[vernellinnj]

Today I called to officially update my homestudy to Fost/Adopt. I received a call back within a few hours and I have a home visit scheduled on Apr 27 to meet with my Resource Worker. I am interested in AA/Biracial children ages 2 and under - preferably an infant.

Now it's time to be prayerful and wait..

[RandomReality]

Good luck! I actually did the opposite - I was ONLY going to accept parental rights terminated and then I decided to consider fost/adopt. Be warned though - some of the workers say they have been told there is not technically any fost/adopt classification anymore. But there is - just who knows what they are calling it now, with all the changes.

Make sure to ask the worker: "Is the plan for this child reunification or termination of parental rights?" My foster momma friend, JerzeeGirl told me that one.

Also, don't be surprised that even though you have told them your parameters, they will ignore them and still call you with all kinds of kids that don't fit your parameters. You are on a list. So they call. Just say "no" till the right one comes along. Good luck

[vernellinnj]

Thanks for the advice. I have actually gotten quite good at asking questions/following my intuition. Hence I've only had one placement and it went very well. In the end, asking questions helps the child. Its best to not accept children whom you can't parent effectively.
How's your placement going? I noticed you got a placement in Jan 2006. How old is he/she?

Good luck.

[Tammi5143]

Congrats on the quick turnaround time with the phone calls. Sometimes, it takes ages to get a call back!

Fost/Adopt is not officially "classified" anymore, but the children are still out there. Remember though, most children, especially infants, are going to be classified as reunification and not that of TPR. DYFS knows when they want to go for TPR, but it is not always a guaranteed thing.

I have adopted 3 beatiful children through the fost/adopt program and then adopted a daughter that was placed with me through foster care. Fost/adopt is risky, but well worth the risk, if you are ready for your emotions to run high and low. But then again, if you were already doing foster care, you already know about those emotions!

Keep us posted on your placements. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I am an advocate for DYFS, am a trainer for foster and adoptive parents, and also serve on the CPR Board. I may be able to offer some insight somewhere down the road.

Again, congrats!

[vernellinnj]

Thanks Tammi! I am sure I will come to you for advice (again and again).

I, too, was surprised about the quick response. I am in the Somerset/Hunterdon location.

[vernellinnj]

I met wih the caseworker today. I completed the "Type of child questionnaire" and had a lengthy discussion about DYFS, the process, etc. It was very informative.

For some reason, I believe it will not be long before my child comes to me. In the meantime, I'm asking God to protect him or her.

[RandomReality]

Wow. You have a caseworker. I had one woman who told me she was my caseworker back in December when I was contemplating adopting a little boy. But I have not heard word one from her since then. I called the other day (had to call three different offices to track her down) and got no call back. I feel like there is no one out there at DYFS helping find the "child of my heart" for me. I truly feel like the Gloucester County office is one big disorganized mess. Anyone have similar experiences or have any advice for me?

[vernellinnj]

Yes, my caseworker seemed very nice. I'm in the Somerset/Warren/Hunterdon office. It's the beginning of my adoption process so we'll see.

It's my understanding that all adoption matching is done in Trenton. Actually, I was told that once my homestudy is forwarded to Trenton, there will be an adoption caseworker handling my case, i.e. looking for a possible "match" (my caseworker told me she is not allowed to tell me the name of the Trenton CW). So, my homestudy will be in the Somerset DO (Foster) and Trenton (Adoption).

I'm hopeful...

[RandomReality]

I got inspired by this message board and actually e-mailed my caseworker. I tried to call but she had moved offices and trying to track her down was making me mental. E-mail was quicker. Guess what? She called me this morning. So, once again, I told her what I was looking for in fost-adopt. Meanwhile, I reminded the adoption people in Trenton about me because that is a WHOLE different set of people. And they wonder why they have trouble recruiting foster parents. However, I have been looking at it like a scavenger hunt or a video game in which I earn extra points (in heaven?) for making it through the various levels.

[vernellinnj]

Random -

Best wishes for a speedy placement. Let's encourage each other!!

V