How long did it take after becoming licensed to get your first placement?

ya we were pretty surprised we had to wait that long too! all thru out taking classes we were told how badly they needed new foster families cause they had no empty homes. crazy thing is the placement we have is actually thru a different county than the one we are licensed with (they called the county we are licensed with asking them for help because they had no where to place these girls in their county).

First time...about 6 months after getting my license. When I went for relicense prior to relicensure. I kept meaning to get started again and kept dragging my feet. Then the social work just called and asked if I'd be willing to take a little 4 year old.

Thanks for all the info yall!!! It is sooooo not easy for me to wait! LOL! I think the worst part is just having no idea if it could be today or 6 months from now. :/

We were told we'd be called pretty quickly... We were licensed on 7/29/09 and got our first call on 9/29/09 and they stayed 2 days. We didn't get another call until December and he stayed 4 days. It wasn't until January 2010 that we got a call that stayed around awhile. But...almost 2 years later...we have had 16 kids come through our home...31 if you count respite. It may take awhile to get called, but after the caseworkers get to know you...you will be full all the time! :evilgrin:

The day we got licensed, they had a placement for us already. We got his info that day and he came to us 2 days later. Got our 2nd one almost a month later to the day. Just hang in there, it will happen!

Licensed in July; first placement in October. They went to a family that could take all 5 sibs in Nov. Next placement came a week before Christmas.

It was about two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer.

We had five calls in our first 10 days after being licensed. We got our very first call within 48 hours of being licensed. We said yes to all of those, but none panned out. Our first actual placement arrived about two weeks after we were licensed and her 3-day stay lasted 4 months.

The day after we got licensed, but the kids were already in care when we got licensed. They were at an emergency shelter waiting for a family. In my area, it is not unusual to get placements the day you get licensed. I have heard many stories of the worker bringing kids with them with the license! But we have a very high need area.

We got our placements, 2 girls ages 7 and 14, the day we were licensed. We took 2 additional boys, ages 6 months and 18 months, a few months later. In the middle, we took 2 girls, ages 5 months and 2 1/2. Our agency is in need of foster parents and I think placements happen very quickly

First call was 3 1/2 months after we were licensed. It felt like forever!

We completed everything Jan 08, missed one call for 2 girls in May, called back too late for a boy in June, and then finally had an infant placed with us at the end of August 08. We adopted her in May 10. We moved states, got certified again in Feb. We got a call last week for a teen and when I got back after checking with my hubby, she already had another placement, so still waiting.

We started classes in January, finished in last week of march, were licensed 4/29/11 talked to head of placement to introduce ourselves on 5/2 informed them we would be going away on 5/13-5/15 so might be best to put us on hold. Got a call yesterday for a placement to take the day we get back. Feels kind of crazy because we like many others basically didnt have to wait at all from when getting officially open, while others seem to have to wait a while.

Thank you all for the info!!! Please just keep my in yalls prayers if yall could. :) Today it has been 4 weeks of being licensed and while that is definately not a long time...it feels like it.

If you're with a private agency, offer to do respite. Make the offer to both the social worker and, if allowed, the foster parents. Our agency encourages foster parents to communicate and interact. Doing respite gives you experience, keeps you in the SW's mind, and allows the SW to say, "I've got a family experienced with...." when there is a referral. Plus, it helps build interaction with those other foster parents.