Any updates for PA SWAN adopts??

Looks like you're moving along very quickly, Diane. Congratulations. Boston Beagle just posted in the Older Child thread here in the Pennsylvania forum that she finally got matched. Jim and I have pretty much given up on SWAN, I'm sorry to say. We're going with an international adoption and hope to have chosen our agency within the next week or so. Alison

I am really trying to remain positive with SWAN - there are SOOOoo many kids right in our own back yard. Hubby is convinced it is 'no problem' but I am not so sure. I would love to hear some more positives to keep me going (though the truth also keeps me grounded) Best of luck to you Diane

:) HI DIANNE, CONGRATS ON TO YOU AND YOUR HUBBY BECOIMG ADOPTIVE PARENTS! IT'S A BIG DECISION IN YOUR LIVES! WELL WE WAS LOOKING FOR A CHILD UP TO AGE 12, BOY OR GIRL, OR SIBLINGS! I RECENTLY CHANGED AGENCIES THIS YEAR, TO A FOSTER CARE AGENCY! AND THE SOCIAL WORKER IS WONDERFUL, SHE SENT MY PROFILE OUT 42 TIMES SINCE JULY, CALLS ME ALL THE TIMES WITH UPDATES, SHE IS JUST AN ANGEL! WE HAD SOME SOME FOSTER CARE CALLS, BUT SOME OF THEM REQUIRED A ULL TIME STAY AT HOME MOM, AND THAT'S NOT ME! I WORK FULL-TIME! WELL MY LUCK, I CALLED UPON THIS SIBLING SET, AND CAME ACROSS THE CHILD, WE INTERVIEWED, AND WAITING ALMOST MONTH AND A HALF LATER, WE WAS MATCHED! IM TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW,HAVE A GREAT SOCIAL WORKER THAT WILL WORK WITH YOU, SEND YOUR HOME STUDY OUT WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE ON THE WEBSITE, OR WHEN THE STATE SENDS YOU MATCHES! DECIDE RIGHT NOW, DOES THE POSSIBILITY OF LOOKING OUT OF STATE LOOK GOOD, REMEMBER YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY $2,500 FOR YOUR HOME STUDY, YOUR AGENCY WON'T SEND IT OUT UNLESS YOU DO USUALLY! WHAT TYPE OF CHILD ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? OLDER OR YOUNGER, ONE THING ABOUT FOSTER CARE, IS YOUNGER CHILDREN MAY BECAOME AVAILIBLE, BUT FAMILY REUNIFICATION IS ALWAYS FIRST! I NEVER CAN STRESS THAT ENOUGH! THERE ARE MATCHING EVENTS WITH SWAN, BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT! NEVER WORKED FOR ME! ANOTHER THING TO THINK ABOUT, DOES YOUR AGENCY LIKE YOU BEING YOUR OWN ADVOCATE? I STRONGLY BELEIVE IN THAT! MY AGENCY NOW DOESN'T MIND THAT! IF I FIND A CHILD ON THE WEBSITE, THERE IS USUALLY A PHONE NUMBER OF THE SOCIAL WORKER, I USUALLY CALL THEIR WORKER, I ASK THE FOLLOWING 1) WHAT KIND OF BEHAVIORS DOES THE CHILD HAVE? 2) ANY TYPE OF MEDS? 3) HISTORY OF FIRE SETTING, PETS, PROPERTY DESTRUCTION AND SO FORTH? 4) TYPE OF MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS? 5)I USUALLY CAN TELL IF WORKER IS A PERSON THAT FOLLOWS UP WITH THINGS IF THEY ASK WHERE YOUR AGENCY IS, AND START A CONVERSATION WITH YOU! ALSO REMEMBER THESE WORKERS GETS PROFILES FROM EVERYONE LOOKNIG FOR A CHILD, IN STATE, OUT OF STATE, AND SO FORTH! I HAVE CRIED MANY NIGHTS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME, WHY CAN'T I HAVE A FAMILY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, DRIVING MY HUBBY NUTS MY LOOK AT THIS CHILD OR SO FORTH? YOUR HEART HAS TO BE IN IT! 100%. dON'T LET ME SCARE YOU OVER THIS, THIS WAS JUST MY EXPERIENCE! SOME HAVE GREAT SUCESS! nOW IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A YOUNGER CHILD, I SUGGEST INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION, IF YOU CAN FINANCIALLY AFFFORD IT! YOU CAN TALK TO ALLISON OR JIM, THEY ARE LOOKING INTO THAT ROUTE, THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT THAN ME, I PICKED UP THINGS ON HERE! WELL YOU PM ME ANYTIME, I ALWAYS ANSWER BACK! BEST WISHES AND WARMEST REGARDS, BOSTONBEAGLE

Sounds like Persitence will be my motto! I did quite a bit of research before choosing our agency. Some of the biggest factors for me were A)Friends that have adopted through this agency successfully B) they do foster, foster to adopt and adopt C) They are about 15 minutes from my home. So if I feel like I am not getting answers or getting stuck in 'phone limbo' I can show up at their door for answers. I am also willing to shell out the $2500, we went into this without realizing that the costs could really be so low, so that is a small cost to pay. We are really want to stay with domestic adoption. We have a bunch of reasons, mostly we just really want to hellp a kid that is here. Secondly hubby refuses to fly. I did call one social worker when we were just in the beginning of this (and not realizing that you had to have the homestudy done first) about a girl that is listed on the SWAN site, the social worker told me that she was already matched, but 7 months later the girl is still listed. And I know we should have our homestudy done within 45 days, deep within me I want to hope that our first instinct that she was meant to be our daughter is right, but then logic and the stories I see here make me not want to get my heart broken. I totally know the crying at night! My best friends baby's christening was the day after Christmas, smiling at those events is a killer. We have been married nearly 11 years, we are 30 and 31, and really did everything 'right', yet, it's just not right. Whew .... Thanks for the info, best wishes on your match! Diane

I live in Alabama. Ok. So, I don't live in PA. Well, SWAN has told me that I need to look to my own state to Adopt since they are not in my area and cannot conduct a homestudy. Well, Alabama doesn't have a homestudy requirement for adoption? Uhh, they do for foster parents. So, why can't these agencies work together for the good of a child's future. Why should we have to go outside of our own country to adopt children? These kids are the future of our nations and they are making a children's market out of them and keeping them from having stable loving homes. Is there something really wrong with our system or what?

Ardith, may I ask why you want to adopt in Pennsylvania? As I understand it, some states are better than others as far as interstate adoptions go, and Pennsylvania is not one of the easy ones. You might want to contact the National Adoption Center ([url]www.adopt.org[/url]) to see if they know how you can do it.

Hi Ardith, I got a placement of a ten year old girl, and that isn't a guarantee for us, all we can do is give it a try! I gree with you about these children in the USA needing homes, but it's each own state system! Pennsylvania isn't a tablespoon of sugar, it all depends on your caseworker, is she dependable, reliable, answering your phone calls or returning them to you, sending your profile out with out hesitancy, and so forth! I really can't blame people to do international adoption, if you can finacially afford it, go for it! Either way it's a difficult journey! But I think it more difficult over here with paper work and so forth! And alot of people do international adoption because the prospect of adopting a younger children are more readily avalible! That's my opinion, Im sure people will disagree or agree. Like in my case We was open up to age 15, and still nothing , that was sad! Best Wishes in your adoption journey, Boston