[hidesert]

my hubby & i are interested in foster to adopt. we are in san bernardino co. i am not sure where to start. we also have 2 big worries. 1. last year our finances took a beating & this years tax return will show VERY low income. this was a tempoary situation & now we are fine but not on paper. 2. we have a bio son who is autistic & has behavior problems. we first thought of doing this a few years ago but assumed his behaviour problem would rule us out.3. we really want to adopt not sure we can handle the trials & tribulations of foster SO how realistic is it that we would have a 0-2 year m/f with minor problems placed wih us. impossible dreamin' here?? thx for reading..cs

[SheldeMuse]

The financial requirement is just that you can show you're supporting yourself, not in danger of financial crisis.

The San Bernadino County DCS web page states "You must have some way to support your family. California State Regulations require that foster families must be able to meet all their family’s financial needs. AFDC/Foster Care cannot be used as income for this purpose." (http://hss.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/d...r_Care/faq.htm)

The web page also answers "how to apply" and gives you a phone number to call for the orientation session. If it is like my county, the first one is about an hour, and more general. You can ask questions of social workers, they may have an experienced foster parent speaker as well. They give you the "road map" to how to get into the system, what training sessions you'll go to, etc.

As for the question about your son's autism, I would personally hope that would help show you're up to this! One way to think about it is that "the system" wouldn't hesitate to try to talk you into taking a child with serious needs even if you had no experience... and if that worked out, they'd be happy to give you a 2nd! I'm just hopeful they will do what makes sense for you.