Is there even a need for foster parents in L.A. County?

That's a good question. We are in San Diego County and had our homestudy sent up to LA County about a month ago. So far, no calls..nothing. We are open to foster to adopt and sib groups. We were told there is a huge need for FPs/Adoptive homes in LA County, so don't know what might be happening. When I call them, they tell me to go to their website and see if we find a child for a match. We would happily take a legal risk placement....and we know there is a high demand for homes to take sib groups. I can't believe how hard it is to get into classes up there. Down here, there were tons of empty seats in the classes we took and we were done in less than 4 months.

We went with an agency in LA County. Started the process and it took about 7 months from start to finish (partly our fault because we took our time on the paper work) We were with the state in Orange County but moved and had to start the process over it took us 18 months to get licensed there. Anyways, we had our final homestudy and 3 days later got placement calls. We had several calls while we were thinking about one we got another call and so on.

Faith - What was the name of the agency you went through in LA County?

Kathteach from what I know and hear there is a huge need for foster parents in LA. Im in OC and am with an agency but all of my placements have been LA County and I've only received one call about OC kids. Once you're in its really about who you know and who you make friends with! I like being with an agency because you expand your options of working with additional counties although there are a few cons as well. It took us about 7 months from orientation to officially become licensed. We waited a month after orientation to submit our application. After being licensed on a Monday we got a placement call the next Monday for a brand new baby. 2 days later we received another call for a sibling set but it was not a good match for our family.They said they had not received any calls from the county for my age range and gender. We didn't get another call for about 25 days and believe me every week my worker came I was asking her where were all the calls. We accepted that placement and they were here for about 2.5 months. The day they were to be sent home we got placement calls for 2 girls (non related). We ended up saying yes to both but only got one because by the time we responded to the other girl she had been placed somewhere else. After that we received a call the next week for sisters but passed on that placement because they were a little older than we were willing to take and one was skipping school. Then we got a call a few days later about 2 different sib sets 4&6 yo and 4&10 yo. I also had received a call directly from the emergency worker that I worked with for my 5yr old but had to turn placement down because were only licensed for 4. We accepted one of the sets and now our house is full for now. One of the sibs is being seperated and is leaving due to behavior problems so we will have room for one more in the next few days. I have learned in a very short time that you must be your own best advocate. I keep in contact with emergency workers and I let all my kids workers know if I have additional space for other placements. I also let them know that we are a fost/adopt family and our long term goal is to adopt. Some of the workers have been very helpful and some not so helpful but i'm hoping it will pay off in the long run.

RM41, You are so right about it coming down to who you know in the agency. After being licensed for two years, I got to know the CWs through other FPs. Mostly placement workers. When we pulled out of adoptions and started doing straight foster, our home was never empty more than a week. Lots of little ones too. NOW, we are back on board with wanting to adopt. We sent our Home Study up to LA and haven't received one call. Are you seeing many foster to adopt placements coming out of LA County? We have the right criteria for getting a call..sib groups, open to all races, etc. I would so LOVE to get in touch with the "who you knows" up in LA County. PM if you would like.

BoysParent my adoption worker came out this week and we had a great talk about the needs of LA County. She told me right now they have a high demand for babies and toddlers because most people are seeking older school aged kids. Some may argue this but I'm telling you what she told me. I told her to keep us in mind for a girl ages 5-7 for an adoptive placement. She asked if we were interested in sibs because she had a sib set that needed permanent placement with slight behavior problems. I told her at this time we were looking for a single child so she said she would definitely keep her eyes and ears open. To answer your question were still waiting for a adoptive placement for a girl 5-7 yrs old and have not been matched yet. However my baby came here at 4 days old as a temporary placement but his case has turned into an adoptive placement. Family has had no contact. His case is being fast tracked. I am in the process of getting information from one of my workers on the next adoption fair/festival so we can try to see if that avenue may work for us. PM me and we can chat anytime and share our experiences and maybe go through this journey together! Hope this helps