Newbies

[Italiangreyhound]

Hi I am a newbie and only just started this journey, officially made the call last week.

Just interested how may other newbies are out there who are still in the early stages. I keep coming across people and recognising names. Anyone want to let on what stage they are at?

Good luck for tomorrow inthebeginning!

Hi all, never been on a forum in my life but figure never a better time to start! We're just at end of stage 1 and have dates booked in for stage 2. Been reading about different LA's and am really chuffed with ours in comparison. They have so far stuck to all the deadlines and there has been a quick turnaround for everything. They told us other day that government gave each LA a pot of money to increase the number of adopters and that some areas have trouble recruiting so have spent money on that, whereas our area doesn't so they have spent the money on lots more staff to reduce waiting times, so suppose it may really depend on LA for speed, despite government targets. Good luck to everyone! From everything I'm hearing and reading it's going to be quite an intense journey but definitely a worthwhile one.

Hi silver and welcome! Glad it's gone smoothly and speedily so far and really good luck for Stage 2. Look forward to hearing about it!

hi silver sounds similar to ours. Glad it's going well.
Thanks for all the kind thoughts. v nervous!

Good luck Inthebeginning!!!

Thank you so much for the links Italiangreyhound - Dr Google is one of my very best friends!

Hello wannadisco! I am not a teacher, but I know that there are a couple of teachers on the adoption board on Fertility Friends - they might be able to help you. I am sure one of them managed to do their entire home study during the summer holidays, but I don't know if that was fluke, or planned.

Hi Silver I am new too, we can be newbies together.

Our SW is visiting tomorrow, so I am just writing our list of questions... I am definitely not an obsessive list maker.....

Hi Silver, wow, sailing through the process! Good to hear it's going so well.

Rose, sounds like we'll be on similar timescales, all being well. Look forward to hearing more!

I'm with you on the lists, cheery - after the list ROI fiasco DH went into military operation planning mode - if there are any hold ups for us, they won't be for lack of organisation!!

This is great, knowing everyone is here, in the same boat (albeit different stages down the river!) - I have lots of lovely and well meaning friends and family but it's hard for them to understand something they've never been through.

Hi Silver, wow, sailing through the process! Good to hear it's going so well.

Rose, sounds like we'll be on similar timescales, all being well. Look forward to hearing more!

I'm with you on the lists, cheery - after the list ROI fiasco DH went into military operation planning mode - if there are any hold ups for us, they won't be for lack of organisation!!

This is great, knowing everyone is here, in the same boat (albeit different stages down the river!) - I have lots of lovely and well meaning friends and family but it's hard for them to understand something they've never been through.

we've been approved! x

Eeeeeeee! Wonderful news, congratulations

Brilliant news - congratulations :). Time to celebrate x

Whoop! Congratulations!!

Excellent news! Congratulations!

Congratulations!!

Wonderful news, congratulations! Was it scary?? I'm up on the 26th Feb - nervous!

Wonderful news, congratulations! Was it scary?? I'm up on the 26th Feb - nervous!

Thanks everyone. On cloud 9! It was lovely actually. 4 questions that were nothingy really. About our garden, my anxiety, dh's relationship with his dad, if we knew any other adopters. Then chairperson said straight away yes. I SOBBED. They Were all lovey. We've been told we're pretty certain for the lo too. Cannot believe it x

Yay! Congratulations! May that cloud be buoyant and keep you in a high for a long time!

HORRAY CONGRATULATIONS

We've got a panel date :) Beginning of May. Which makes it pretty much 6 months from ROI or actually a week less (I'm impressed), and 11 months from first inquiry.
Our newly allocated SW is nice but she might not be there for the whole journey, it would be a pity if she wouldn't be there for the matching process, but she'll definitely be taking us to panel.

Hurray, Inthebeginning!!

And Meita glad you have a date. Couple of weeks after us by the sound of it.

And hello and welcome to all recent thread joinees :-)

Second day of course tomorrow, excited on the one hand but on the other it looks like a heavy, sad day, topic-wise.

Thanks choccy I didn't find it as harrowing as I thought it would be. But I do hear things like this on other courses to do with my job. Absorb it all and ask questions choccy. Course really gave us Food for thought. x

Good luck choccy. Hope the day goes well - make sure you chill out afterwards as the prep days can be quite intense.

Choccy how was second day of course?

Hello, just a question to you all about how long you waited from initial inquiry about adoption to hearing about your initial social worker visit? I received an adoption pack from our LA about a month ago and attended an Open Evening but am yet to hear about an initial visit...When we left the Open Evening we were told 'all the social workers have full caseloads' so I am worried now that our journey will take months just to get started! I know I'm being really impatient but I can't ring the adoption agency any more or they will think I am stalking them! I was told last week that a social worker has been assigned to do our visit and he will ring to arrange a date. Guess I'll just have to wait!