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Weets,
I live in LA and I am adopting a second time through foster care. You can go through the foster care training, get certified, and tell them you only want children placed that are legally free. Yes, your wait will be longer. Reunification in fost/adopt placements are low because DCF is only placing children they feel have a very high, over 90%, probability of being adopted.
My son came home at 5 days old. He is black. All known family members had been contacted before he was placed with me to see if there was any interest in taking him and they all said no.
What factors contributed to him being placed in an adoptive home instead of a foster home?
He was birth mom's fifth child.
Birth mom hadn't followed through on any of her previous case plans.
The two children born before him were also adopted, by non-relatives.
While my son's adoption took much longer than predicted, I never once truly feared he would be taken from me.
My daughter was placed with me at eight days old this past Christmas season. We have a hearing in May to terminate parental rights. The judge terminated reunification services for her birth parents in January. So if everything continues to go well, and I pray it does, her adoption should be finalized before fall.
With every adoption, there is a risk. I think if you work with a good private agency in CA, they will do their best to place a child with you whose case best fits your family. Through both my adoption processes, my SWs said no to situations due to the legal risk for me. And when both my children were placed my SWs told me they felt these were the best situations possible for me.
With all that said, dealing with DCF and the state can be draining so for my third adoption I'm adopting internationally.
Best of luck,
Yash
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