[honeyb70]

Hi! I am new to posting, but have been a guest here for quite awhile. I need to vent and get some encouragement. We started our process with DCFS over 2 yrs ago. We have never had a placement. I found a child in another state and asked our worker to fax our homestudy. I found out from the out of state worker, that we don't have a homestudy. DCFS confirmed it. Either our homestudy was lost or never even done!They said they could put a rush on a new homestudy, but I am so afraid it will ruin our chances for this child. The state goes to committee in 2 weeks. We have had our foster lic. since 2001 and no wonder we haven't a placement. My advice is to get a copy of your homestudy as soon as it is done. I did not because the state homestudies are free and I wanted to give the state a chance to place us before looking elsewhere. I guess this is how they can make sure someone really wants to adopt. You have to want it very badly to go through all this and not give up!

[trunks888]

Hmm.
Thats intresting. Now I know somthing to watch out for.
I live in the state of IL my self.

Anyways one thing that is alittle odd to me.
I thought in order to do the foster licens you had to have a completed home study.

Didnt they do one to aprove you off this?

If so that would prove to them one was has been done and better chance of finding it.
Thanks bye!

[kalynn]

honeyb, We never did see a completed Home Study either. I don't know if one exists, I can only assume it does. We were told that social services home studies are not necessarily shared with the individuals. I guess as it is the states expense (or in my case province) they dont want you to use it for another agency or privately. We were, luckily, blessed with the placement of a child 3 years ago and now waiting on a second. However, you do bring up a good point and I would think with Freedom of Information laws now that you would certainly be entitled to minmally see or have a copy of the home study. Good luck, Kalynn

[Peggy]

I did not get a copy of my homestudy, but I did get to look it over. I checked for misinformation and to see if I wanted to add anything. I am however, not from Illinois.

[Judilyn]

I am sorry that it has taken so long for you to get a child placed in your home. It's sad because there is a need for foster care. That was very unfair to you!!!

We did have a homestudy completed but we never saw a copy of it nor did we ask to see it. It took about a year for us to get our first placement. Up until that time I did respite care to give other foster parents a break. The reason it took so long was because we were very specific about our wants and stuck to our guns as to what would work for our family. Oh, I could have had kids right away if I wanted to take the 16 year old who had a history of starting fires. (Thank God that there are those who are willing and gifted in this area)

Anyway your DCFS office has a head administrator/supervisor did you reprt this to him/her. If you do not get anywhere with that he or she also has a supervisor that you can talk to. Sometimes with fostering you just have to be the squeaky wheel, you do it for the kids so that they get what they need.

God Bless
Judilyn

[belleiniowa]

Hi, I'm not from IL. but I find it hard to belive that this is going on. You have the right to a copy of your home study! It may be free to you but your tax dollars are paying for it! There may be all sorts of mistakes or just the wrong emphasis placed on certain answers that gives a meaning totally different than that wich you meant to protray. Insist upon a copy! Offer to pay if needed. (Although it most certainly should not be) We took a placement of a child who decided she would rather be left at home to party on Wed. nights instead of attending church with our family. The worker tried to bully me into letting her, saying I couldn't make church attendance manditory in my home. All I had to do was produce my liscense and show her where my husband and I said we would not accept a placement for a child unwilling or not allowed to attend church with our familiy. There it was and they had to decide wich was more important the placement or church attendance. If I didn't have the papers though I would have had no choice. It was important to my husband and I that our family life would not be held hostage in the system. So we spelled out exactly what was needed to be known by placing agencies.

All that said to say... You need your liscense!

[kmalay]

First off I am from IL and did a lot of research before I made my choice of using DCFS or a private agency to work with. We chose the agency because they did a formal homestudy. DCFS does not do a formal one. It is just very limited information. Enough to send to another agency/state to interest them, but they will need more info. As to receiving a copy of your homestudy from what I have been told most agencies will let you review it, but they will not give you an official copy of it because they first off don't want it taken to another agency since you did not pay for it(most state associated agencies do them for free here) and they don't want you to send it out yourself. This was a big fight with my agency so I just called and harrassed them until they sent it out to the state I wanted it to go to. They knew I would be following up on it. What I would suggest doing if your information has not been completed in time for the staffing is send a letter describing you and your family, community etc..... along with a copy of your license. If possible try and get something from your worker too. See if they will accept that with the understanding they are redoing your "homestudy" Good luck

[AKAT]

We are also from Illinois and we did not get a homestudy with our foster care liscence. We initially were going to do foster care only and we received our foster lic from Catholic Social Services. After we recieved very few placement prospects from CSS we switched to DCFS. After we decide to adopt our foster child THEN they did a home study. It was very basic and only a formality. We have adopted one foster daughter and we are going to adopt our foster son on the 25th of this month (YAHOO!!!!!) He has been with us 33 months and he is almost 36 months old. We also have a current placement who will be going for termination of parental rights in October. We will be adopting her after that. DCFS has helped build our family though it has not been an easy ride. Good Luck and don't give up! CB

[hockeycoachmomo]

I fostered and adopted in IL and our caseworkers never, ever even mentioned a homestudy. I'm assuming, now, that we had one, or we wouldn't have been able to adopt, but I really have no idea.

I found that the best thing to do when working with any agency, private or DCFS, is to ask TONS of questions and verify everything, more than once.

You child/children is out there, don't give up!

Michelle

[honeyb70]

Just giving everyone an update on our situation. I sent photos and a letter to the other state's case worker. We also had our foster info. faxed. We will be allowed to be presented at the selection meeting in 2 weeks. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! DCFS has put in a referral for an expediated homestudy, however our worker did not know who will be doing it or any phone numbers, so we just have to wait for them to contact us. I am really uncomfortable with the lack of communication.

[Judilyn]

YES I agree. That is the one thing that was so frustrating about working with DCFS was the lack of comunication!

Judilyn

[datazmom]

We did kinship foster care for our nieces and the initial homestudy was basically a walk through of our home and a short visit with us as a family and ask my bchildren did they want to bring in the little ones to live with us. we were approved and took classes and were fingerprinted and osbi background checks done on us . Then they came to live with us almost 4 years ago and we thought it was to be temporary. Due circumstances with the BP's it has become permanant. We had a complete homestudy done and had to give them information about my childhood , his childhood and both our parents and basically a life history. Then the girls and my youngest son 11 at the time were talked to briefly and asked what was the best thing about living with this family? We got a copy of our completed homestudy , which in Oklahoma is contracted out to a private agency through the state, about a week after it was completed and then signed the forms that it was true to the best of our knowledge and complete. It was forwarded to our adoption specialist and we secured an attorney . She drew up the petition and we signed it Aug . 12 . It has not been filed yet because DHS is still dragging their feet at getting their paperwork to our attorney to add an amendment to court records allowing our files to be added for judge to review before an adoption hearing date can be set . The attorney did say that the hearing should be in 30 to 45 days . It has been a roller coaster ride and we are on needles and pins waiting for a court date. But best advise I have is get a homestudy done and get a copy for your files and make lots of calls and bug everyone for answers and get second options about everything and when in doubt contact an attorney , most give free first consults even if you do not use their service for the adotion they will answer your questions.

[BrandyHagz]

Wow

I didnt realize that your homestudy included information about your childhood and such..


Why...?


What if your childhood was hellish? What if you had horrid a-parents that didnt care about you one bit. Would that make you a bad parent?

This opens a can of worms for me...and my husband. We both had very harsh childhoods/young-adulthoods. But that doesnt have any barring on our parenting skills.

What kind of "childhood" questions did they ask?

[Peggy]

It doesn't have to work against you. If you have an understanding of what happened in your childhood, it can make you more empathetic to any older children you may adopt.

[datazmom]

She asked us who our parents were , where they were married and when. She asked who our siblings were and yes she asked about our relationship with our parents and siblings. I dont know that it has a bearing on the case . She did not ask about abuse issues or anything like that .
My husband had a rocky childhood and was not with his family for many years , he was a foster child for 7 years. His father left them and his mom could not take care of 6 kids and work all the time. He did tell them that by the way and we are adoting our little angels . We have had a great marriage and done a great job raising my own 4 kids for the last 9 years and that accounted for alot. my husband does not have a close relationship to his brothers or his sister either . They are somewhere in Indiana, we think . But Mike is the best dad in the world and my soul mate and best friend , so his past did not effect him in a bad way, maybe made him a better man for it.
My childhood was not perfect but I had a good relationship for many years with my father until his death. I hope this is some encouragement for you . Not all people with problems in their childhood are bad parents . We aren't and im sure you wont be good luck and I do wish you the best .