What you might expect when becoming a foster parent...

I am glad to see that there is a forum for AZ foster families. I dont know why it took me so long to find it! After reading through some of these threads I see a lot of people asking how to become a foster parent and what to expect. The first thing that I will tell you is ғBe Patient. My wife and I have been Foster parents for 1 year now and we have been fortunate enough to adopt a sibling group of 4 in that time and we still foster other children because we know that need is still there for good foster parents. The process of becoming a foster parent was a bit intense! Between PS-MAPP classes and a ԓnowhere to be found licensing worker, it is a complete miracle that we were licensed in time to receive the 4 children we adopted. I read on a different thread that someone was afraid to hound their licensing worker because they donԒt want to be blacklisted!Ӕ all I have to say is HOUND THEM! After we hounded ours, she finally told us at the end that she actually sped up our paperwork because she was so sick of getting phone calls and emails from us. Just do it constructively. Also, the turnover rate with licensing workers is so high; more than likely you will get a new one after your licensed anyways. Your licensing agency should have a checklist of what needs to be done and as long as you have everything turned in to your worker then hound them to get it processed. When they tell you to do something or they need something, get it done right then, dont wait. Our licensing worker would always send us a self-address stamped envelope to send forms back to her in, but we always retuned them in person to make sure they got to her and not lost in a stack of mail on her desk. The PS-MAPP class is quite a joke if you ask me. By the end of it I was so sick of strengths and weaknesses! The most effective part of the whole thing was when our instructors put together a panel of foster parents and CPS workers and allowed us to ask them questions and allowed them to share their experiences with us. I have found that with foster care, the more experiences you hear about and go through, the more ready you will be to handle a situation. I look back on this last year and I am amazed at all of the experiences and trials, both good and bad, that my wife and I have gone through. People always ask me if I ever ask myself ғwhat was I thinking? and I tell them ԓall the time, but I have never regretted doing foster care. Our licensing process took 6 months to complete and we have talked to other families that we took PS-MAPP class with and they are still not licensed yet! So just be patient. Oh and is you sign up to foster/adopt, remember that when a child comes into your home, love them like they are your own, but keep in the back of your mind that they can leave at any moment and support them when they leave and donԒt let them see that you are worried or sad when they go because it can make their transition even more difficult. I hope this helps a little bit and Im sure I will be posting more since I just found this forum!