[Sabra]

Hello Everyone:

This is a new forum for all parents that are fostering a child in the state of Iowa or would like to. If you have fostered a child in the past in the state of Iowa and would like to encourage foster parents for this state you are welcome to post on this forum as well.

Please feel free to network about various aspects of foster parenting.

You may wish to share with one another about services available in your state. Helpful tips on transitioning a child into your home. Problems or concerns in which you would like to have perspectives from other foster parents. Activities that foster families enjoy. Vacation ideas. And any other topics that foster families may have in common.

Post and make new friends in your own home state!

[honorHim]

Any others in Iowa that would like to trade stories or talk about their experiences??

[MrsGroves1]

We are a couple in Iowa, going thru the Foster and Adoption training process. (we are hoping to adopt) We are now going into our 4th MAPP class and have been introduced to our home study worker. Oddly enough she's our class instructor. This has actually turned out to be a good thing. We still have yet to go thru our homestudy but we have it scheduled and are waiting for the day. One thing we are still a bit confused with is why/how some of our classmates already have children waiting to be placed in their homes upon completion of the class. We thought that those cases must be family related but found out later that they weren't. How does this happen??
Mr and Mrs Groves

[helton6]

My husband and I started our Mapp classes in April and Finished in June. We received our lic. after putting it on hold to make sure our family came first. We received our Foster/Adopt lic in Nov of 03 and here it is middle of Jan and still no word of a child. Is it a sit and wait game in Iowa or is there someone I can call to move the process alittle faster?

[honorHim]

Hi Helton,
I think in Iowa it depends where you are located. When we first started 15 years ago we had to wait and it was very hard. But it seems to not be so bad now. We are in Blackhawk County. Where are you located?? Sometimes it seems to go in spurts. You don't get a call for quite a while and then suddenly they call frequently. Your call will be coming soon, I'm sure. But don't be afraid to say "no" if it's not a good placement for you and your family!! Good luck to you!! Keep us informed!!

[honorHim]

Hi Mrs. Groves,

Are you going through DHS to get your foster/adopt license?? If so, they will set you up with an agency that will do your home study. If not, you could contact Luthern Social Services or I think Four Oaks to have someone do it for you. Contact your worker and see if they are arranging it for you or if you need to. Where are you located??

Good luck!!

[helton6]

Thank you for your support. We are located in Hardin County and it does seem like a long time to sit and wait! My husband and I have prepared our 4 children and the question every day is will a child be coming today. I hate to wait to other peoples grief, its all left up to GOD but I am here to help others have their family back together, our main goal, I guess no call is a good thing too!

Thank you

[hollisnick]

We completed our classes in June 2003 and were approved for foster care/adoption in August 2003.

I sent our homestudy to adoption specialist to surrounding counties around our area. I got a call to give RESPITE care to 2 little boys one week after the adoption specialist received our file. Then in September we were called to be one of the five families considered to adopt a sibling set.

We were picked!!! In Oct. 2003 our new son and daughter came to live with us.

I say be pro-active in attaining your foster/adoptive children. I was in contact with our agency weekly. GOOD LUCK! GOD BLESS!

[helton6]

We got our lic. through Luthern Social Services. And we still are waiting for the call. While we wait we are bettering our family and getting our quality family time in before a new member comes to stay with us.

The waiting is the hardest part of it all I think. The not knowing and the the antisapation is the hardest of all. But I know my day will come and my family will get that call, maybe today maybe tomorrow or next week but I'm hopeful the call will come

[beeba7597]

I know how all of you feel about it being a waiting game. My Husband and I went through the Foster classes back in 2001 and we had waited almost 2 years with no calls what so ever. When it came time to re-license we didn't. We are now getting the opportunity to get a child that is needing a loving home and we have to go through all the classes again. So hang in there. It will happen, hopefully not 3 years like we have waited.

[honorHim]

Oh my goodness, Beeba......where do you live?? Did you ever call DHS to see why you didn't receive any calls???

[beeba7597]

Yeah we called at least one a month if not more and we got the same thing evertime we called. "there is no one to be placed with you right now" so after a year and a half we just gave up. Now we have to get re certified.

[honorHim]

Beeba....are you in a rural county where there aren't too many children?? Do you also have your adoptive homestudy done?? I would recommend that you send your adoptive homestudy (if you have one) to Blackhawk County. You may have some luck there.

[Mysticah]

Iowa seems to be the "Hurry up and wait" state. We first completed all the necessary steps for older child adoption in 1996. We had no clue what we were doing. The class we took was all geared to foster parenting. Not adoption. We were a minority in the class. So we really had no clue. We sat in a drawer at DHS until a new County worker came in. She sent letters to everyone in the drawer wanting to know if they were still interested. This was 1998-99. We updated all of our information. THen out of the blue in 1999 I received a call about a 6 year old. We went to meet her one weekend. She came for a visit the following weekend. Then placed with us the following weekend! Everything happened in a whirlwind! She was adopted exactly 180 days later. We have been drug through the mud with this child for the first 3 1/2-4 yrs. After the honeymoon period, she changed. She was mean to everyone she came in contact with. Today is a fine respectable 11 year old! She is working so hard at getting and keeping friends! It is totally amazing where we have been and where we are! The first couple of years I was afraid to show my face at daycare and school. Afraid what I was going to hear about what she did to 'whom' today. It will be 5 years this July. We have finally decided to try state adoption one more time! We finished our MAPP classes in March and are waiting to hear anything back on our homestudy. It has definately been a rollercoaster ride. Until I found this forum, I thought we were all alone on this adventure! Most people adopt babies. I am so glad to see there are those that adopt older children too! Yeah!

[MelissaG]

Hi I'm back!
The last time I wrote we were going into our 4th MAPP class and were very anxious to be finished. Since then my husband and I have of course finished up the classes. It actually went by faster then we thought. We finished up the last week of March, we received our license the first week of April, and had our very first placement call the end of that week. Everything was happening so quickly. We were so excited to have been called but also alittle sad . We felt horrible to feel excited about someone elses misfortune. We were kind of taken aback; we were told that in most cases it took up to 6 months before one would hear back on anything but in our case it wasn't even 2 weeks. We did eventually accept the placement and both boys seem to have become fixtures in our home already. I know it's only been a couple of months since we started this but it feels right. It feels like this was what I was meant to do!

We are excited to be expecting another little guy this Tuesday and will keep you all posted.

Anyone willing to chat more please send me a message.

Thank you for listening, God Bless!

MelissaG