[jennifer62458]

I live in Ocean County. What is the usual timeframe between identified surrender and actual adoption taking place

[irelady10]

My child's bios signed an identified surrender in October 08 and I adopted him in July 09. It took 9 months...I think this is on the slow side.

[arubagirl]

I knwo that my Cs said it would be about 3 months after tpr... but now that mom appealed Cs said it can take from 12-18 months! I am in OC also.

[NJMama]

I depends entirely on how quickly your worker gets the "consent package" completed. A lot of it is just gathering paperwork from the child's file, but then there is also the pre-adoption physical that the dr. has to complete on the child, along with a current TB, lead, HIV test results, a physical for the adopting parents current within one year; fingerprints and background checks have to be done and current within I think 2 weeks, then there is the subsidy application and agreement that has to be done; a Pre-consent interview at your home has to be done where they go over all the background info on the child's bio parents and provide you with whats' called the Part B- child summary. 3 months is certainly within the realm of reason - 9 months is definitely on the slow side. My daughter's bio mom did identified surrender in October 08. They had to do a trial for bio dad which happened in February 09 but then they had to wait the appeal period. But literally as soon as that was over, we did the adoption because the worker had everything ready and waiting. Our finalization was April 09. Good luck. The best thing to do is stay on your worker and ask constantly what part of the package is still outstanding. Also, the court holds status review hearings to stay on DYFS back to make sure things are getting processed as they should. Go to those hearings!!!

[irelady10]

NJMama- it never occurred to me that I could go to the status review hearings. Thanks for that information. Can the foster parent be in the room during the hearing?

[JJemail1]

Hi Irelady,

Technically, no--foster parents can't sit through full hearings but they may ALWAYS exercise the legal right to enter breifly to make a statement. Reason being, following TPR, an abuse and neglect case (FN docket number) is indeed converted to a guardianship case (FG docket number). However, since foster parents do not become a party in the case until a petition for adoption is filed (which is a totally separate case), they are still subject to normal statutory guidelines.

In theory, the only full hearing one might attend with their foster child is the adoption finalization hearing .

BUT EVERYONE, PLEASE DO GO TO YOUR HEARINGS (starting from the first day of placement on) AND MAKE YOUR STATEMENTS--if you don't speak for yourself you cannot guarantee that any concerns or questions you have will be adequately communicated and addressed. Caseworkers and law guardians can be great advocates but nobody knows your child like you do, and as such, no one can represent them as well. If you're unable to attend in person, write a letter to the judge instead. For optimal effect, write a letter AND attend.

Best regards,
Jennifer

[NJMama]

Most judges will allow foster parents in during the status review hearings. Reason being - there are no longer any defendant parents who are part of the case. The only persons participating in the reviews are the DAG and the Law Guardian. So, since there isnt really any confidential information being shared, it really truly is all about where the case stands with the proposed adoptive parent (i.e. thats YOU - the foster parent). As a result, the judges usually let the FP's stay in for the whole thing. They only are a few minutes in duration. But its best if you go because not only can you share progress of the child and reiterate your commitment, you can also ask questions - so you can ask the Judge why the adoption hasnt happened yet. Funny, in that venue, the caseworkers dont seem to beat around the bush as much as they might if its just during a phone call or monthly home visit.

[msgypsylee]

My sons parents surrendered in March 08, adoption finalized in Nov 08. The adoption unit was in no rush.