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The agency you're working with should be able to tell you how they do it, because every agency is different.
For instance, I've chosen to do foster care until the children in my care become available for adoption, then adopt them. But ALL foster parents with my agency are registered to receive emergency placements. In an emergency placement, all I may know about a child is his sex, age, race, and the absence of noticable disabilities. Beyond that, we take a chance, and we'll work our butts off to make it work so the kids don't have to move again. (But our agency claims they NEVER call a foster family about a child not in their age/sex/race/disability category. It says there are plenty of other agencies that might have someone wanting that child, so my agency doesn't ask people to stretch beyone what they write on the papers.)
If we're lucky enough to hear about an available group that meets our search criteria, we'll begin a rather intense matching time, including us reading their file, talking to their teachers, doctors, therapists, caseworkers, and current foster parents. We'll hear all about the kids and their needs and wants before we even meet them. If everything that we, the current foster parents, and the caseworkers hear seems to indicate a match, we'll meet the boys and they might move in and be adopted by us.
But that's just the way our agency works. Other agencies do it differently. (For example, you may not need to be emergency foster parents.) So be sure you find out the specifics from them. Good luck!
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