Foster to Adopt (FTA): Answering questions and concerns

Since things are quieting down from the holidays I thought it would be a good time to give an update.  Derek and I have been meeting with our licensing specialist each week for about the last month and a half.  Each week we go over and discuss new things.

Topics covered in meetings:
background checks
paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork
foster care policies
can and cannot do's
quick home walk thru
testing fire detectors
personal individual interviews
preparing for completing homestudy
physical exam and tb test

Each week is brought with so much information we kind of just sit for a little bit after each appointment to reflect and take it all in.  There have been some things that have surprised us which I will write about in later post.  But more importantly, I wanted to kind of clear up some concerns and answer some questions we have been asked about adopting from foster care.

What is adopting from foster care?
          The primary objective for foster care is reunification.  Wanting to keep families together is kind of looked at as what is best.  This is a pro and a con because it actually means that children in the system can remain in the system much longer than they should be.  Adopting from foster care is a lengthy process and not the easiest.  In order for a child to be up for adoption (and we are still in the beginning stages here so will will continue to learn more and more), the rights of the parents need to be terminated.  In WI, parents have on average 15 months to change their lives around; but, we have been told that it usually takes about 2 years for parents rights to be terminated.  The first opportunity for adoption goes to family members as the goal is to always keep families together.  If nobody in the family wants to adopt the child(ren), the foster family the child is living with is generally asked if they would like to adopt as long as they hold a dual license (meaning they are a foster to adopt instead of straight fostering).

What country are you adopting from?
          Since we are adopting from the foster care system we are actually adopting children who are within our own community.  Because the county we live in has very little need for foster care we are actually becoming licensed in another county that has a huge need for fostering.

Don't get a crack baby.
          First and foremost, the number one reason children are in foster care is due to neglect, which is also the number one reason parental rights are going to be terminated.  In the county we will be licensed they have seen in the past children removed from homes due to physical or sexual abuse as well as drug use in the home; but, these cases are very rare.  Ultimately, Derek and I have the choice to say "no" to any child whose circumstances we are not comfortable with.

Don't get a black baby.
          First and foremost, we will not tolerate any prejudice or racism when it comes to our children or our family.  If anybody has an issue with us adopting outside of our race, I'm sorry to say there is no room for your judgement in our lives.  It may sound harsh; but, ultimately we understand that not all family and friends will be accepting of our children and we want to ensure they are surrounded by people who will love them and not judge them because of the color of their skin.

Just some statistics in our area for age and race of children in the system.

Let us know how we can help or if you need anything.
          This is a little more complicated to explain so please read stay tuned for the next post.

Hopefully, this update has helped a little bit.  If anybody has questions or concerns I did not touch on, please do not hesitate to ask and I will do my very best to answer.