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Originally Posted By Lisa
We are relatively new foster parents in Alabama. 10 days after we were approved as Foster/Adoptive parents, we were asked to help with an emergency placement of a 14 year old girl. WHAT A BLESSING THIS HAS TURNED OUT TO BE FOR ALL CONCERNED! As with most the the couples in our DHR classes, we were interested in adoption of a younger child. However, during the class one of the instructors encouraged us "not to limit ourselfs". That is when we decided to become approved as both Foster and Adoptive parents. We are so blessed and pleased with our foster daughter. She has asked her birth parent to let us adopt her. We will see what the Lord has in store for all of us.
ONE WORD OF ADVICE: Contact Family Finders, Inc. in Alabama. They conduct classes to get you approved with DHR. In fact, they were the ones that contacted us. Alabama doesn't have enough funds in the DHR system to hold classes to get everyone interested qualified as Foster/Adoptive parents. Family Finders is a great organization who works with DHR. This was our way into the system. BEST OF LUCK TO EVERYONE!
Originally Posted By Teresa
I don't know alot about this but we're starting the process of adoption. I've was told only yesterday that because I have a child that I may not be able to adopt one of the race I prefer. (?) This system sucks!!
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I have 16 children and want to adopt again. We have been foster/adoptive parents with DHR since 1991. We have had nothing but problems with DHR since we started. There are tons of kids out there that are waiting for homes, but DHR will not help you get them. I don't know if it is a money thing or that the SW are just lazy. I think that it is a combination of both (I know most of them). It is very sad for these kids stuck in the system thinking that any day they will be adopted. I have contacted ADAP and have gotten alot of help with them. They have helped me 3 times with my kids. 2 times have been with DHR. Once has been with the school system. Call James Tucker at ADAP in Tuscaloosa and tell him your problems. He can probably help. He helped me.
Carla Crowder of the Birmingham News would like to do a story about how DHR is making it impossible to adopt the children in Alabama. I have told her how they change policy from week to week, and are now saying that you cannot adopt a child if you have a child in your home that you have stated that you want to adopt. They consider this a pending adoption. The child doesn't even have to be TPR'd yet. If you say that you want to adopt, you cannot adopt another child until that other child has been finalized, even if it takes 2 years. There are children waiting, here in AL that need homes, but cannot be placed because of DHR's changing policy. Ms. Crowder wants to know of other families here in AL that are having trouble getting these kids. I know ya'll are out there, so please e-mail me with your story, and name. If we don't fight this in the media, we will not win this war for our children here in AL. They are waiting for homes.
Bev. (e-mail addy is ghousefull@aol.com)
This is a first I've heard of this with the state of Alabama having problems placing children that are in foster care up for adoption. Is it really that bad? I'm finishing up my last parenting class tomorrow. I've still got the CPR/First aid class and the physical to do next week. It looks like from what I'm hearing it might be in our best interest if we go to another state for placement. Are there any new up dates from anyone on placement? Has things gotten any better? I need to hear some good news from someone. I'm hearing also that it's really hard to adopt from Florida. Alot of red tape. So, any feed back I'd love to hear from someone in Alabama that is in this process adopting through foster care.
Thanks
We have also been fighting the "system". Please call the new head of Office of Adoptions, Marie Youngpeter 334-242-8112 and let her know what problems you have been having. For example, we think it is ridiculous that we cannot get a copy of our home study!
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Please call Marie Youngpeter, Office of Adoptions, 334-242-8112. We are trying to adopt also. Alabama is totally LOST. Only by putting pressure on them will we get the children saved from being lost in the system forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
gail/john,
Did you ever get a copy of your homestudy. We went to a meeting last week at DHR and we had someone there that stated they ran into the same problem. We would like to obtain a copy of ours as well but we were told that we couldn't have it.
No, we were NOT allowed a copy of our home study. However, with the help of an attorney we were able to "SEE" a copy of it with a DHR social worker and her supervisor in the room with us. Marie Youngpeter in Montgomery is trying to get this changed. Also, Alabama will only send out one home study at a time to other states. So, if you see a child in Louisiana and a child in Virginia you have to make a decision which state can have the home study. Then you have to WAIT to see whether or not you get that child before Alabama will send out another home study!!!! DHR has made it very hard for us to get anything done. We have had to hire an attorney. Again, you may contact Marie Youngpeter (Head of Adoptions) at 334-242-8112. I truly believe she is trying to get some of these problems corrected. You may e-mail us at glisabeth@mindspring.com if you would like to help try to change things in Alabama. Too many children are lost in the foster care system!!!
FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION: If you go to [url]http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs[/url] you can pull up all kinds of statistics regarding adoption - from number of children available, to race to age, etc.
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Or you can type in Administration for Children & Families Data & Info Systems and click on Data and Information Systems. Next click onState-by-State Adoption and Foster Care Statistics
Then chose what you would like to find out. Unfortunately, the information is not for this year, but you will get a general idea.
If you go to [url]www.childwelfare.com[/url] and choose Adoption Report Card you can get more information regarding how many children are waiting to be adopted in Alabama...and other states. Good luck everybody. Let's not give up!!! The children need US!
It is part of the Foster Parents' Bill of Rights that you are allowed to see your homestudy. What county are you in (you can PM me if you would rather)? We have not had an issue really with our county.... we are foster to POSSIBLY adopt if the right situation comes along, so it may be different.
(We are adopting our soon to be 2 year old. She has been with us for almost 19 months).
Christy
Unfortunately, I don't believe this applies in Alabama. We hae been "fighting the system" for over a year now. We have even hired an attorney. Marie Youngpeter, Head of Office of Adoptions, says she is trying to get the system changed, but who knows how long that will take. Meantime, we cannot get our home study sent to other states...except for one at a time. And, we see about seven kids in different states to whom we would like to send our home study. Thanks for your reply.
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I am in Alabama. You can see the Alabama Foster Parents' Bill of Rights at [URL=http://www.afapa.org/]AFAPA[/URL]
Christy
[font=Courier New,Courier]Thanks for letting us know about this. I'm going to make sure I use this if I'm put in that situation. [/font]
[font=Courier New]:thankyou:[/font]
[font=Courier New]Information below copied directly from the Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parents Association Website:[/font]
[font=Courier New][/font]
[font=Courier New,Courier]Alabama Foster & Adoptive Parent Association[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Foster Parent Bill of Rights[/font]
ENROLLED, An Act,
Relating to the Department of Human Resources; to establish the Foster Parents' Bill of Rights Act.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. There is hereby established and created the "Foster Parents' Bill of Rights Act."
Section 2. The Department of Human Resources shall ensure that each foster parent shall have all of the following rights:
(21) The right to copies of all information relative to their family and services contained in the personal foster home record.