[sgtfirstwife]

We are presently with a private foster agency, but want to switch to the county. Right now we only have a certificate, as our agency has the license. Can anyone tell me how long the classes are and when are the next sessions?
Thanks so much. We hope to get more placements with the county.

[pechocha]

I think the classes are six weeks, you'll usually meet once a week. You need to attend an orientation with the county first, I will encourage you to call them to schedule the orientation.

Isa

[Mommajanet2006]

You also can't be with a agency and be certified with the county. So you will need to terminate your license with your agency. You can call any community college for their schedule. I took mine in Torrance every Saturday for four weeks. The instructors are really good there. I would recommend staying away from Pierce college, I did the F rate class there and it was horrible. I did the D rate in Pasadena and the program there was good too. I do suggest taking as close to home as possible, because you will learn more about what your area has to offer. Good luck!

[frida_94601]

Hello, I went through DHS in the State of CA, they where called Pride Classes, they where for 4 sessions every saturday from 9am-2pm. Good luck on your venture

[sgtfirstwife]

Yep we will terminate our certificate with the agency. We are just getting frustrated and hope to get more referrals through the state.
I called DHS and left a message about classes. Thanks for all the info.

[Mommajanet2006]

Have you gone through an orientation yet? You need the certificate to go to the MAPP class. If you try one place and don't get a call back right away, try another DCFS. I had to go through 3 before I got a call back, and then once the orientation was done, it was so much easier. Are you wanting to adopt or foster only? Good Luck, though the process can be a pain, once you have your placement it seems like time flies. Though dealing with the system can be a pain at times!

[sgtfirstwife]

We went to an orientation way back before we signed on with our agency, so we have to do it again. I did call about the classes and they called back. Seems they have more classes in Jan. So we will wait until then. Since we have a placement right now, we are in no rush. Plus by then we should know what is happening with our little one. We think she will be reunited though. We are wanting to adopt, but are willing to take a risk with an infant. We just are not getting any calls, but maybe two in the last six months. We hope to have better luck with the county. Thanks for all the responses

[vbandsf]

Hey, strong suggestion: after you take the MAPP classes, sign up for the UCLA Ties for Adoption. Yes, you're gonna be emotionally exhausted from the MAPP classes (at least, we were), but WOW, you cannot beat what TIES can do for you.

Our kids both received individual therapy and group therapy - our son's still seeing a therapist there. They provided us with therapy too.

They are willing to review any potential child BEFORE that child is placed with you. We received an analysis of our children, including potential future problems.

They did a three day psych workup on our son to determine if he had ADHD (he doesn't - he has anxiety disorder, different treatment needed).

All this was free to us - it's completely covered by Medi-Cal.

Good luck!

[Wisdom]

My husband and I are currently in MAPP training until December 16th. A person from TIES is supposed to visit our class on the last day, but I'd like to get a jump on things with them and find out if they have a schedule of classes already lined up for December or January. Do you have a contact phone number for TIES? I found a website for TIES but there's only a little information. I tried e-mailing the contact person they list, but the e-mail is returned each time. Oh, also, can you tell me a little more about the classes they offer (how long are they, can you take them prior to being certified, etc)? How old were your children when you adopted them? We'd like to adopt a baby--do you know if TIES will help with infants as well?
Any help you can give would be great. Thanks.