[tdrager]

A couple of questions:

I saw some potential matches on "adopt us kids" website. Our adoption specialist will not FAX our SWAN profile out of Pennsylvania without us purchasing it (for $2500).

1) Why is this?

2) Anyone know how best to fund purchasing our family profile from SWAN (Pennsylvania)?

2) Do other states pay for out-of-state profiles?

We have been searching for 6 months in PA for an older child with mild issues with no matches yet, so we're looking out of state.

[DianeS]

Pennsylvania paid for your homestudy to be done with the belief you would use it to adopt a waiting child from Pennsylvania. Apparantly they spent $2500 in manpower, document management, time, etc. If you had found a match in PA, it would have relieved PA of enough of a debt (the cost of maintaining a child in foster care) that they would willingly eat the cost of the homestudy.

You now have shown that you intend to adopt a child from another state, so PA will get no benefit from the homestudy they did on you, so they insist on cash - instead of a child off their roster.

Yes, some other states have what is called "purchase of service". If the other state offers that, it means they would be willing to pay PA what a homestudy normally costs in that other state. (Purchase of service is payable upon the finalization of a child, not receipt of a homestudy.)

PA must be one of those states that isn't willing to wait for the other state to get around to paying, and isn't willing to just take whatever the other state offers. They want *you* to pay for the homestudy, and if the other state offers purchase of service, you can negotiate getting the money from them - whatever they'll pay, whenever they get around to paying it.

It's a normal practice. Usually when you have a homestudy done, you sign a document stating how much the homestudy would cost if you chose to purchase it, and how long you have to look in-state or in-region before they'd give the homestudy to you for free or for a discount or let you have it at all.

Hope that helps.

[bostonbeagle]

Hi we live in Pa, we have been with SWAN for a year now, and just recently switched agencies! We decided to try foster care, family reunification is first, but sometimes the foster children are adopted by the foster family! We tried looking for a way to adopt out of state, and our former agency was the least interested. And we didn't have the $2,500 to buy our home study! See they don't tell that you that after you and your hub take all the classess, go through paper work, and home study and so forth! We looked at internatinal adoption, just not for a few years, so we decided on foster care! More paper work, but they came right to my home and trained us, that was wonderful! We finally got approved, and we are waiting! So with the urge in finding a child, I have devoted my time to a mentoring program with the youth, at least it calming my urge to be a mom right now!
As far for paying for the home study, you might find another agency that will do it cheaper, and do out of state adoptions. Some states if you get selected for a child, will put that in a additional expenses agrrement through the interstate compact act! Amust to read in the forum section, it is under Interstate adoption!
Well love to hear from you!
Im waiting too, and many others!
Regards,
Boston

[gretadip]

hi, we are in the middle of our homestudy with SWAN.. We were told from day one if we decided to adopted from other state we would have to reimburse the state our homestudy fee of $2500... Our case worker is great and told us everything...

I wish you luck...

greta

[tdrager]

Good news. SWAN has changed their policy. Now, they will authorize our agency to FAX our family profile out of state. Only if we are matched with a child will we need to pay the $2500.

The $2500 may either be totally reimbursed by the child's state and or would make up the difference.

I took some grief from our agency over this because our agency does not get reimbursed nor is chartered for FAXing and servicing prospective out-of-state kids.

After about 3 months delay, we had about 5 profiles finally FAXed out of PA, and I had made 100 phone calls based on adoptuskids.org listings.

There have been no matches so far, so I'm getting disenchanted with our whole system. For example, one of the workers in Texas said he had 300 inquiries on one child. This makes me want to give up.

[Lorraine123]

For example, one of the workers in Texas said he had 300 inquiries on one child. This makes me want to give up.

It is frustrating, but remember that one of the 300 interested families will be chosen. My daughter had hundreds of inquiries and 75 families sent homestudies. We were chosen. So, don't give up.