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Welcome to our photolisting page!
What is photolisting?
In partnership with the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS), we help raise awareness for Iowa children waiting to be adopted from foster care. All the children you will see below are legally eligible for adoption (meaning the rights of the child's parents have been terminated) and their DHS caseworkers are seeking potential adoptive homes.
Are these the only kids available for adoption from foster care in Iowa?
No. Many children legally eligible for adoption from foster care in Iowa already have an adoptive home identified, either with a relative or their current foster family. The children on this page, for various reasons, do not yet have an adoptive home identified.
What is special needs adoption?
"Special needs" in the world of foster care adoption generally refers to children who are more difficult to place because they have challenging behaviors, are older, are part of a sibling group or are from a minority background.
If you are interested in adopting an infant or a younger child with no older siblings, then foster care adoption may not be the best path for you. A good place to explore private adoption would be through the Iowa Association of Adoption Agencies.
How does adoption from foster care work?
To adopt a child from foster care in Iowa, you must be a licensed foster or adoptive family (a resource family). You can see the process for becoming a resource family here. The ultimate goal of foster care is reunification with the birth family. Sometimes a child cannot return home safely, and parental rigths are terminated. Relatives are sometimes available to adopt these children, or foster parents may have an opportunity to adopt children already in their homes as foster placements.
How do I inquire about a child on this page?
Click on their photo to see their biography and the link to inquire about the child.
Within several days of inquiry, you will receive an email from Iowa KidsNet with contact information for the child's DHS caseworker. He or she may request a copy of your homestudy and will be your contact for more information.
Please note - Iowa KidsNet does not place children for adoption. This decision is made by DHS and the Iowa courts. While we are not involved in selecting a home for the children listed here, our staff would be happy to talk to you about the process for becoming a licensed resource family.
New! Would you like to submit a family profile?
To assist DHS adpotion workers in identifying potential adoptive families for a child (both for children on the website and other children who are not photolisted but will need an adoptive home) we are piloting a new process where we will have family profiles available for DHS workers to review when they have a child they need to match with a family. To submit your family profile, click here for instructions. (This new initiative is currently for Iowa families only who already have a home study.)
Additional Resources
The Heart Gallery of Iowa and Photographer Information
Common myths of foster care adoption
Iowa Association of Adoption Agencies
AdoptUSKids
Email Alerts
To be among the first to know about new kids looking for a forever family, sign up for email alerts! Fill out the following form and you'll receive an email each time we add a new profile to this page. You only need to sign up once.
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