Newly licensed and have a few questions

[mommy_mini]

I've been a lurker to this forum for a while and figured it's about time I introduce myself. I'm a SAHM to my sweet 3 year old daughter. My husband and I are so excited and ready to foster. We've done our 10 weeks of MAPP classes, have had background checks, physicals, fire inspection, home visits, lots and lots of paper work, references... I'm sure I'm forgetting something... and now we're finally licensed and on the "call list"!!!

I was so impatient and ready to be licensed and now that I am, I feel like I'm going crazy again waiting for "the call." I jump everytime the phone rings. I know I'm crazy to even think we would get a call this quickly, but I just can't help it. We're open to any race or sex, just as long as they're under 3-4 years old.

I know it all depends on the situation and the age range, but I was wondering how long after being licensed did you all start getting placements? I'm just ready for something to happen and I feel like there's nothing else I can do while we wait. How did you ladies distract yourselves during the wait?? I'm even dreaming I hear the phone ringing during the middle of the night (we're on the emergency after hours list as well.)

I'm so excited to be here and can't wait to get to know you all better!

[Polliwog]

I was offered placements before I was licensed and found out I was licensed a few hours before I picked up my first foster baby.

[queenjane]

I got my son about a month after i got my license. I just happened to call the agency and say "um, here are all my numbers just in case..." and they said "oh we have a baby for you can you come right now???"...he was three weeks old. (Finalized his adoption just before he turned 11 months old.) My next placement was about a year later, there was a glitch in their system and so they had me on "hold" that whole time, days after i had them fix it they called me about an 11 day old baby. Unfortunately due to a series of events that baby stayed in his current FH, and the very next day they called me with a 1 year old girl. I had her two months. A month after she left, my licensing worker came out, didnt realize i had no foster kids in my home, and the next day called me with a "one yr old boy" (turned about to be almost 17 months old)....that was one year ago and i'm adopting him (and his 8 yr old sister.)

It really just depends on your agency, your area, your criteria, and luck. Dont be afraid to be the squeaky wheel...feel free to call every week or two just to "touch base" and let them know you're still interested.

[MissinNYC]

We got our first placement in about 2 months. Most of my FP friends have gotten a call within a month or two.

As for your heart, it's hard. Just keep enjoying the peace and quiet and appreciating the good things about your family now, because soon you'll probably have some headaches (but good ones!).

[marsupial-mom]

We got a placement the next day.

Edit to add: we are open to any gender, any race, and some physical special needs.

Also, be available during holidays! Fewer foster parents are available during holidays so you'll have a better chance then.

[IncompetentHousewife]

When we went through our training, it sounded like most families in our area were waiting about 6 months. We got the call (an e-mail, actually) about the baby we're fostering something like 5 days after our license came in the mail. Since then we have received two more calls, and now I've asked for no more calls until the baby is older. That's probably hard to hear when you're anxiously waiting.

I agree with queenjane about being the squeaky wheel. I think my squeakiness is the only reason we have our foster son. It always embarrasses my husband when I check in with the workers about things; he's more the sit passively and wait type.

We're also open to any child younger than 4. When we heard that a local foster family had three siblings in their home and the mother was pregnant again and they didn't feel able to care for the baby, I wrote a long e-mail to our workers asking they consider us for the baby because we were local to the siblings and could allow them to see each other. I even went into why our family was an excellent fit for babies because of our attachment parenting, etc. My husband was thoroughly embarrassed, and it turns out the baby was already born and placed. But two weeks later I got the message about the baby we're caring for now. One of the workers I wrote to didn't think we would be interested in him (possible developmental delays) so she wasn't even going to tell us about him. The other person I wrote to tipped us off to this baby, and because he was from another county I also stopped by the office of his county's worker and talked to her about him. I think all the advocating worked!

[vxclayborn]

Our first placement call was two weeks after we were opened. It was the LONGEST two weeks of my life. We were told she was going straight to adoption and surprise, they picked her up the next day to give her to grandma who had an open case with DCFS in another state.

I waited another two weeks and we had our second placement. Since then, I don't stay open more that a couple hours unless I say I am taking a break (and you might still get calls)

I think I would get more calls but we only take 0-2 but we take extreme special needs, specifially micro-preemies who need a trained eye 24/7.

I agree with the squeaky wheel notion, but limit yourself to like every two weeks or something. The best way to get calls proving yourself to be a valuble member of the team and HELPFUL to the cw's and attorneys. Then, your name spreads like wildfire.

[mommy_mini]

Thanks for all the responses, it's great to hear everyone's experiences. We actually got a call today which I'm going to update about in a new post. Thanks ladies!

[marsupial-mom]

Originally Posted by mommy_mini

We actually got a call today which I'm going to update about in a new post.

so exciting!
Congrats

[mommy_mini]

It ended up not quite working out, kinda frustrating, but hopefully we'll get another call soon. But it was exciting to just get a call!