[missw005]

Originally Posted by bange

So do the families usually only find out more details about the child AFTER they are selected? Or upon submitting their homestudy?

bange,
You know, I actually vented about this issue on another board. It seems really hinky to me.
When I first started out - 10 years ago (God, that seems like a lifetime....) - it was different. You would look through a book of waiting children, and there would be a 3-5 paragraph bio with a photo of each child. Sib sets sometimes took up 2 or 3 pages, depending on the size of the set and the ages of the kids (older kids, more info). When you applied for the child and sent in your study, you would get a longer bio - maybe 2-5 pages long (longer for sibs) with more details about the child - why they were removed, school info, medical & behavioral issues, etc.
Then, when the workers wheedled all the studies down to the top 4 or 5 families, you would then get the huge file - anywhere from 20 to 100 pages long. (the longest I ever got was over 300 pages, and the boy was 3!!!!!) Then you got a week or so to read it, then get back to the child's SW whether you were still interested or not. This would weed out more families - get the # down to 2 or 3 - sometimes 1 or 2 - and it would be a LOT easier for the SWs to make a decision, as the families had wheedled themselves down. (if that makes sense)

Nowadays, families know very little about their child before they are selected. J was a completely different story, but Q was typical. I saw him on the web, applied for him, had my SW send in my study, then got a 4 or 5 page report back on him when I was in the top 10 families. I did NOT get more info on him until I was selected - only then I did I get the big shebang.

It seems wrong to me, deceptive almost. And I understand there are privacy issues with the kids - but many SWs and states are NOT honest about the kids' real issues and I think it drags out the process even longer, let alone adoptive parents being "surprised" with issues they were unaware their child(ren) had.

On the other thread I mentioned earlier, one of the poster's points was that SWs are trying to get a broader range of families looking at that child - and that they may consider issues they wouldn't have normally (and realize they really can deal with them) once they see the child's photo and mini-bio.

Still, I think it's deceptive and trickery to say the least. IMHO, the old way was better.

Sorry that rambled on so long.

Sandy