Enhanced adoption assistance is intended to reduce financial barriers to adopting certain children who meet both of the following criteria:

• They would otherwise age out of foster care without an adoptive home.
• DFPS has determined that they are likely to remain in paid foster care until age 18.

This is not another tier of adoption assistance for all children who have high levels of care. Many children with high levels of care would have been or will be adopted without enhanced adoption assistance.

A prospective adoptive parent who is willing to adopt the child without enhanced adoption assistance is not eligible for enhanced adoption assistance. However, if the prospective adoptive parent insists on delaying the adoptive placement for the purpose of qualifying for enhanced adoption assistance, DFPS may seek a different prospective adoptive placement for the child.