of adult mentors, TAGS participants are encouraged to express their feelings openly in a safe environment. For many participants, this type of peer support group is their first opportunity to interact with others who have a shared experience and to learn that their feelings are normal. Participants may benefit from hearing how others have coped with their feelings and may also inspire each other to grow in self-acceptance and self-respect. 

TAGS also offers parent support, educational resources, and training materials for adoptive parents. These additional supports are available to help this special population forge even stronger family attachments and enhance their future relationships. 

Eligibility

Teens who are currently receiving Adoption Assistance funds and/or have been in the custody of a state agency and are either in an adoptive placement or a finalized adoption may be eligible to participate in TAGS. Teens placed by Georgia DFCS into guardianship homes are also eligible to participate in TAGS. TAGS welcomes adopted and guardianship teens who will benefit from being part of a supportive group where participants may demonstrate mutual respect for and acceptance of others. This program may not be well suited for teens who have significant difficulty interacting within a large group setting.

Pre-registration is required for all participants, as space is limited at each host site. Contact the Carrie Steele-Pitts Home to register online at csph.org/tags.

With a focus on the lifelong aspects of adoption, the Together, Inspiring, Engagement, and Support (TIES) Annual Adoptive Parent and Youth Training Seminar annual training celebrates, promotes, and explores issues related to adoption, with its primary focus being to support and strengthen adoptive families. Through this event, adoptive parents and foster-to-adopt parents who have adoptive children placed in their homes are provided an excellent opportunity to increase their knowledge base and skills concerning adoption-related issues, services for adoptive families, and the parenting of adopted children. A wide variety of workshops are offered on topics such as understanding developmental assessments, parenting children with complex medical issues, coping with attachment-related issues, guidance for behavioral concerns, identifying emotional triggers, special educational services, supporting children through developmental stages, and much more. 

The TIES Training Seminar is a family centered event, with all ages welcome. In addition to childcare, age-appropriate workshops and fun-filled activities are provided for all children. There is a Teen Leadership Program that provides teen participants with exciting opportunities for personal growth. Teens are offered the opportunity to learn valuable life skills that focus on making positive choices, overcoming obstacles, developing critical thinking, reducing violence, and setting goals. Parents can enjoy the seminar secure in the knowledge that their children are nearby and enjoy a positive and fun learning experience themselves. 

Anyone interested should contact: 

The Social Services Administration Unit 
Georgia Department of Human Services 
47 Trinity Ave. S.W., 1st Floor 
Atlanta, GA 30334 
Phone: 678-209-8856 
E-mail: [email protected]

Adoptees, birth parents, or siblings who have been permanently separated through adoption often reach a time in their lives when they want more information about their biological family. This “need to know” may be due to medical, genetic, genealogical, or personal reasons. The Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry provides the following services:

• Assistance to an adult adoptee to establish contact with the adoptee’s biological parents with the expressed consent of the biological parent(s).
• Assistance with establishing contact between adult siblings (provided at least one of them is an adoptee) with the expressed consent of the sibling who is being sought.
• Provides an adult adoptee or adoptive parents of an adoptee under age 18 with non-identifying information from the sealed adoption record without having to obtain a court order.
• Assistance to biological parents in registering their consent to contact/release birth family identifying information or to register their desire not to have contact and preventing the release of birth family identifying information from the sealed adoption record.
• Assistance to siblings in registering their consent to have contact or to register their desire not to have contact with the searcher. 

For more information, call the Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry at 470-834-0538 or visit their website at ga-adoptionreunion.com. 

ConnectionPlus exists to keep families together and thriving. They equip parents and the professionals who support them with the tools, coaching, and guidance to navigate trauma's hardest behaviors and restore attachment. Together, we are expanding healing in every community—creating real connection and real change.

To learn more about Parent Coaching and how to get started, visit ConnectionPlus.

Bethany Christian Services provides a variety of post adoption services to strengthen adoptive and foster/adopt families in Georgia. 

Services include: 

• TBRI (ADOPTSSM) for children who experienced abuse or neglect prior to adoption
• Coaching for adoptive parents 

ADOPTSSM

ADOPTSSM is a 12-week therapy program developed by Bethany Christian Services to address the impact of past traumatic experiences such as abuse and neglect on present relationships, feelings, behaviors, and sense of self. ADOPTSSM serves children between the ages of 4 and 18, and parents and children participate in counseling sessions together. In addition to the family communication sessions, parents and children also participate in six weeks of groups that reinforce therapeutic skills and offer support. 

Parent Coaching

Parenting a child through adoption often comes with a unique set of challenges, especially when a child has experienced abuse or neglect prior to adoption. Parent coaching offers parents nine sessions with a Bethany Christian Services coach who provides individualized support through challenges related to adjustment, attachment, past trauma, parenting skills, behavior management, and self-care. Current office locations for parent coaching in Georgia include Atlanta, Powder Springs, Athens, and Columbus. Parent coaching is also available at the Chattanooga, Tennessee office. For families living outside of these service areas, parent coaching services can be provided through video conferencing.   

Eligibility

• A child/adolescent has been placed in your home for adoption OR you finalized an adoption; and 
• Your adopted child/adolescent is (or was) in the legal custody of the state prior to adoptive placement; and
• Your family lives in Georgia 

Inquiries, questions, or request for a referral form should be directed to [email protected].

The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) is the nation’s premiere assessment-based certificate program for training mental health practitioners and developing adoption competency skills. Through classroom and remote instruction, as well as clinical case consultation, TAC students master key clinical skills that support adopted children and their foster, adoptive and kinship families.

adoptionsupport.org/training-for-adoption-competency

Siblings Forever, formerly known as Camp to Belong-Georgia, is a nonprofit organization which supports family connections by serving siblings who have experienced sibling separation due to foster care, adoption, kinship care, parental custody issues, and more. Siblings Forever primarily serves youth 8 to 18 years of age.

Summer Camps

Siblings Forever hosts a weeklong summer camp that is free for youth to attend with their separated siblings. This camp has specialized programming to support and strengthen sibling connections in a safe setting that creates lifelong memories. Camp activities include: 

1. Personalized memory books with photos from the week
2. Gifts from the Heart - crafts that siblings make for each other
3. Siblings Give Back - a service project done by siblings
4. Party Night - a group birthday party celebration 

Family Connections Events

As part of an expansion of programming, Siblings Forever now offers Family Connections. In addition to hosting separated brothers and sisters at events, Siblings Forever hosts separated siblings and their families at day and weekend events. These events allow the families of separated siblings to connect, creating deeper bonds and connections that can continue into the future.

The camp is located at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, Georgia. Siblings Forever provides transportation from bus stops in the Atlanta area.

Siblings Forever   

266 Gladys Lane
Young Harris, GA 30582

Contact
770-296-5070
[email protected]
siblingsforever.org 

DFCS may deem adopted youth ages 18-21 eligible for independent living services through the Georgia Independent Living Program (ILP) if they were in foster care past the age of 14 and for a total of 6 months or more (other ILP criteria may apply). ILP services may include life skills workshops, financial assistance with secondary and post-secondary expenses such as high school graduation fees and college tuition, opportunities for socialization, and advocacy and support to assist the youth with establishing and pursuing personal goals. Adoptive parents or youth turning 18 may obtain more information and contact an independent living specialist by going online at garyse-ilp.org.

The State of Georgia Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver Program exempts or waives payment of tuition and fees (and where applicable, on-campus housing) for students attending a technical college within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Eligible students must be a youth or young adult under the age of 28 who is currently in foster care, has experienced foster care, or who was placed for adoption by Georgia DFCS after age 13.

The eligibility determination does not represent the approval or admission into a technical college, university, or school of choice. This eligibility determination only provides the determination of the applicant’s eligibility for the Georgia’s Tuition Waiver Program within Code Sections 20-3-66 and 20-3-660. The applicant must complete an application for any participating school/college and follow all application and admission requirements as outlined by the school/college. For more information, go to dfcs.georgia.gov/services/state-georgia-post-secondary-tuition-waiver.

Siblings Forever, formerly known as Camp to Belong-Georgia, is a nonprofit organization which supports family connections by serving siblings who have experienced sibling separation due to foster care, adoption, kinship care, parental custody issues, and more. Siblings Forever primarily serves youth 8 to 18 years of age.

Summer Camps

Siblings Forever hosts a weeklong summer camp that is free for youth to attend with their separated siblings. This camp has specialized programming to support and strengthen sibling connections in a safe setting that creates lifelong memories. Camp activities include: 

1. Personalized memory books with photos from the week
2. Gifts from the Heart - crafts that siblings make for each other
3. Siblings Give Back - a service project done by siblings
4. Party Night - a group birthday party celebration 

Family Connections Events

As part of an expansion of programming, Siblings Forever now offers Family Connections. In addition to hosting separated brothers and sisters at events, Siblings Forever hosts separated siblings and their families at day and weekend events. These events allow the families of separated siblings to connect, creating deeper bonds and connections that can continue into the future.

The camp is located at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, Georgia. Siblings Forever provides transportation from bus stops in the Atlanta area.

Siblings Forever   
266 Gladys Lane
Young Harris, GA 30582

Contact
770-296-5070
[email protected]
siblingsforever.org 

DFCS may deem adopted youth ages 18-21 eligible for independent living services through the Georgia Independent Living Program (ILP) if they were in foster care past the age of 14 and for a total of 6 months or more (other ILP criteria may apply). ILP services may include life skills workshops, financial assistance with secondary and post-secondary expenses such as high school graduation fees and college tuition, opportunities for socialization, and advocacy and support to assist the youth with establishing and pursuing personal goals. Adoptive parents or youth turning 18 may obtain more information and contact an independent living specialist by going online at garyse-ilp.org.

The State of Georgia Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver Program exempts or waives payment of tuition and fees (and where applicable, on-campus housing) for students attending a technical college within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Eligible students must be a youth or young adult under the age of 28 who is currently in foster care, has experienced foster care, or who was placed for adoption by Georgia DFCS after age 13.

The eligibility determination does not represent the approval or admission into a technical college, university, or school of choice. This eligibility determination only provides the determination of the applicant’s eligibility for the Georgia’s Tuition Waiver Program within Code Sections 20-3-66 and 20-3-660. The applicant must complete an application for any participating school/college and follow all application and admission requirements as outlined by the school/college. For more information, go to dfcs.georgia.gov/services/state-georgia-post-secondary-tuition-waiver.