Becoming Foster Carers

[VS932]

Hi all, just joined mumsnet as couldnt really find many parenting/foster forums. Me and my partner of 12 years applied to be foster carers in feb and are about half way through our assessment now. Panel date is 27th June and getting nervous now! Would like to hear other peoples stories of their experiences. Also wondered if anyone knew of any gay foster groups/forums online as cant seem to find much on the net.

Fingers crossed all goes well!

[KarateChopper]

I have recently started a social networking website for all us LGBT parents/carers to make it easier for us to meet other like-minded people lesbiangayparents.ning.com
I don't know everyone's story - yet :D - but I know we have someone who is fostering. Might be worth popping along to have a look - it's free :-)
Claire

[beeuk]

hi my wife an i tried to foster back in 2010, but our social worker who didnt do her 8 home assessment yet decided we wouldnt pass the foster panel so said she is going to close our case she called us up saying this, we had just did the 3 day skills to foster course and we got great reports from the instructors there.Good luck , if you got a panel date then i wouldnt worry to much, you dont get a panel date if your social worker dont think you will pass. Sadly we got a elerly late 60s social worker who judged us before meeting us.

The reasons we was denied were, i was to young at 24, we had no children of our own, i never worked in a child care facility yep she said thats a reason. And because we have no expenice with babys with FAS or babies with drug withdraws. Um...who has unles they have a child with that? We know why we was denied, but we just let it go. We spent 11 months going through the foster process just to be denied at the last point...well, it was the kick up the but for us we decided to start our own family and have a baby. 7 Months later we started trying for a baby, 4 tries later we got pregnant. Now we have almost 6 month old babygirl. Everything happens for a reason ey.

Good luck again.

[morethanpotatoprints]

beeuk.

Hello.

I am not gay and certainly not homophobic and can understand the social workers attitude even though now I know how terribly wrong she was. I didn't want to read and run but thought I must come clean.
Firstly, do you know if you have a right to appeal on the grounds of homophobia? Because I strongly agree you should have.
I am adopted and was about to join a panel, not as a professional but an adopted person.
I was a little bit bias about same sex adoption merely out of the fact of the dc having been through so much and the possibility of repercussions from society. How short sighted of me.
You will be pleased to know that I was unable to join the panel at that point and now after my change of heart will apply again.
Please try again and I am so sorry you were dealt this injustice. Good people to foster and adopt are worth their weight in gold. It is about caring for and showing empathy support encouragement and nurture. Sexuality or gender shouldn't be an issue.
Good luck to you. x