We began our foster care journey in 2001 when we were first married. At that time, it was just in the conversation stage when we heard a commercial on the radio for a foster care agency. Fast forward 10 years, we now have 5 kids in our blended family.
At this time, we had several people come into our lives who had been touched by foster care in some way, and we felt as if God was telling us this was the time to start on this journey. We signed up for Pre-Placement classes in January and were licensed by May. We were excited to get our first placement! Unfortunately, even though we received many calls, none of them turned into a placement until December.
Our first placement was an emergency placement of 2 girls, ages 8 and 10, and they were only in our home for 18 hours. Our next placement came at the end of December – twin girls who had just turned 12. They had been in and out of care since the age of 18 months. We worked closely with the county worker, the guardian ad litem, and the birth family, and were optimistic that reunification would happen. Their dad was working on his case plan. What started as weekly supervised visits, turned into unsupervised visits after about 18 months. It was looking promising for the girls to be reunited with their family. However, after a sudden turn of events, the case did a 180 and the county filed for personal custody. We were asked if we were interested in adopting the girls and they were asked if they wanted to be adopted. We were all in agreement that this was a great fit for all involved and we began the path towards permanently making the girls part of our family. The following November, a month before the girls turned 14, they officially became Woodruffs. After 13 years in the foster care system, their names would be on family court documents for the last time. It was a blessed day for all of us.
About one year after we adopted the girls, we took in a placement of 3 more children. This placement was with us for about one year, when the county asked if we would adopt them as well. Unfortunately, this placement was triggering our girls, reminding them of the 13 years they spent in the system. We had to say no. We now do respite for a few families and have found the joy in that.
The greatest joy we have from being foster/adoptive parents, is seeing where the girls were when they came to our home compared to where they are now. Both have taken different paths, but both are independent and successful in their lives. Knowing that our love, support, and guidance changed the direction of their lives forever brings us a joy that cannot be described. If someone is considering foster care, I would say to them, “This will be the hardest thing you may ever do in your life, but also the most rewarding!”
At this time, we had several people come into our lives who had been touched by foster care in some way, and we felt as if God was telling us this was the time to start on this journey. We signed up for Pre-Placement classes in January and were licensed by May. We were excited to get our first placement! Unfortunately, even though we received many calls, none of them turned into a placement until December.
Our first placement was an emergency placement of 2 girls, ages 8 and 10, and they were only in our home for 18 hours. Our next placement came at the end of December – twin girls who had just turned 12. They had been in and out of care since the age of 18 months. We worked closely with the county worker, the guardian ad litem, and the birth family, and were optimistic that reunification would happen. Their dad was working on his case plan. What started as weekly supervised visits, turned into unsupervised visits after about 18 months. It was looking promising for the girls to be reunited with their family. However, after a sudden turn of events, the case did a 180 and the county filed for personal custody. We were asked if we were interested in adopting the girls and they were asked if they wanted to be adopted. We were all in agreement that this was a great fit for all involved and we began the path towards permanently making the girls part of our family. The following November, a month before the girls turned 14, they officially became Woodruffs. After 13 years in the foster care system, their names would be on family court documents for the last time. It was a blessed day for all of us.
About one year after we adopted the girls, we took in a placement of 3 more children. This placement was with us for about one year, when the county asked if we would adopt them as well. Unfortunately, this placement was triggering our girls, reminding them of the 13 years they spent in the system. We had to say no. We now do respite for a few families and have found the joy in that.
The greatest joy we have from being foster/adoptive parents, is seeing where the girls were when they came to our home compared to where they are now. Both have taken different paths, but both are independent and successful in their lives. Knowing that our love, support, and guidance changed the direction of their lives forever brings us a joy that cannot be described. If someone is considering foster care, I would say to them, “This will be the hardest thing you may ever do in your life, but also the most rewarding!”