[kbs4dws]

My husband and I are interested in adopting 1-2 children, 7 years or younger and have found several possible fits both in our state of Ohio and Oregon. I have been told that we have to take the 28 hours of foster/adoption classes before we can do the homestudy. Is this true, or is this just a rule of public/county department of children services??? We are trying to figure out the fastest way to go about this. Some counties have a 6 month plus waiting list just to be able to start a homestudy. This seems really long to me.

Would it be better if we tried to go with an agency???

Does anyone have any positive or negative opinions on public or private agencies?

And does anyone know if the classes are required for agencies???

Thank you for all the help and info.

Dazed and Confused

[MrWesley]

I'm posting to get this to the top of the page again so it will get a little more attention. I'm in a very similar situation, and I'm completely lost as to what the steps are in adopting from the State of Ohio.

[dreamangel]

Hi there,

we just went through the county and yes we had to take the classes, which are the most informative classes you wil lever take when it comes to background information of children being adopted from the system. A lot of imformation but in my opinion not enough but in time I guess I will learn the stuff that wasn't told. I am not sure if it is mandatory but I found a lot of agencies to have these classes as part of the process.

Private agencies for us anyway was just way to expensive and county means there is a chance the child you get may not be your forever child as reunification with birthparents or family relative is the main goal with the county. I guess for us it is a risk we are willing to take cause regardless of the child being our forever child at least we will give him or her the love they deserve until whatever the system decides is their destiny.

Its a long road and nothing is done quick with either private or public but if u are in it for the child then it will be worth it for you, I know it will be worth it for us.

Hope this helped. Good luck in your journey

[susieq62]

I highly recommend going County, private agency's are to expensive and they will do very little to help the child. Every dollar saved is a dollar toward the raising of the child later. There are subsidy's through the County's and they will take care of all legal fees where as the privates you pay all legal fees and no subsidys available. We have adopted two children through County and it has been a very good experience and they took care of all the cost per the adoption. Private agency's just stop short of the selling of children. As any parent would you will do anything you have to to provide for you child and a subsidy will go a long way to helping you provide. What ever child you get to make your own deserves all the help out there available. Private agency's will provide nothing. Both involve a long process and a lot of waiting but well worth the wait.