[2qberrys]

Hello All! I am so glad I found this site! I have found alot of answers and experiences. They a e all so unique. My husband and I live in Pasco County (Zephyrhills) and have only just begun this process. We go to our orientation in two weeks. I have spoken to several people that work in the system and find it very complex and frustrating.

I tell myself one day at a time.

I would LOVE to hear from others who have had success in Pasco County and who can help me understand the process a little better. We would greatly appreciate it.

Please send me private message with your email. I just recently found out that placing your email in forums like this can get picked up by webcrawlers....and then you get loads of Spam!!

Thanks! And I hope this finds all of you well!

[Renee315]

We go on the 13th to the orientation in New Port Richey!!!!! How coool! Oh so anyways about people having success through the county! A girl up the street just got a call on Thanksgiving that there was a baby at the hospital for her, could she come and get her now! of course she said and the parental rights paperwork should be finished by the 16th of this month!!! She even got to name her!! She went through Hillsborough, but thats because she knew the person there! She has a friend who got three babies the same way from the hospital and is adopting two! Shes in Pasco and went through pasco! Im siked! I cant wait!!!

[vnanville]

Hi so glad to hear someone else from pasco is interested in adoption we live in new port richey any idea who we contact for the orientaion we are wanting to adopt too through foster care adoption.....THanks for your reply........Nancy and Maximo.

[ClearwaterFL]

Hi I'm in Pinellas County fostering hoping to adopt. We currently have a 1 yr old fd and 20 yr old bio-son. Anyone that has experience in this area, please contact me off the list. Thanks!

[reeseshaven]

HI I'm also in the Clearwater area. We did foster to adopt on 2 children. Our adoption went thur in Jan. we are now looking for another set of kids to join our family. If you would like to chat please contact me!

[Renee315]

hey you can call safe children coallition in pasco... the class startes March 1st....the number is brenda 727-456-0600 2211

[Voidra]

So great to see you all going through the process. Pasco only has 10 beds right now and we need more foster families. I currently have 7 adorable little ones(one adoption final, two pending and four foster) - there are challenges but I can't even describe the joy when I see a child starting to respond and smile and learn to be happy!!

I've been a foster mom for a little over a year now - we got involved with the system to adopt a little boy that I met during the making of a film. To make a long story short, it took us a year and half to get him and sometimes looking back now I laugh over how I would get so upset and frustrated over the process - but we made it through and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!!

My best advice is to just get through the classes and process of homestudy - keep smiling and keep a positive attitude. I promise it will pay off tenfold!

Love to all of you, Dorothy Famiano

[ladybird1980]

I live in the Port Richey area. We adopted our daughter through foster to adopt in Pasco. We had Judge Webb. I think he is just the best judge and everyone else was so helpful and nice. We adopted back when it was Family Continuity. Our social worker was absolutely wonderful. I am still involved with the Pasco Foster/Adoptive Parent Association. We have a really great association. If you can try to make it to the meetings. They have parties and stuff for the kids and you get training to be better as foster parents. I did get my daughter first as a non-relative placement while waiting to get my final foster parent paperwork finished. I can tell that the Safe Children Coalition/YMCA is trying to fix alot of the problems left by Family Continuity. They seem to be really trying to work with the fosterparents to make life better for the children.

[abcdefamily]

Hi! We're a non-family placement through Safe Children Coalition to an adorable 10 mo old.
We'll be attending mapp classes as well, so will probably meet you along the lines somewhere!
We actually live in Hillsborough county in Lutz, but our placement came to us through Pasco and I'm not wanting to leave them!!

Safe Children Coalition is great and have been very helpful and supportive to us.

Good luck!
Carolyn

[val1960]

Pasco is VERY frustrating!!!!! -- the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing -- you have to be a pain in order to get information and then they don't do it right. Lots of problems!!! And often the info they give you is not correct.
We have 2 half brothers that we started fostering 10 weeks ago - we have had to basically find most of the info ourselves regarding the services, what we need to do, getting reimbursement (which we have yet to receive anything yet and it is financially draining). Do as much research as you can - there is a great website on subsidies by state (someone on this forum sent it to me) - i will have to try and find that website for you may want to look through some of the messages. Hang in there - this is all for the kids.

Val

[val1960]

here is the website for state subsidies. very helpful info
http://www.nacac.org/stateprofiles/florida.html

val

[eaglefan]

Val,

We are on a short list of potential adoptive parents for a sibling group who are in Pasco County. They will be calling us this week to interview us and show us the child studies. Is there anything I should be aware of? Any advice you can give?

Thanks,
J

[sszknight]

hello, I live in Port Richey and am starting the process now. Who did you speak to about starting the classes? I called Brenda and it's now a lady by the name of diane and she hasn't called me back yet.

[sszknight]

When do your classes begin?

[val1960]

I took my classes from Camelot in Tampa
but my foster kids were through Pasco.
the older foster boy has just been TPR'd and we will now be going through a new homestudy with Pasco for the adoption.
Val