two more questions :-)

[ggill]

I may be losing my job. Does being on unemployment effect your ability to adopt internationally and w/ foster to adopt? Second question :-) how about being preggo or having a new LO?

Thank you!

[ivparker]

It depends. Do you have a dh that works? I don't think being preggo effects foster care but I do know some agencies won't let you adopt if you are preggo. You would have to ask your agency.

[luvsviola]

It depends on your agency. To foster, you have to prove you can pay all your bills on your DH's salary.

Some agencies will not let you bring a new LO home til the baby you are pregnant is 1 year old, and many agencies make you preserve birth order (new baby must be younger than your bio kids).

It is best to ask your agency for their specific policies.

[WynneBabies]

I would assume both would affect international but not as much with fostering. They were not concerned with our income at all here and no mention was ever made about pregnancy/bio kids' ages. Our youngest was 1 1/2 when we started the process.

[ggill]

Thank you ladies!

We can pay all our bills on DH salary atm. DH isnt concerned at all but I am so we will see how it goes.

I think I have 2 more questions

You complete a HS for foster to adopt? Is that in anyway transferable if you later wanted to adopt internationally?

Do agencies charge to meet and answer these types of questions? I read you are suppose to "interview" several agencies before deciding. Ive found 2 here and want to contact the foster family recruiter at JFS as well.

Again thank you all!!

[sunnymommy]

Most agencies have initial informational meetings for interested couples.

Our home study to be licensed for foster and than the second one to adopt our foster daughter were both free. So they were basically paid for and owned by the state. We did not have access to them ever and could not use them for another purpose.

[WynneBabies]

I have done a few telephone interviews with private agencies and never been charged. For fostering, there are usually informational sessions that answer all questions. Never a charge for any of it.

Foster/adopt home studies through your county/state are not transferable for international adoption or even private domestic adoption. We were licensed to foster/adopt on our state and weren't having any luck so we're considering switching to a private domestic newborn adoption. We would have had to do a completely new home study even though the one we had wasn't expired.