[Rhondanlorne]

Hi,
I know the classes are 8 weeks.How long does the homestudy and approval take?The trainer here said kids are waiting already.I live in Va Beach and there are over 200 kids and only 100 foster parents.I am so anxious about what all takes place.Would love to hear from anyone with advice.
Thanks,
rhonda

[alicia hunter]

It all depends on how busy the workers are and how much demand there is for homes at the time. I'd say 1-3 months after the classes are done you should be completely done and waiting for a placement.

[futureohiomommy]

I am a newly licensed foster mom in Ohio. It is a long process in Ohio. And it depends on if you are going through your county or a private agency. Private agencies go much faster but they usually deal with special needs. I began the process in January 2003 with our application. Our classes began in March and ended at the beginning of May. Our first homestudy was late April. We then had the rest of the homestudy visits completed in July. Our homestudy was approved Sept. 30 and our license came to our agency around October 10th. They called us in Nov. for a respite weekend placement and then a possible f/a situation that fell through in late November. We haven't had any other calls lately due to the fact that the children coming into care these days have been teens.

[alicia hunter]

Wow!! That is long. Here, MO. the classes and home study are done at the same time as to save time. When the classes are over all that is left is final approval. The ratio of kids to homes is very high here though, so they try to get done fast. I think it is around 10 kids to every 1 family in my county.

[Chellers]

200 kids waiting - wow. In Arizona, there are over 7000 kids in foster care/shelters. The licensing process took 6 months almost to the day here. I started the classes in July. Was assigned a licensing worker in October and had the home studies completed by November. The thing that took the longest was the safety inspection - we have ONE man for the entire state of Arizona! I began my journey on June 21st and received my first placement on December 24th. I wish you well as you start your journey and hope all your dreams come true.

[jolean12]

We started our classes on Jan. 7, 2002 and recieved our 1st placement the day we got our license June 7th, 2002, exactly 6 months....our 1st placement was a 1 day old baby girl who was born addicted to crack/cocaine, she is now 19 months old and doing great. There are over 410 children in foster care in the county where I live and only 100 foster homes, they fill you up as fast as they can.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Darci]

We went through a private agency here in WA to get our foster license. We applied Feb 14, classes in Mar, were approved and licensed Apr. 10. Daughter moved in May 20 (adopted Nov 24) and son moved in Aug 18.