[davisgaskin]

I have a question. My dh and I have been foster parents in Indiana for about six years and we are in the process of adopting
one of our foster children. We are very interested in adopting more foster children but we are foster parents through a private agency and they do not get many adoptable children. We have made inquires about children on the Indiana adoption web site but we don't usually get even a response. Does anyone have any ideas on where we should go? Thanks for your help.

[HappyMomAnna]

Hello!

I am sure you have your reason for using the private organization! But you might consider the Social Services route! I know how this can send a chill up the spine but, with your experience I would imagine they will treat you very well.

That is the only idea I have really--if your are wanting to provide Foster care before deciding to adopt. If you are willing to take sight unseen then there are many ways to have your homestudy sent to other states but, this is committment first without Foster usually so only you know the risks you would be willing to take.

[Jonsey]

We are also in the same situation, but we are fps in our county, and it still seems the same way as private. We have been wanting to adopt for 2 1/2 yrs and so far no luck. I have also been interested in children on the Indiana web site but have had no luck at that either. We are even wanting to adopt older children which you would think would be a little easier. We currently have a 1yr old that we are sending home in April, and I don't think I can take the heart break anymore, so we are going to take adoption only placements. I have also sent my home study out to different counties in the area, but most of them either never called, or called to tell me that they do not place children out of their county. I wish I could help. Good luck, and I will post if I find the answere.

It sure is nice to see that Indiana Foster parents are active on this board!!!!!

[preed]

If you are approved to adopt Special Needs children, then check the map to see who handles the county of the child you are interested in. Then you can get directly to the right person with your interest. The map is the last page on the Indiana Foster Care/Adoption site.

[davisgaskin]

Thanks for all the info. It is very frustrating to me that there are so many kids out there that need homes yet with all the red tape you have no chance. We are waiting on our court date to adopt our 10 year old foster son. So when I saw a posting of a child from his home county placed on the Indiana adoption web site I decided to contact his adoptin specialist. She informed me that the child I had inquired about even though he is listed on the site really isn't available because the county wants his foster home to adopt him but because the laws being what hey are the county post him on the site just to follow the laws. It would be different if they at least stated on the site that a possible home has been found like other states do. The other thing that frustrates me is that we had a child who was extreme special medical needs we had this child for about six months after we went to the adoption interview we where told that the child needed to be in a home that had a parent with a medical back ground. That in my opinion is so stupid since we already had the child and proved that we could care for her. She was never listed on the web site which just shows me that there are lots of kids that noone has a chance of adopting unless you just happen to be lucky. SOrry to carry on so much I am just really close to giving up on the whole thing. I love foster care but I am not sure that it is worth the heart ache.

[HappyMomAnna]

I don't understand the whole thing either? Sometimes I just sit here and scratch my head and wonder how some things get so out of hand?

There are a lot of children who do not make the lists. There are so many reasons I can't even start to write about it....Here in Oregon the foster families have to take a legal step before they can be considered as a relative placement otherwise want to adopt of not they face the same process as an outside family with interest?

We were able to 'ask' that the new baby our childrens sibling be placed with a family that had been waiting for at least a year and was willing to have some 'adult' contact with us in the future. We didn't want the baby in and out of foster homes and we know there are so many families wanting an infant....so he was never really listed the caseworkers just gathered homestudies and called the interested families without 'marketing' (sad word) him.
Of course, we havn't heard anything and have no idea where he is today? It breaks my heart--we should have said, 'yes'

I guess they just do what they have to do to get the children placed and cross all the "t's" and dot all the "i's"

On my list of questions for God when I met him will be--how did placement get so crazy?

[davisgaskin]

I really wonder sometimes if going back to orphanages would be tha bad of an idea.

[Jonsey]

I can't help but wonder the same thing myself. After spending soo much time looking to adopt in our state ( over 2 yrs) we would just turn to international. I have also gotten the same responce about some of the children listed on the web sites that are not even available, but by law they have to list them. I do know that being a foster parent can help if you know the right people and you attend all the support group meetings. It gives you a chance to meet other people that might know of adoptable children, but if you are from a small county like my hubby and I, it really doesn't help much at all.
I hope we all find the child or children we are looking for!

[davisgaskin]

Well I know it has been a while but I am finally getting some answers and thought I should share them. First is that most of the adoptable kids are never listed on the web site because most of the counties adopt them out to there own foster families. Second is there is a monthley SNAPS meeting in Indianapolis where all the counties who do not have foster familes who are interested in adoption bring profiles on the children and present them to everyone there. So that all the county reps can present the children to the potential adoptive families that they think may be interested. ONLY after they do that and they still don't get anyone interested do they put them on the web site. Any county or private agency can send a rep to the SNAPS meeting but it is not required unless they have kids they can not place within there own homes. I have contacted my local county but so far no luck. However It looks as if we can do foster care for both our agency and the county at the same time. So we told the county we are interested in infants and they said it should be no problem to put infants with us as foster children. We are hoping that will lead to possible adoptions.[IMG]Peanuts Gang[/IMG]

[Christy33]

After reading all that i've read you people really are discouraging to someone new. Is it really that hard to adopt a foster child? Christy.

[HappyMomAnna]

Christy33--The children who are in Foster Care and waiting to be adopted or who will be placed into a Foster Home that is open and interested in possibly adopting a child in thier care, Have been through a huge loss--usually neglected, abused and often born drug affected.....These children have been hurt in nearly every case and NEED strong parents willing to do whatever it takes in order to find services and help them heal.

It needs to be difficult to get to a point where a child is placed for adoption.... Many people do not understand that those of us who do adopt these children do not simply drive down to the social services office and pick them out.... YES--it is a long and rough road to get to a point where a family is approved to adopt a child from the Foster Care system....and families who choose to go Foster to Adopt do often have several children placed before a child can be adopted.

The NUMBER ONE goal of the state is to work toward reuinification with the biological familiy member---period. Any person interested in becoming a Foster Family needs to hold this fact in their heart and understand that this is the NUMBER one thing....

If a child's caseplan is changed to adoption the State is only interested (or should be) in finding a Family for the child....The state is NOT interested in finding children for Families...

The training, and homestudy process needs to weed out the weak of heart---and the waiting and long road is partly desinged to insure that the HURT children find themselves with parents who have worked hard to have a child placed.... While this route is long and difficult the cost is usually Free and in some cases the children who have special needs recieve a subsidy until age 18.... Adopting a child from Foster Care is more then a good thing on the part of the parents....It can be painful and long and the parents must be able to cope with and meet the needs of children who in most cases have suffered some unspeakable pasts....

[L-A-J-C-R-C]

Very well said Anna!!

The only thing I would like to add is that, if you are a foster parent and are willing to adopt the child should he/she become available then, even before a child's plan is changed from reunification to adoption, it is your responsibility to be sure you have done all that is in your power to help this family be reunited, even if you don't feel it's in the best interest of the child.

Michelle

[Christy33]

Either I say things wrong or people take me wrong. I was referring to the post wrote saying that they have waited 4 years, the other waited a few years backed out then back in. I'm not discouraged one bit. That post was said more out of come on people give the good points on occassion.
I don't need a lesson here. My mother was a foster parent so trust me I know the long hard road.
Have a nice day. *S*
Christy.

[HappyMomAnna]

Christy--sorry that I missunderstood your intent. You are right some families do wait a long time--other families seem to have placement very fast....Sometimes it is just a matter of luck or something... Foster to adopt can be a real rollercoster...again didn't mean to make you feel put down.... Good luck

[Christy33]

I totally understand. I know there are so many people that do start the process and expect to have a child instantly.
I appreciate your apology. I'm sorry as well.
Sometimes o.k. alot of times I come across wrong. It's a fault of mine. I"m always saying things I shouldn't LOL..
Good luck to you as well and Thank you.
Christy.