[azhellos]

Before I start I know I am just whinning, but how long did it take to get your first foster placement after being licensed. My whole process has been a mess. first my licensing worker kept having family problems so they took about a month off. That is ok but I was hoping they would give me to somebody else then. When I did get licensed it took a month to get a family specialist. I had to call and ask for one. I think I might have a bad rap at the agency now.
I went out and bought all kinds of stuff to make sure the house was ready for kids. Once again it isn't the money it is I am ready to have kids in the house.
But I do not have a placement yet. They keep talkng about the number of kids in the system and their isn't enough foster homes. but I have 3 open slots and no children. I have been called 10 times but no children yet. Don't get me wrong it is all for the children so if they are safe, loved and happy I am ok with that.
I contact my worker several times a week. Please tell me what I should be doing now.

[mimberly]

Ir really depends. My adopted son who just turned five was our first foster child. We were licensed in March and he was born in May. We have had 45 kids in the last five years but it just depends we can take 5 foster kids and we have three spots as well right now.
I know how you feel because I still feel that way. If we are going to foster I want kids. I have known foster parents in my area that still didn't have kids after a year.
I always try in my area to know homes that have spots and if I can't take a child I will give the worker other people's numbers.

[azhellos]

How do I go about finding other foster parents in my area? I am on several web blogs and I read and post but since I work full time I can't do anything that they do during the week. I really want to do what ever I can to get started. I do keep in constant contact with my SW. I keep hearing people that know about children that are going to be placed how do they find out about this before they get placed. I would like to know how to do this adn put my name in.

[marthavmommy]

In my city they have monthly meetings of our local chapter of Foster and Adoptive parent meetings. It also counts towards our 8 hours of training we each have to have each year. I went to meetings before I was officially licensed. THe first meeting I went to I sat next to a woman with a baby girl. She turned out to be the person who told us about our foster daughter even before we were licensed. Baby girl was in a temp foster home because birth mom was supposed to get custody of her in the residential treatment center and she fled the program. So the temp foster situation wanted her moved. Because I got out there and networked we were lucky enough to get custody of her. Since we knew we wanted to adopt, at least we had some idea that we had a chance of adopting her.

[loving2foster]

I almost Always keep 2 infants....I have a 6 day old and an 8 week old right now....I get them straight from the hospital or if I have a few days inbetween I take them under 4 months for a few days if they get in a bind....I let every person I know in placement even the supervisor that I have a vacancy....Try that....

[twinflana]

I was licensed in March of 2006 and had a placement within a week. I called placement as soon as I knew our license was approved. Whenever I have a child leave I call placement tell them child left and have opening (if I do) I am licensed for 3 and have 5 right now. 90% of the time I am overcap. In the 14 months we have had our license I probably have only been under our quota a few weeks. But I live in a major city and I take toddler's which it seems so many do not want. I also am open to any sex, any race.