There are dozens of children who need permanent homes in Pima County. Might YOU be their family?

At St. Nick’s we recruit, certify, and complete adoptions in addition to providing case management for children in the foster care system.

Case Management for children:
We have over 20 case managers on staff. Their roles encompass many duties. The most important aspect of their job is to ensure the safety of the children on their case loads. They visit the children monthly, attend meetings, court hearings, and sometimes even doctor’s appointments for their assigned children. They manage the paperwork necessary to complete an adoption, including: arranging for the petition to adopt to be filed with the courts, helping families correctly apply for Adoption Subsidy, and completing all the “behind the scenes” paperwork for families and children. The case managers are also very involved in obtaining services necessary for the children. This may include mental health, behavioral, medical, or educational services.

Certification for families:
The decision to adopt is an extremely personal one. When a family decides to pursue this option, they may contact our offices to begin the process to become certified to adopt. (Those parents who wish to adopt but are already foster care providers should contact their licensing agency about becoming certified while maintaining their license.)For more information about the certification process, please read the FAQ page. *PLEASE NOTE: While the children we work with may be matched with a home that's a good fit in any location, we cannot certify homes outside of Pima County, Arizona. If you are interested in adopting, but do not reside in Pima County, please call 877-KIDS-NEED-U for more information.

Recruitment of adoptive homes:
While some of our children have already been placed in adoptive homes, there are dozens of children in Pima County still waiting for their permanent family. The children at our unit crave stability and need security. We are eager to meet families who can provide stability, security, love, and a nurturing environment so that the children may grow to reach their full potential. Interested adoptive families should have qualities such as commitment, tolerance, patience, flexibility, and love.

Post-adoption services:
When an adoption is completed, St. Nicholas closes the file and it is stored in a state-secured facility. When an adopted child turns 18, he or she may request to have the file opened. Unfortunately, the adoptive parents may not request to see the file before then.
However, the family and child will still have a case manager, just not one who works at St. Nicholas. Instead, the case is transferred to Adoption Subsidy at the Department for Economic Security. Adoption Subsidy MAY cover allowances and health care for the child. However, the CHILD MUST be PRE-DETERMINED as eligible for the program; this is a topic the St. Nicholas case manager discusses with the family.