Changing from straight adopt to foster.... how hard is it?

"The percentage of children that go back to their parents is high. That is the goal of the state. We did our homestudy just to adopt, We tried for a year and a half and got nowhere. So many of the children get adopted by thier foster parents if they become adoptable. We submitted our homestudy many times in state and out, and got nowhere, so we switched to foster care. A year ago we have adopted a DS angel baby from a private agency, and just found out yesturday that we are matched with a little girl from our state who we submitted an interest for before we adopted our baby. It can happen, We are very excited. OUr previous foster children have all gone back to thier parents, We have 2 right now and the future is still up in the air. Because it was a different state agency doing foster care, we had to do alot of paperwork over again and the fingerprints, it was all a pain, but well worth it. I think you will have a better chance expecially if you want a younger child. and if they go back to their parents, you will have done something important and well needed." Hello,Approximately 4 years ago My DH and I took MAPP (for adoption). Some health concerns as well as eventual surgery and healing time, put all our plans on a back burner. We reconsidered "adoption" versus "foster" for exactly the reason you mentioned. It seemed that a lot of adoption hopefuls seemed to wait and wait (unless they were matched with a child available on the photolisting) while friends we met in MAPP that fostered went and adopted a couple of times while the hopeful Adoption Parents waited and waited.We looked into switching to Foster...but that was at the time that State Adoptions became privatized. We could not find anyone in the system (ie Staff) that we knew through MAPP. All the contacts were gone. We heard the State was discouraging Foster to Adopt and was basically wanting to have separate programs for Fostering (parents who want to foster ONLY) and for Parents wanting Adoption. We never had the homestudy. We eventually went off in a different direction. Later we adopted 2 older children.Now we are still wanting to adopt a younger child (we wanted a baby to begin with way back when, when MAPP classes told us "If Ya'll are looking for babies, Ya'll are in the wrong place!!!" We heard this at each and every 8 week class! . We still want that baby...plus, we don't want to change the birth order now. Once we had changed our minds we really have always wanted to foster to bring another one home. And that dream and desire has always been unfulfilled.RBMcqueen, your adopted baby was that done through the state...I am confused. Did you adopt privately, and now (finally) had the offer of a baby through the state?I always heard the State of Florida has their absolute favorites (families that is) that consistently foster one baby after another, while other families hoping to Foster babies (and eventually adopt them) not unlike like the Adoption hopefuls, wait around for their turn.Please elaborate on how you brought your baby angel home...and I am guessing you were then offered a baby through the state without having Fostered that baby?Thank you