[DoYaReallyThink]

UGH! Is it too soon to call and ask where our license is? We were told we would have them by end of July. I know it's just a few days over but it just seems like it's taking forever. I have so many people asking why it's taking so long and then asking if there were "issues" why we haven't gotten any kids yet. UGH!! We are foster to adopt and we had asked about a couple of the children on photolisting. How long should I wait before I call? I know they are busy and have a stressful job but we are so anxious.

Thanks!
Fran

[CaddoRose]

You could call and just ask about the status if you haven't heard anything from them in the last two weeks.

[onhazier]

I'm in the same boat. Still waiting. Also waiting for DCFS to respond to my status inquiry from a week ago.

I know other families in our PRIDE classes have already had placements for months now. I also know why ours was delayed (two families wanted teens were fast tracked). I'm just hoping the license is issued quickly so we can really begin the next step of actually caring for a child.

[hubbyswife]

When we were in the process of getting licensed I think I emailed the placement sw at least once every 3 weeks or so for about 6 mths.

I just would tell her we were wondering about the status of the license was.... she thanked me for keeping up to date and she let me know what the status was......so now 3 yrs later, she still thanks me for being organized... :-]

[kxl164]

I would call, you may be licensed and on the list but just not have your "official" license yet. We didn't receive our paper license until May, but we were cleared in March for placements.

[DoYaReallyThink]

*Sigh* I left a message. My caseworker is gone until tomorrow. See, we will gladly take older children. We said from 4 to 15 and wanted to adopt a sibling set or group. All we asked is that we at least have one girl as I do have oodles of things to will to a female and no daughters. My grown boys have no interest in my Fenton or Loneberger collections. LOL

[lhutton]

We found our license did not come through until they needed us for a placement. We finished the classes in June (or July, it was a long time ago) no license, no license, no license. We got a call about a placement the beginning of December. I said we didn't have our license yet. They said not to worry, they would finish the paperwork that day. You may be at the bottom of the priority pile until they need you.

[Boulderbabe]

Wow. If you were in my county and wanted an older sibling set, you would have had a full house within about an hour of the licensing meeting!

I hope this goes quickly for you.

[mamallama]

We started our journey in Jan and just got our license. It took us a bit longer because we had an agency change after our PRIDE training. I am kinda shocked that it seems to take most people about 8 months to get licensed, especially since we've heard about the critical need for foster parents.

Sorry to ramble...
I'd call to ask if it's been issued.

[EandDmom]

Originally Posted by Boulderbabe

Wow. If you were in my county and wanted an older sibling set, you would have had a full house within about an hour of the licensing meeting!

That's what happened with us. I called every 3 to 4 weeks also. They always thanked me because they had usually forgotten us. One time we were filed away in the wrong counties files and who knows how long we would have been sitting there lost. I say call every few weeks. Squeeky wheel gets the grease after all.

[DoYaReallyThink]

*SIGH* I just got off the phone with my case worker about an hour ago. She has been very busy and is just starting to "write" for our license. Talk about being bummed out!

[Boulderbabe]

Keep calling! You'll find out that the frequent-but-pleasant phone call is the best tool a foster parent can have.

My usual plan is to call once a week for two weeks, three times a week for two weeks, and then every.freaking.day until things get done. When very frustrated, I escalate to two calls a day. I'm never irate. I just call and sweetly say, "Hi, it's me, calling to see how things are coming along!" I leave messages. I send emails. I become an epic pain in the butt, but so sweet that nobody can fault me. Eventually they cave in and do it just to get me to stop pestering them!

[DoYaReallyThink]

Boulderbabe, I'll have to do that. I am starting to feel a little defeated though. I bet we are looking at another month. It's hard enough just waiting but now adding people asking if there is something in our past why we don't have any children yet is getting upsetting. We are so squeaky clean it is boring.

[bethy724]

Good luck w/ the wait-I got my lisence in April (& placement the same week) yet it was signed in January. It could all happen very fast after a slow wait!

[Boulderbabe]

Originally Posted by DoYaReallyThink

Boulderbabe, I'll have to do that. I am starting to feel a little defeated though. I bet we are looking at another month. It's hard enough just waiting but now adding people asking if there is something in our past why we don't have any children yet is getting upsetting. We are so squeaky clean it is boring.

Don't be defeated yet! You have to have a totally thick skin to do this job. Who cares what people say? Just tell them that like any bureaucracy, DSS moves slowly. That's completely true.

You'll soon find out that things that take normal human beings a day to do take DSS a month. Or longer. You can't get frustrated. Since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, you just have to keep squeaking and squeaking and squeaking. Eventually, like drops of water hitting a slab of granite, your persistence will wear them down. Don't EVER give up! Keep calling and calling and calling.

In the battle for our kids' welfare, we only have one weapon: our persistence. You have to grab on like a terrier with a ball, and just hang on and hang on and hang on!