[jeany]

hi everyone, i haven't been on here in quite some time. a little less then a year ago my son's adoption was finalized. God! he is a beautiful three year old that i fost/adopted thru the state system. it was a long process almost two years from placement to adoption but i had some good case workers and no involvement with his bio parents that made things easier.

so i am interested in the fost/adopt processs again but i know the sytem has changed from two years ago. does anybody know if derrick bailey or joy is still running the program. can anyone give me the name and phone of the person who is in charge of the fost/adopt program?

thanks in advance and it really is worth all that we go through!

[leenab]

Have you asked your resource family worker? They'll have the contact information of who's doing it for essex county. I know our county stopped assigning the fost/adopt cases to a specific worker almost 1 1/2 yrs ago. Supposedly the fost/adopt program was scrapped, but it does still exist. Well at least there are fost/adopt children out there.

Our experience with our most recent son was that our caseworker had to update our homestudy since it was outdated. So you may have to get that done as well, if you haven't already.

Oh and congrats on your adoption.

[Tammi5143]

Just so you know, "fost/adopt" is not considered classified as such anymore. Basically, the term is now "pre-adoptive", although the word fost/adopt is still used.

No, Derrick Bailey and Joy Stanton are no longer running the program, that I am aware of. Last I heard (which was about a year ago), Derrick took time off to be with his family and be a stay-at-home daddy and Joy went back to school for her Graduate or Masters Degree.

Best bet is to contact your resource worker and see what they suggest. Updated homestudy, most definitely but from there, who really knows. You should be able to get this from your worker though.

Good luck!

[Tammi5143]

[quote=Tammi5143]

UPDATE - The following I typed wrong:

No, Derrick Bailey and Joy Stanton are no longer running the program, that I am aware of. Last I heard (which was about a year ago), Derrick took time off to be with his family and be a stay-at-home daddy and Joy went back to school for her Graduate or Masters Degree.

quote]

Derrick's information is correct, to the best of my knowledge. But it was Deborah Massey that went back to school for her Graduate or Masters. And Joy Stanton is with a totally different unit within DYFS now.

[jeany]

thanks leena and tammy for your replies. after i posted this i got a call from a case worker for a four day old baby boy. yikes! he was younger then i was looking for but the situation seems promising for a permanent placement. i have him and of course love him already but i'm more reserved then before. i'm older and wiser and know that he can be taken from me returned to the bio family. only God knows the future.

[vernellinnj]

Congratulations on your new foster son - enjoy him!