The Normal Way to Get a New Placement

...and how it happened this time.

The normal way:

Phone call:  Hi, Mrs. Moore, we have a child or children needing a placement, and we think you would be a good match (insert reasons).  Let me tell you the very few details I know about her...

My response:  OK, let me talk to Jon and call you right back.

At this point I call Jon.  We normally say yes.

I call the social worker back and say that we would take the placement.

The social worker calls CPS and lets them know that we would be willing to take the placement.

At this point one of two things happens:
1.  We never hear another word, which means another family was chosen.
2.  We get a call back anywhere from minutes later to a couple hours later.

If we get a call back, here's what happens:

Phone call:  Hi, Mrs. Moore.  Your family was selected.  They want to place the child(ren) today.  I will give you a call when I find out when they are coming.

It usually takes at least a few hours for the actual placement to occur.  Sometimes they are going to court in that time.  Sometimes they are doing the actual removal still, which can take a while.

We get one last Phone call:  Mrs. Moore, I will meet the investigator at your house at 6:30pm with the child(ren).

The social worker for our agency comes on time at 6:30pm.  The investigator who has removed the child arrives quite often much later.

That is how every single foster child placement has happened so far.  Well, until today...

Today's placement:

Jon was at work and we had friends over hanging out when I got an email from our agency social worker.

Email:  Mrs. Moore, we have a child needing a short-term placement but we really don't think you should take the placement because we want to save your home for a more permanent placement.  What do you think?

Me:  (in my head)  Um, OK.  If you don't think we should take this placement, why are you asking?  (in my email)  We respect your opinion and would love to have a longer term placement but will accept her if there is no one else available.  (we love that our agency really wants us to have placements that look like they may go to adoption!)

Note:  I did not ask Jon.  I did not really read through the paperwork that was sent.  I truly trust my agency and knew that if she was thinking we should hold off then that is what we would do.

Email:  Mrs. Moore, we are already on our way to complete placement.

At this point, I looked at the email and thought, hmm, that's strange wording.  I read the email to my friend and shared my confusion.  I told her that it must mean they are completing it elsewhere and not that they are ON THEIR WAY to my house with the baby.  All my other placements were taken over the phone with several phone calls between their office and me with specifics for time of arrival and the clarification that our home was selected.  I know how they do placements, and it's not through one line emails.

Well, I was quite surprised when my doorbell rang and my social worker was standing there!  Oh, my gosh!  I never talked to Jon!!  I had no idea we were taking a new placement!!  Our mom's helper was still there, and she hadn't been warned about what was happening because I HAD NO IDEA that I was about to be taking another placement.  One short day after my kids woke up to the surprise that our little Mini-Moose left while they were sleeping, they were getting to see a new placement arrive with absolutely no warning.  I can no longer keep my kids and husband in the loop because I'm not even in the loop!

It turns out that our social worker let the investigator (or placement worker?) know that we would be their last resort, and her reply was that she was on her way to our house right then.

So, now I know.  Sometimes placements happen in other ways.  Lesson learned.  Our second crib is now the bed of our littlest-one-without-a-nickname.  She is 7 months old, gorgeous, and not so sure she likes me at all.