Clearance: update... again!

how could there be another clearance update when the clearances have already gone through, you ask?!

 

let me tell you:

 

i'm in the process of getting my mom signed up as an emergency respite care provider, in the event that we need someone to care for our child (before finalization) in the chance of an emergency that would last longer than 24 hours.

 

well there is a different contact person, not our caseworker, who is helping to get this set up and ready.

 

I get an email from him last night that included an Oregon clearance form.

instructing me to fill it out and get it back to him ASAP so that it can be submitted to Oregon.

 

I read this... and I automatically think, well he must be confused. because my mom is the one who has to fill out a background check for Oregon, not me. mine is already done. and cleared.

 

so then I make dinner... and I think about it and I decided that I would just fill it out anyways and scan it over to him, just in case, so that there would be no delay.

 

so after rowan is in bed I fill it out and email it back to him. with a note that explained there must be a misunderstanding and that this was supposed to be sent to my mom. that I was already cleared.

but that i'm included the filled out document, just in case.

 

then I also decided to make a phone call to our caseworker.

because at this point I've had time to think about it and i'm freaking out.

stressing out. wondering, WHAT?!?! what do they mean they are just now sending it in. why is this happening.

and is it going to be another 5 months before our home study is finalized? is bubba going to have to resubmit his clearances. and am I going to have to resubmit my other 2 clearances?! I mean come on.. these things have an expiration date and we are getting CLOSE!

 

bring you to this morning:

 

walk in the door after dropping rowan off at school.

it's 9:05 a.m.

my phone rings.

it's our case worker.

she had to have been at work for like 5 mins before she even made the call.

 

so she explains the whole situation to me:

 

my Oregon clearance NEVER came in!

seriously. still hasn't come in. i'm still not cleared through Oregon.

BUT DSHS has decided to clear me because my Colorado, Washington and FBI checks came back. and she was explaining that sometimes these things happen.

so i'm still CLEARED to proceed with our home study finalization and to get our foster license.

 

BUT in the meantime, for a technicality they must still have an Oregon clearance on me. so they are submitting their own clearance form, instead of going through DSHS. this is good for the fact, that the adoption agency is much smaller than DSHS and they can keep track of it and hope that it comes in SOON. 

another good part is that it's not holding us up. it's not stopping us from completing our crucial home study and foster license that we HAVE TO HAVE in order to start getting child referrals or for families to choose us.

 

the potentially bad part.... is that it could hold up an adoption finalization process.

so for example:

say that as soon as we had a completed home study, that a birthparent saw our profile and they wanted to meet with us or they picked us. say the child was already born or was to be born soon.

a relinquished infant gets finalized much much sooner than a foster child. a relinquished child could be finalized in a month or two. as a foster child can take a year or two.

so I asked our caseworker, what happens if we are picked right away (odds are low, but you never know!) and placed with a relinquished infant nearly immediately -- and the Oregon clearance still hasn't gone through -- will this hold up the finalization process?!

 

the answer:

she doesn't know.

I don't blame her by any means.

this is an unusual situation and they just don't know.

but the fact is -- is that it could.

a judge could turn us down because I don't have a clearance through Oregon.

our caseworker also said that this is a question that we could ask our attorney (when we get one)

i'm hoping that this won't be the case.

 

I would to be placed immediately.

but i'm just hoping that my Oregon clearance goes through quickly.

 

so our caseworker said that she still plans to go through with our final clinical staffing meeting (on Tuesday now instead of Wednesday!!!) and that none of this should hold up the process.

 

please pray for us... for our situation, for our caseworker and everyone involved in finalizing this process.

 

I have to trust in God's plan, but I sure don't handle stress well. haha.

plus it's always just nice when things goes smoothly, isn't it?!