Changes

I received a letter from the local office of my agency this week. Basically, the head office decided to shut down the local office. Everyone I've had contact with has been "let go." Why? Well, the only reason that was mentioned was cost cutting. Apparently, this cost cutting measure also includes limiting contact, because no one else has so much as dropped an mass email to inform anyone as to what is going on. I'm somewhat put off by this... it's disconcerting. Part of the reason I chose this agency was due to personal contact that I had with the people in the local office. I knew their names and had phone numbers and email addresses. Now, I have nothing but blind email addresses. Well, that's not totally true - I have the yahoo group... but that's not enough. I've never spoken to any of these people. Wouldn't recognize them if I saw them on the street. I've become a file in drawer somewhere.

I guess I should consider myself lucky that the entire agency didn't just close up shop.

While this has been going on in the background, I got a call from an "Adoption Counselor" from Families for Kids. They are a group that recruits/supports foster and adoptive families for the local state child welfare agency. To get information sent to you, one has to give up contact information, which I did last summer. Yep, they are quick! Anyhoo, in the conversation, I was basically told that due to the current "meth crisis" there are infants they have to place. Since the state generally only offers foster/adoption for those under the age of 10, my guess is that this is a "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" situation. The SW places the baby in a "pre-adoptive" home, while working with the BM to get her up to care standards. In my state, they have over 2 years get their act together, plus all the relatives are given a chance as well. Obviously it's a crap shoot - who knows what could happen? There's almost no planning. You don't know when a baby could be placed with you, you don't know how long the baby will be with you or when/if it will be a permanent situation. How do you deal with that?