Post-Adoption Services

    For more information, please reach out to your local Resource Advisor:

    Our Team | Georgia Center for Resources and Support

    Adoption is a lifelong commitment for both parents and children. After placement, families may have questions or need additional support. The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) provides post-adoption services to help families meet their needs, strengthen placements, and prevent disruption.

    Some services are available only to families who adopted children with special needs through DFCS. However, other supports—such as the Georgia Center for Resources & Support (GACRS)—are available to all adoptive families living in Georgia.

    Please note: Post-adoption services are subject to State and Federal laws, regulations, and available funding

    Families First

    DFCS

    Post-Adoption Services Managed through the DFCS Social Services Administration Unit (SSAU)

    • Special Services
    • Georgia Center for Resources & Support (GACRS)
    • Family Intervention and Support Services (FIT)
    • Teen and Guardianship Support (TAGS)
    • TIES Annual Adoptive Parent and Youth Training Seminar
    • Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry
    • ADOPT Services Program

    Other Supportive Services

    • Siblings Forever
    • Georgia Independent Living Program (ILP)
    • Georgia Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver Program
    • State of Georgia/ Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Website – Adoptions
    • State of Georgia Adoption Tax Credit
    • Federal Adoption Tax Credit
    • Childcare Assistance Through Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS)

    Post-Adoption Services

    Special Services

    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 Division of Family and Children Services (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.

    The Geogia Center Resources & Support

    The Georgia Center for Resources & Support (GACRS) is a comprehensive, one-stop resource for adoptive, kinship, and guardianship caregivers seeking support after placement. Our goal is to help families feel connected, informed, and supported by bridging gaps in services and resources across Georgia.

    GACRS offers:

    • A statewide directory of resources for adoptive and guardianship caregivers
    • A calendar of trainings and events available throughout Georgia
    • Resiliency support groups for caregivers and youth
    • Online access to the GACRS Lending Library, allowing families to request books and DVDs by phone or email
    • A private virtual support group, The Adoptive Family Journey, hosted on Facebook, providing a safe space for adoptive families to connect, share experiences, and receive encouragement and support.
    • Regional Resource Advisors located across Georgia who provide guidance, support, and training—offering families the opportunity to speak with someone who understands the adoption and guardianship journey

    Find your Local Resource Advisor Below

    Leslie Anderson, (Regions 7, 9, 12), Leslie.Anderson@gacrs.org, M: 706-564-2633

    Debra “Suzette” Brown (Regions 4, 6, 13, 14), Debra.Brown@gacrs.org, M: 404-550-2537

    Melissa Burns, (Regions 1, 2, 3, 5), Melissa.Burns@gacrs.org, M:404-550-2558

    Dawn Scott, (Regions 8, 10, 11) , Dawn.Scott@gacrs.org, M: 229-220-5061

    Family Intervention and Support Services

    FIT supports adoptive families of children with special needs who receive Adoption Assistance benefits. The program helps families address challenges, improve overall functioning, and prevent disruptions or dissolutions.

    Statewide Mobile Intervention Teams– led by a Team Leader and Intervention Specialist–provide in-home assessments and counseling. They understand adoption dynamics and common issues such as attachment, trauma, and loss, and are trained in crisis de-escalation, aggressive behavior prevention, and therapeutic intervention planning.
     
    FIT complements, but does not replace, medical or therapeutic care. Services are time-limited, and families are referred to community resources when interventions conclude.
     

    Teen Adoption and Guardian Support (TAGS)

    TAGS is a statewide program for adopted teens ages 13-18.5, offering peer support and opportunities for self-expression through virtual and in-person meetings across Georgia.

    Teens in adoptive or guardianship families may face challenges from early life experiences, even if they appear well-adjusted. TAGS provide a safe space with adult mentors when teens can share their feelings, connect with peers, and learn coping strategies.

    The program also offers parent support, educational resources, and training to strengthen family bonds and support healthy teen development. 

    Eligibility

    Teens eligible for TAGS include receiving Adoption Assistance, formerly in state custody, in an adoptive placement or finalized adoption, or placed in guardianship through Georgia DFCS.

    TAGS is designed for teens who can benefit from a supportive group environment that encourages mutual respect and acceptance. It may not be suitable for teens who struggle with large group interactions.

    Pre-registration is required, as space is limited. To register, contact Carrie Steele-Pits Home online: https://www.csph.org/tags

    TIES- Together, Inspiring, Engagement, and Support- Annual Adoptive Parent and Youth Training Seminar

    The Ties Training Seminar is an annual, family-centered event focused on the lifelong aspects of adoption. It supports and strengthens adoptive and foster-to-adopt families by providing workshops on adoption-related topics, including developmental assessments, parenting children with complex needs, attachment and behavioral issues, special education, and more.

    The seminar welcomes all ages, offering childcare, age-appropriate workshops, and fun activities for children. Teens can participate in the Teen Leadership Program, which helps develop life skills, goal-setting, and positive decision-making. Parents can engage in learning opportunities while their children enjoy a safe and enriching experience.

    Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry

    Adoptees, birthparents, or siblings who have been permanently separately separated through adoption often reach a item 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: 

    • Helping adult adoptees contact biological parents with the parents’ consent 
    • Assisting adult siblings (at least one being adoptee) to connect with each other with consent.
    • Providing adult adoptees or adoptive parents of minors with non-identifying information from sealed records without a court order.
    • Allowing birth parents to register consent for contact or to restrict the release of identifying information
    • Allowing siblings to register their consent or preference not to have contact

    ADOPTS Services Program

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

    Services Included
    • Trauma-informed counseling (ADOPTS) for children who experienced abuse or neglect prior to adoption
    • Coaching for Adoptive Parents
    • Crisis Intervention
    Counseling

    ADOPTS is a 14-19-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. ADOPTS serves children between the ages of 4 and 18, and parents and children participate in counseling sessions together. In addition to the family counseling session, parents and children also participate in six weeks of groups that reinforce therapuetic 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 6 sessions with a Bethany coach who provides individualized support through challenges related to adjustment, attachment, pat trauma, parenting skills, behavior management, and self-care. Current office locations for parent coaching include Atlanta, Power Springs, Athens, Columbus, and Chattanooga. For families living outside of these services 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 adoptive child/adolescent is (or/was) in the legal custody of the State prior to adoption; and 
    • Your family lives in Georgia
     

     

    Other Supportive Services

    Siblings Forever

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

    Summer Camps

    Siblings Forever host a weeklong summer camp that is free for youth to attend with their separated siblings. The camp has specialized programming to support and strengthen sibling connections in a safe setting that creates lifelong memories. Camp activities include: 
     
    • Personalized Memory Books with photos for the week
    • Gifts from the Heart- crafts that siblings make for each other
    • Siblings give back- a service project done by siblings
    • 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 housing separated brothers and sisters at 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 in Camp Twin Lakes, located at Camp Twin lakes in Rutledge, GA. Siblings Forever provides transportation from bus stops in the Atlanta area.
     

    Siblings Forever

    266 Gladys Lane
    Young Harris, GA 30582
     
    Telephone: 770-296-5070
    Email: connect@siblingsforever.oorg
    Website: https://www.sbilingsforever.org
     

    Georgia Independent Living Program (ILP)

    The Division of Family and Children Services may deem adopted youth ages 18-21 to be eligible for Independent Living Services 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 solutions and advocacy and support to assist the youth with establishing and pursing personal goals. Adoptive parents or youth turning 18 may obtain further information and contact an Independent living Specialist by going online at https://www.garyse-ilp.org.
     

    Georgia Post-Secondary Tuition Waiver Program

    This program waives tuition, fees, and when applicable, on-campus housing for students attending technical college within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).

    Eligibility

    Youth or young adults under 28
    Currently in Foster Care, formally in foster care, or adopted through Georgia DFCS after 13.

    Eligibility for the waiver does not guarantee admission to a college or school. Applicants must complete the school’s application and meet all admission requirements.

    For more information, visit

     https://dfcs.georgia.gov/services/state-georgia-post-secondary-tuition-waiver

    State of Georgia Adoption Tax Credit

    The State of Georgia offers a Tax Credit of $6,000.00 to parents for the adoption of a qualified foster chid. A qualified child is defined as a child who is under 18 years of age and in a foster home or otherwise in the foster care system under the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
     
    This Credit of $6,000.00 will be available beginning the tax year the adoption becomes final for five (5) taxable years and will change to $2,000.00 per taxable year thereafter. The credit ends in the year the child turns age 18. Adoptive parents should consult with their tax professional before filing.
    For Georgia tax information, please visit the website for the Georgia Department of Revenue at : https://dor.georgia.gov/taxes. 
    GA Form IND-CR is used for claiming this tax claiming credit in Georgia and is required to be enclosed with Form 500.
     

    Federal Adoption Tax Credit

    The Federal Adoption Tax Credit is available to families who meet eligibility requirements, which includes the adoption of a child who has been determined to meet “Special Needs” criteria by DFCS.
     
    Adoptive families interested in finding out more information about the Federal Adoption Tax Credit should consult with their tax professional before filling taxes. Families may also go to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) website listed below, which has information about the Federal Adoption Tax Credit: https://wwww.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607
     
    Families Rising, an organization providing education, support and advocacy for adoptive, foster, and kinship families, has information regarding the Federal Adoption Tax credit on their website: https://wearefamiliesrising.org.