adopting in arkansas

Hello!!!:) Just a little reply to your question. I think they will release your homestudy to an outside agency if you found a child outside of the state. Do not quote me though :confused: :confused: When we lived in Arkansas, and started our homestudy, the social worker encouraged us to look online for a child. He told us that there was no problem if it was outside of Arkansas. The only restriction was that you needed to travel to visit and bring him/her home. Good luck in your search :D

Your home study is yours. You paid for it up front.. They should have provided you a copy of it upon completion. If that is not the case, ask for a certified copy for your "records" what you do with it is up to you. They can not hold it and you hostage over a child. If they want to keep your "business" and sorry to say but that's what it is. buying and selling children :( then they will get thier butt in gear. My friends waited 1 1/2 years for their baby. They contated the agency for a certified copy. The agency reluctantly provided it, and within 48 hours they had a baby for them. Just a thought.

I too have a homestudy through DHS and I know that a friend was turned down when she tried to obtain her homestudy from the Department. I am about to find out because I will be attempting to request a copy of mine. Let me know if you get yours I will be interested to know if they are giving to to some and not others. Thanks. khoofman@earthlink.net

yes they will but you have to contact the other state and put them in contact with your case worker

Is anyone adopting in Arkansas? How has your process been? Does anyone know of any sib groups that are needing a home? Thanks.

I adopted two last year from fostercare and am in the middle of my last one right now. You can't talk about individual cases up for adoption ... But I do know that there are many kids waiting. Including many sibling groups. You will have to ask around...and maybe you can get some referrals. For example. There are 3 adoption workers over my area. Our adoption worker is way overloaded with 88 cases just for herself. So it may be slow getting things moving because they are so busy, but if you really show your interest...they may move things along for you.

My husband and I found a little girl in Virginia we wanted to adopt. The adoption specialist at DHS in Arkansas -- our state -- told us they they didn't want us to adopt out of state -- we need to adopt in our state and nowhere else. Well, needless to say, that was irritating. I emailed the director, because after that, they refused to speak with us. I must have scared somebody, because now they're calling and apologizing -- we also were tired of being patronized and talked down to. If you're looking to adopt a Caucasian child and you're going through DHS, I advise you to go another route. The Arkansas DHS isn't adopting Caucasian children out under the age of 9.

Nor do they like to place black children into white homes.

Well it has been almost a year since we first started on this adoption journey and I am feeling a little deflated. I am tired of being in a holding pattern. We did the PRIDE classes back in June, finished all the paperwork and submitted it in September and have been waiting for some communication from the state. In the mean time we went to an adoption picinic in Harrison and took First Aid/CPR. Finally got some communication in November (I made several calls). Tried to schedule a home visit in December but various things happened on both sides that made it not happen. Was told that I would get a call on January 3rd, but the day came and went, no word. :grr: So I called at the end of the day but the SW was out. I called again this morning but she is out till this afternoon. :grr: :grr: I feel like I am being a pest and I am about ready to sit back and let it go. :( Maybe it is because we aren't wanting to be foster parents but go straight to adopting (we have a highschooler with ADHD and big change really sends her symptoms off the chart and she can't afford to have the stress of kids coming and going in the house while she is trying to make good grades in highschool). I do realize that there will be 6 months where we will be foster parents but we won't have people moving in and out of the house.

I am at a loss as to what to do. I keep calling the my area adoption specialist but I am not getting a response. Not even "sorry we lost your paper work." or "jump in the lake". I have now called on the 3rd (like I was told but it was after business hours, 3:30, my hours are till 5:00 but ok). Then I called yesterday the 4th in the morning and the afternoon, she wasn't in either time. So I sent her an email too. Today is the 5th and I have again called this morning (she was in a meeting), and just now 2:30 (she wasn't in again). Am I being too impatient? ___________________2/05 - 1st call to DHS for information3/05 - initial home visit5/05 - Start PRIDE Classes6/05 - Finish Pride Classes9/05 - Finished turning in paperwork10/05 - FA/CPR training11/05 - Called for follow up12/05 - Tried to schedule home visit 3 times1/06 - Limbo waiting to hear from Area Adoptions Specialist

We turned the last of it in in Septemeber. But we know that almost 1/2 of the paperwork was complete in June when we finished our PRIDE classes.

Still no progress. I have emailed 3 times now. I did get a response that we should set up a time and she asked me for a brief review of our case. Nothing since last Wednesday though. Today I emailed the lady who did our PRIDE classes. Maybe she can help me figure out what to do next. It is just really discouraging. We have some friends who didn't start till October and are already getting thier final home visit on Wednesday. Of course they are going to do the foster care route because they want a baby.

I am beginning to doubt it. Or maybe it is just where I am from. I thought being in one of the larger fastest growing parts of the state I might sail through but boy was I wrong! almost 18 months later I am fighting to get my homestudy finished. The end of this month it will be 1 year since we took our classes. I am tired of jumping through their rediculous hoops and if I don't get some resolution by May 31 I quit. Why is it ok to use the excuse that they are under staffed for over a year? If I hear that one more time I will scream. Being understaffed is unexcusable to me any more. I don't put off paperwork sitting on my desk for 9 months just because I am busy, when someone calls me every 2 weeks it puts a fire under my bum and I do what ever it takes to take care of them so I don't have to deal with them. Maybe I am not being a big enough nusience? Is it normal to not even get a letter saying your paperwork in not done? Or not get a letter that they received your paperwork? At this point other than their assurances that they have my paperwork on the phone I don't even know if they really have it. They wouldn't even know that our physicals were out of date if I didn't tell them. (sometimes I am just so stupid) I am so angry at their incompitence and even myself. I am angry because I have done everything I know how to do without getting anyone in trouble and it just isn't enough. No more taking them at their word. I have called the head of adoptions in the state and I am giving the names of all the incompetants I have had to deal with. And I am not going to be stupid any longer if they don't know I am missing any paper work that is thier problem. I want my paperwork submitted to LR this week. Then if there is anything missing they can do an update.

Not true. If you foster a child that is avaiable you get the first choice. We adopted our son that we have had off and on since he was 5 months old