[BugSkye]

Hi. Me and my husband have 2 girls 5 and 3 and we have been thinking about adopting a boy for a couple of years. We would like to have a child around our girls age so they could grow up together. We were thinking about going throught health and welfare but my husband is worried we will forever after have them on our back. Is it possible to get a healthy young child from health and welfare? Kudos to those who can care for children with special needs but I feel that we could not. I am worried about a number of things and were wondering if anyone could help. We cannot afford to adopt from a private agency. Even with the child tax credit that still means coming up with the money in the first place. We have bad credit also and I was wondering if this would effect our chances of adopting. Also we do not make alot of money. My husband makes twenty five thousand a year and I am currently a student working on a teaching degree. What income must you have in the state of Idaho to adopt? How long would it take to get a healthy child from the state? we would like a boy 0-4 maybe 5 and I was wondering if we should be looking at years from now or months. Also I was wondering if a child around 4 or 5 would be able to bound well with us. We have alot of love to give just not alot of money. Sorry this is so long I just have so many questions. We have talked to our girls about adopting a brother and they are both excited to get one but I worry that we will even qualify. We also live in a two bedroom apt and will be looking for a 3 bedroom rental house in January we would like to buy one but we have a bankruptcy. Are these issues that health and welfare looks at? and should I start the homestudy now in the apt? or wait till we move to show we have room for another child? Please help I am not sure if we should and if we even could adopt in Idaho. thanks

[lovestory]

If you are hoping to adopt through the state...they require that you have adequate space for a child. Also, for a homestudy this is the same. The home that you plan to be in when you adopt is the one that you should have the homestudy in. If someone moves after having a homestudy done, they have to re-do the homestudy. Also, there is a 2 person per bedroom limit.

As far as income goes. Your income will be looked at. Not necessarily what you make, but if you are able to pay your bills, buy food and clothing, etc. Everyone's expenses are different, and vary so much...they will look at your individual circumstances.

You should consider calling your local child services office, and present some of these same questions to them. Most states have information classes that you can go to, so that you can get the information you need.

Best of luck,
Stephanie

[BugSkye]

Is there a way to adopt privatly but affordable? We can pay our bills and certainly can buy food and care for our children. But we do not have 10,000 just sitting around. Our bad credit comes from periods of unemployment and other financial setbacks. We would really like to add a child to our loving, happy, home. Is there anyway to do this without going through the state or selling your soul? LoL Please help.

[HappyMomAnna]

It is possible to get a health child through the State. You may wait longer to be placed but, they do come up! Being in Idaho you may also want to look at the Northwest Adoption Exchange where children from Oregon, Washington, Alaska and I believe Idaho are listed. When were searching we found there were not as many children in Idaho so you may want to expand your search......... Also remember that any child not a newborn will be called Special Needs... I think they start that clisification at about 6-months. The classify them special needs because most people want a new born and there is more state assistance for placing an older baby. So don't let the title "special needs" completely scare you away.
As far as the state being on your backs that was one of my concerns as well.....who wants to be dancing with social services for the rest of your life???? The truth is if you do go through the state you will be involved with them until the adoption is final. After that the kids are yours like any other and you can choose how involved you want to be with the state. During the time you are getting your homestudy and after placement the State is the legal guardians of the children and after it is final you are
At first we didn't even want to take some of the benefits offered but as we have delt with the state we have found their involvement to be acceptable. Most of the children placed through the state are offered health coverage until they are 18 and many states offer what is called an adoption subsidy (money) every month. We at first thought we would want no part of that and felt accepting would mean we were tied with the state, however it has turned out not to be so bad.
It is apain in the butt to be politically correct by the states standards but, common sense gets us through it.
We adopted two siblings age 5 and 1 and they are both very healthy. There are of course some issues with the five year old and all she has gone through but nothing that is unexpected given her age and life experience. She might have some allergies, and she has some issues from spending four years living in a shopping cart but, overall she is bright and has every ability to grow up and lead a normal life.
If you do go to the state it will be called special needs and you will have to take all the training and be exposed to some of the very horrible situations, and hear about many problems you will not want to face.... There are people who will adopt the hard cases....the classes are to offer all ranges of what people might face.... they are scary, but if you are intellegent enough to understand and get as much info from the classes as you can you might be surprised how much more open minded you could become. When we started we were affraid of everything. We learned in the training that some of these issues are not as bad as others and we also learned exactly what we knew we could not deal with. By the time we started looking we knew what to fear and what to consider as acceptable for our family.
The states now a days will tell you anything the even think might be an issue and once you are looking at the children and asking questions you will learn how to read between the lines.
Again, there are healthy children and there are children who may have an emotional or social issue only. I always advise people who want a child under three to just keep in mind your process may not happen as fast.....but, it usually happens eventually. I have known people who were at the point of looking for the child and it took two years.... We were lucky in that taking siblings made our wait shorter and we found siblings who were very healthy and normal.

[BugSkye]

Thank you Anna for sharing, I am going to go ahead and try to adopt through the state after we move in January. I am expecting emotional setbacks but it is all worth it. My children are the best gift I have ever had and hopefully in a year or two we will have an addition to our family to feel the love that we all share I am glad it worked out for you. Your story gave me hope that maybe this can work.

[crick]

We adopted a sibling group of 4 from the state. They were 5,4,3 & 2 at the time of placement. Like Anna, we have had a very positive experience and wouldn't change it for the world. All are very healthy and yes, there are some challenges emotionally with the 2 older ones, but nothing serious. They are normal" in every which way. I say that because even bio children have challenges to overcome at times.

There are children who will have severe issues and other health issues, but there are children who will not, so like Anna suggests, the best thing to do is educate yourself on everything but do keep an open mind. Also be honest with yourself in what kind of issues you think you can handle.

I wish you the best of luck and stay positive!
Crick

[smstarr]

We are in the final stages of adopting thru Idaho health and welfare and the process was both smooth and efficient. We did however use a private social worker to complete our homestudy and the cost for this can range from $750 to $1500 depending on who you select. The department will provide you with a list of these individuals if you ask. We chose to use a private social worker because the state does have a back log and it will take about 4 to 6 months to get someone from the agency although it is less expensive.
Bad credit is not a concern, however your income is. They do look at your tax returns and take copies and all your expenses and our worker told us that finances can disqualify you. So if you pay out more than you make, this is not good. They are looking to ensure you have enough money to provide for the child without it being a financial hardship.
The child we are in the process of getting right now is 11 and his age makes the dept label him as special needs, however he has no issues, medical, physical, or emotional, so please don't let this label scare you.
When you go thru the homestudy process there is a long list of questions outlining the issues a child may have that you are willing to accept and your answers will narrow down they children you are willing to accept. good luck hope this helps

[dogncatkids]

Be sure to understand the "laws" and Department rules before accepting a child. Idaho is a little different and give DHW a lot of leeway in regarding to the waiting period of any child but especially those classified as special needs - the law indicates 6 months "waiting period" however that could be less for a private adoption or longer if adopting through DHW. Double check everything.

Also if you are considering a Special Needs adoption - start getting to know the Department staff NOW - and not after your heart is set on a child. You will also need to be licensed as a foster parent and take the 27 hours of PRIDE training. While it is a good training - not all caseworkers abide by the teachings. Getting acquainted with them now will help alevate (hopefully) any future difficulties.