[aryn]

And my husband and I have made the conscious decision to open our home to children in need. My problem is though, that there is limited information out there as to how to proceed.
I have searched and searched and have no idea what I need to do to get the ball rolling.
The county we live in is very large and, with other subjects, have taken weeks to call back on a topic. So I am nervous that is the same place I would need to go through to begin the process. Is it through the Social Service department of your county?

We have two children of our own, and we werent done growing our family. Unfortunately I have had an accident that now prevents me from having more children biologically. Therefore we are going to open our home up to other children in need.

Thanks for any advice.

Alina

[Withay]

First, welcome Alina. We are glad to have you here.

I would recommend not calling your local DHS office. Instead, go down there and ask to talk to the person in charge of foster parent training. This usually gets things going faster.

You and your DH (dear husband) will need to decide on 4 people you would like to use as references. Talk with them and make sure that they would be willing to give you a reference.

Once you talk with DHS you will need to attend the next orientation meeting that they hold for new foster parents. At this meeting be sure to ask any questions that you have. Don't be afraid of sounding like you don't know anything. Chances are pretty good that someone else is wondering the same thing and is just to scared/nervous to ask.

Ask things like:

What size fire extinguisher is required by your county.

Is there a minimum square footage required for each child in the bedroom?

Will you be able to request a certain gender or age (you should be able to)?

In addition, ask any questions that you can think of.

If you are not comfortable going through the county/state you can check to see if there are any private agencies in your area that you can foster through.

Good luck.

[aryn]

Thank you for your helpful information. Sorry for the question - but what is DHS. Department of Health Services? So I shouldnt call the Social Security Department? Or is it the same thing?
I left a call with them on Friday, but I will plan on heading out there this week, if thats they better approach.
What is the typical timeline?

Thanks again - you've been very helpful.

Alina

[sparkle1908]

Originally Posted by aryn

Thank you for your helpful information. Sorry for the question - but what is DHS. Department of Health Services? So I shouldnt call the Social Security Department? Or is it the same thing?
I left a call with them on Friday, but I will plan on heading out there this week, if thats they better approach.
What is the typical timeline?

Thanks again - you've been very helpful.

Alina

DHS=Dept of Health Services....it is not the same as the SS Dept...if you were to contact them, they should be able to point you in the right direction..also your state web site should have contact/info listed as well....

[CaddoRose]

Here is the website for New York Child and Family services. This is the dept that handles foster and adoption.

New York State Office of Children & Family Services


If you do a web search for agencies you will find lots of them too.

[ginagee]

Every state its name differently Department of Children and Families,Administration for Children Services its all apart of the Department of Social Service I hoped that helped.

[aryn]

Thanks guys for the links and info. What is the average time frame of the process? I have heard, and read different time lines, from a couple of months, to a year. Which is more accurate?
Thanks again for all the help so far - as I am sure I will need more as I move forward with the process.

Alina

[marathonmom]

It depends when the MAPP or PRIDE classes are scheduled. This is my time frame.

June 2008 made initial call to DCFS and completed application.

August 2008 Background check and 1st visit to my home.

October 2008 MAPP training began (8 weeks) I also worked on my profile during this time.

Early Dec. 2008 1st homestudy visit. Next week is the last visit homestudy visit. Then I just wait for approval and placement.

One additional thing that may slow me down a bit is waiting for daycare vouchers to be reinstated. I work and won't be able to accept a child until this happens.

I hate to feel rushed (and was still a bit nervous) so I was glad that each part of my process was spread out over 6 months.

[sparkle1908]

Originally Posted by aryn

Thanks guys for the links and info. What is the average time frame of the process? I have heard, and read different time lines, from a couple of months, to a year. Which is more accurate?
Thanks again for all the help so far - as I am sure I will need more as I move forward with the process.

Alina

There is no answer to this question because it depends on different factors..such as the age you are interested in, special needs, openess to race, etc...you and your DH will need to research your agencies policies, decide whats the best fit for your family, etc before anyone can give you a time frame...some placements takes weeks, some take months and some adoptions can take years...

[aryn]

I received a call back on Monday and she told me they are really desperate for foster homes right now.
The next set up MAPP classes begin in March. Those are 8 weeks, and then the HS is done within 2-3 weeks from the end of the classes. She said a typical start to finish time line is about 12 weeks! Thats a lot faster than I thought.
So now I wait for March to roll around. Until then I'll enjoy the calm before the storm!
I also received a packet from the office as well. So I have some reading to do in the mean time.

Thanks for the answers and help.

Alina

[lovingheart]

Alina, could I also suggest some reading material for you in the meantime. Try reading Practical Solutions for Foster Parents sorry I do not remember the author and then the other two are by Katherine Harrison Another Place at the Table and One Small Boat Ms. Harrison is a foster parent who wrote about her experiences. The books made me laugh and cry. I also learned a lot from Practical Solutions. You may also want to do some research on Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) as a lot of the kids have behaviors associated with this. I love being a foster to adoptive parent and do not regret having made this decision...though it sometimes is stressful and your heart will break when you have to let go (we are losing our first foster baby within a week) but I would not change anything. A long time foster parent told us during our FACES class (MAPPS to most of you) that "Fostering is something you will love and hate" She was right. Good luck and remember that you are doing this because you want a child to have a safe place to be a child.