Permanent Care.......

[Liviam]

I just had to pop and share. I've just seen the very first photo of my sister, BIL and their little man . They look so incredibly happy plus I'm an aunty again!!!!! I've got tears flooding everywhere, LOL!!

I honestly didn't realise how involve and indepth this process is for couples going through it. You must be so incredbly strong as I don't think I could go through it. You are amazing! I'm off to check out the website you posted.

[lil_chookie]

Dan - I feel soooo happy for your sister! What a great great great day for her & your BIL. And congratualtions on being an Aunty again

I guess you do have to be strong to get through this process, knowing that you are going to give a little person something in life that everyone deserves but they just have not had, a family is a driving force........but I also think Infertility & Long Term IVF disappointment helps you learn ALOT about yourself & gives you strength that you need to get there.

[mrscricket]

Lil Chookie - just wanted to say congratulations on your brave step of entering the world of PC! I truly hope you get your little man because you sound like you'd be a wonderful influence on his life. My parents currently have 3 children in their permanent care and they call them mum & dad, and also have our surname as well. It's great to hear of someone young wanting to take on children - my parents are in their 60's (although you'd never know, they are 'young oldies' ).
Congratulations to your sister Dan!

[dusty]

I guess you do have to be strong to get through this process, knowing that you are going to give a little person something in life that everyone deserves but they just have not had, a family is a driving force........but I also think Infertility & Long Term IVF disappointment helps you learn ALOT about yourself & gives you strength that you need to get there.

You are a wise woman hun and are going to be an amazing mum. I also think relationships that survive the infertility rollercoaster bode well for PC and adoption.

Dan, thanks for sharing your family's news! How exciting.

LC I hope that this thread becomes a more permanent discussion about PC in Australia.

As I understand it currently VIC and ACT have a similar approach to ensuring that children removed from their families are not kept in uncertain limbo for more than 2 years and that they must be placed permanently if they are not able to return to their families. I think, but hopefully someone can tell us, NSW is planning to move to this system soon.

Many people get confused between fostering and PC but PC is much more closely aligned with adoption, as children and families enter into what is hoped to be a life long relationship.

MrsCricket, that is such a heartening story about your parents hun. Thanks for sharing.

[lil_chookie]

Got through nearly half of the questions for my life story over the weekend........13 pages in already. There isn't much they don't want to know, I almost have to remember what I had breakfast on October 3rd when I was 3 years old! LOL. 13 pages seems like a lot so far, but I find myself wondering if the 20 pages I think it will end up being is enough?

[dusty]

I wrote in here a couple of days ago, but it has disappeared

Great to hear how it is going LC. I have a family member in A&PC and she reckons the life story is such a fantastic part of the process. It will be wonderful to have your story to tell your child one day. A special story you wrote just for them. Did you know that the children also have a life story that the social workers write for them that comes with them when they are put into PC? It is a very important part of them from what I understand.

[Liviam]

Oh I thought you were being funny Lil-chookie about them wanting to know your life story. Now I understand, gee I'm slow some days. What a fantastic idea writing the story of how they came into your life. Such an amazing momento just for them. Is it also kinda a debrief for youa nd DH too?
If we have a baby up for adoption in the nursery at work we take photos of everything and write in a journal every shift for the adoptive parents to have so they can see all the firsts. We even do a mock set up of them being weighed and measured.

[lil_chookie]

When we wrote our life stories for our foster care application the format was from brith until today, year by year. This was different, it had to be much more detailed. It was more about you, the people in our life, how we were parented, how we think we will parent, how this willl change our life & how you felt about many things. I finished tonight, 22 pages later. I feel happy with it, I have been honest and I am happy to talk about anything I have written.

We had a call today from the department, hurrying us along with the life stories & medical reports we recieved this week. I was quite surprised by the call and it has us thinking maybe, just maybe we still have a chance at getting the little boy we started this process for.......fingers and toes are crossed in this household!

I didn't know the children came with a lifestory, they didn't mention that in the education groups. I know that when we have been matched and the part of the process of moving a child from foster care to our home is us putting a photo book together of their new life. Their room, our house, our pets ect. I am really looking forward to doing that (taking photos is my thing )