They are interested in us! They want us to come up to Tacoma, and read through lovelygirl's file.
Then, if we still are interested, we may even get to go meet her...meet lovelygirl in person!
lovelygirl.
Moving forward. Inch by painful inch. Trying to stay grounded, keep my feet on solid ground...no head in the clouds, no glossing over. I want this to work. I have to be completely and utterly honest...so that it can.
So far, there isn't anything that surprises me, or makes me scared off. You can't be a kiddo in the foster system and not have any issues...it's par for the course...they are in there for a reason. People who have lofty expectations get those crushed by reality. This I know.
No expectations. Simplicity at it's finest. Truth and honesty revealed.
moving forward.
So happy for you!! Is this how it usually works, that you do get to meet the child? Or is it different from state to state? We just had the orientation class at Oregon DHS tonight, and they make it sound like you don't get to meet the child before committing. That just doesn't make sense to me...
ReplyDeleteOregon does do the committee first. So, you submit on kiddos, then if they like you and are interested in inviting you to committee, they will send you more info on the child. This is not the complete file, (but has alot more info on the child than the profile you see when you are looking at waiting kids.) Usually you get to talk to caseworkers, sometimes therapists and sometimes the foster family too. If you want to go ahead after than, then they formally invite you to committee. They do TRY and have at least 3 families at committee. But that doesn't always happen! Anyway, IF you get selected as the family at committee then you get to read the complete file(s) on that kiddo/kiddos.
ReplyDeleteLovelygirl is from Washington state. They don't usually have a committee. The kiddos 'team' sends you the information, and sets up a conference call. I think they are fairly flexible on how they select. At this point we have not read the complete files...we are invited to go up and do that, then if we still want to move forward, we get to meet her!
Hope this helps!!!
Also, Oregon committee is like a little hearing. There is usually a panel of people, maybe 5, who will decide and the three families have their adoption workers there representing them. Basically, pitching for them! Each worker gets their turn to petition their family. Then they all talk it out and decide.
ReplyDeleteOf course you have the option once you read the file, and after meeting the child to still say no. It does seem odd that a panel of people decide for you, but it is the way that works best for them. They usually pick a back up family (we were a back up family for two adorable little girls) in case the first family backs out.
ReplyDeleteOregon is basically a full disclosure state. Not all states do it this way.
ReplyDelete