TODAY'S CHAT IS COMPLETED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!!!

Question: Is there another informational session to learn about becoming an adoptive or foster parent?
Answer: There is one more in 2008, Dec. 15. You can call 632-6366 to register. It will be from 6-7 p.m. at our 237 William H. Taft Road location.

Question: What kind of background checked are involved in becoming an adoptive or foster parent?
Answer: The assessment team usually carries out most of those background checks when you complete your application to become a foster or adoptive parent. Typical checks include credit check, police checks, medical history, employment and perhaps some personal references.

Question: Are there other ways of helping children other than adopting?
Answer: Sure. Many children in foster care or waiting for adoption often have a need for tutoring or extra help. You can tutor through organizations like the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative or your local school district. Even working through Boys and Girls Clubs can be a good way to help children in the community, not just children in foster care.

Question: Is there a way I can get more information about a child then what's on their Web profiles?
Answer: Our Call Center staff cannot give more information than what's listed. Generally, you will get more information if the caseworker has a chance to review your homestudy and thinks there may be a potential match to meet the child's needs. If that's the case, they'll forward a child profile to your agency worker to review with you and you can decide then based on the additional if you want to proceed.

Question: Do you have babies available for adoption?
Answer: Most times, babies are usually part of sibling sets of two or three children. But lately we are seeing more "legal risk" infants. That means that there has been a history of children removed from that home earlier. Parents take legal risk children into their homes knowing there is a risk that the child may still be reunified with their biological family. Many infants also are involved in foster placements to start and can become available for adoption later.

Question: Is there a way I can learn more from a foster or adoptive parent?
Answer: I would say yes, certainly in our monthly information sessions. We try to have a foster or adoptive parent attend who can answer questions from their perspective and experience. When you take pre-service training, you'll learn directly from foster and adoptive parents, since they teach the classes. You might also consider getting in touch with Southwest Ohio Foster Care Affiliate. They hold monthly meetings to support licensed foster and approved adoptive families, but can answer your questions as well. 946-1842 is their phone number.

Question: Are you seeing any increase in the number of adoptions?
Answer: It's been steady for the last year. The good news is many children that have been waiting for a permanent home are finding one. There are still others -- many who are teenagers, especially -- who are still waiting. November is National Adoption Month, a great time to remember and learn as much as possible about how you can help these children still waiting for a permanent home.

Question: Are all of the kids in foster homes victims of abuse or neglect?
Answer: Most of them, yes. Generally when kids come into our system, they have been a victim of various forms and degrees of abuse. The work that foster parents can do with them, though, often helps them develop a sense of self worth. They can then go back home if reunification is the goal with a better sense of how to support themselves and their family. If they are waiting to be adopted, the same applies.

10:18:51 AM [Mary] Ok. Thank you for your time and efforts on behalf of the children and families that you help.
10:19:43 AM [John Cummings] Always glad to be of help. If we can answer any other questions, call us at (513) 632-6366.

10:14:21 AM [Mary] Thank you for your response. Our county agency is very small. We have our completed homestudy through them. The Social Workers are not able to help us with an adoption search. It is even difficult to be get them to send our homestudy out for us. Plus, it is very expensive as they charge $.25/page. That would not be bad if we sent it out once or twice a month, but that is not the case.
10:17:13 AM [John Cummings] You could look at www.hcadopt.org to meet some of the children waiting for adoption here. If one may be of interest, give us a call at (513) 632-6366. We can connect you with caseworkers or recruiters for those children to help you decide if you want to pursue it any further. Then, you can request that your homestudy be sent or the recruiters can be in touch with your county workers to request it be sent for consideration.

10:06:54 AM [Mary] Hi! We live in Ohio, but not close enough to Hamilton County to foster-to-adopt. Is there a better way to get noticed as a potential adoptive family?
10:10:17 AM [John Cummings] There is no one way to be noticed. Many ways are available. If you've gone through your local public Children's Services agency for training, you can work with your family caseworker there. You should also have the option of having your information placed in the Waiting Families book with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. You can talk with your family worker about getting that. After that, we would just suggest monitoring Web sites that feature waiting children. If one or two are of interest, call that agency for information on how to get your homestudy sent to them.

10:05:06 AM [Laura] I was told that they just aren't placing with foster families. They have to place them in ANY family members home instead of a GOOD foster one. The money they don't have is a major issue between the workers and Mr. Fox. If a case worker feels that a sutable family member is not available, the worker has to be able to quote the price differences and is judged during a peer meeting of what they did wrong to allow the family to get to this point.
10:06:18 AM [Laura] Not my advisor but another case worker in Butler told me that the have only placed a few kids in foster families in the last 6 months
10:07:36 AM [John Cummings] I can't speak for what's going on in Butler County. Generally, when a child has to be removed from their home for safety reasons, they do try to minimize the disruptions the child experiences. That means looking to relatives that the child knows or already has relationships with first before looking to foster homes.
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9:51:30 AM [Laura] I am currantly licensed foster parent in Butler Co. For almost 6 months our home has been open to boys or girls, age 3-10, with sibling groups of up to three. We have not recieved a single phone call. Should we transfer to Hamilton Co? That's the County we live in. All this work to get our license and we're just waiting to help.
9:56:43 AM [Laura] Butler County told us we had to wait a year to transfer. I hate to useless for hat long. Are there any excepttions?
Answer: You can check with your assigned family worker at Butler County to see what the status is on children coming into the system and seeking foster placements. Transfers of newly licensed homes usually can take place after one year.

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