state vs. private agency ?

I would call your county and at least three agencies and ask a bunch of questions. I did the same thing and decided to go with the county, as they get the children first. Any children my county cannot place then go through the agency. Not all counties or states are the same. Another reason I went with the county is that there are less silly rules with them. For example, having to lock the toilet, even though your foster child is 16. County doesn't require silly things like that, but our agencies here did.Good luck.

I'm in Alabama and our situation is similiar to amelie38. County sub-contracts with private agencies to place children, but all must pass through the county office at some point so we decided to just go with them.

I went through our county because the agencies only have the more severe harder to place cases. The county contacts all available homes first, then if they can't place, they send the children to the various agencies to find a home.

I thank everyone who responded! This is a great resource with all the active people.

Ok so I'm a newbie - any advice on what questions to ask the different agencies. We were referred to either a private agency or DCFS to be liscensed. If you go through the private are kids no longer eligible for subsidies? We are in Illinois in Kane county - any advice would be much appreciated.

I went with a private agency and am really happy with it. If you go with a private agency you will not get every single call from the state. My agency e-mails me the available kids and if I'm interested then I say yes. I still have the sweetest boy after 10 months of my first placement. It's an extra support system if you don't like something the state is doing you can call your agency and they will give you advise. I have found it very helpful and would recommend calling the foster parent support number in your area and they can give you referrals. That is how I found my agency. Make sure that you find a strong agency that has been in business for a while with the way the economy is if you decide to go with an agency. Good Luck!

We're also in WA, and are licenced for foster adoption through a private agency. We received a placement a week after we were licenced for a newborn baby girl. I like having the extra support of the agency, which is pretty well-known in WA, and has been around for a long time. PM me if you'd like more info. rmsept81, at least in WA, children placed through private agencies are still eligible for subsidies.

Thanks for the advice ladies! After speaking with bothe the private agency and DCFS we ended up feeling like DCFS was actually concerned about our goal of adoption. Perhaps we just lucked out but the supervisor himself called me back and offered to meet with us and answered all of my questions. The only think he did say that bothered me was that adopting foster children available for adoption across state lines was nearly impossible and that those kids were the most severe cases. Any experience with this? I found a sibling set in AZ who's pictures broke my heart and whose profiles don't sound too bad even reading between the lines.

In Illinois the private agencies are on a rotation with DCFS to get placements, therefore they get kids the same way the state does. Other states do it differently, like the other posters have said, they handle the more difficult cases but that is not true in IL. You will get the same subsidies and services through a private agency. The process of case planning, permancy planning and the court process are also the same. We were licensed through a private agency in central IL that was WONDERFUL and a private agency in Chicago that was AWEFUL! The only way to know is to call the agencies and get a "feel" for them. Does someone answer or do you always get a recording? Do they have answers to your questions or does everyone want to pass you on to someone else or transfer you to voicemail? Do they speak to you respectfully and thank you for your interest in becoming a FP or do they act annoyed at your ignorance!? Are they organized or do they change and cancel classes on you? Do they tell you they are going to send you and packet and then you never get it. Do you have to make several phone calls just to get basic info. Point is, you can really tell A LOT from the very beginning. There is nothing wrong with transferring agencies either!(before you have a placement that is) We did it half way through our classes. We just liked the vibe we got from the people at the private agency. As far as questions go, you could ask for a print out or web source for their yearly stats. (how many kids came into care, how many returned home, how many adopted, how many TPR'd, how long is their average stay in care etc) Those will give you an idea of how efficient the agency is. If they have an average stay in FC of 3 years, that is a sign that they are not finding premanency for these kids fast enough! Your agency is very important! You will work very closely with these people. It is important that they treat you with respect. Hope that helps a little.

I have never adopted accross state lines but I know it is done all the time. It requires Interstate Compact which is just a bunch of paperwork between states that takes a really long time. I have gotten that response from DCFS as well. I wonder if they are just wanting you to adopt through them (a child in your area)?? How can it be impossible when people bring kids home form China every day and it is literally on the other side of the world!!:rolleyes:

Thats a good point! And at this point I don't know if there are children in our area who would fit with us. I'm trying to take everything a step at a time and not get too excited butthe prospect to become a MOM just fills my heart.