Saturday, September 27, 2014

Paperwork + Trainings

When you walk into your first training session, they give you a 2 inch binder that is full of papers that contain checklists, forms to fill out, training notes, etc..  I was pretty overwhelmed but I think I had so much excitement of that first training I didn't care too much.  Since I was still praying through this whole decision at the time, I just saw it as a binder full of info that would either propel me into this journey or cause me to pump the breaks.  It also helped me to ask better questions and gave me a little more insight so I could ask informed questions... Anyways, if you're curious what all is on that to-do list, I've listed most of the items below. 

Paperwork:
  1. Application Packet (18 pages)
  2. Auto Insurance
  3. Homeowners/Renters Insurance
  4. Company info including a pay stub
  5. Reference Letters submitted from 6 people
  6. Drivers License
  7. Birth Certificate
  8. Social Security Card
  9. Diploma or Transcripts
  10. Criminal History Background Check
  11. Authorization for Release of Information – Child Placing Agency + Professionals
  12. FBI Priors Form
  13. Fingerprinting Form
  14. TB Test Results
  15. Family Violence Form
  16. Foster/Adoptive Parent Physician’s Statement
  17. Supervised Childcare Experience Form
  18. Affidavit for Applicants Form
  19. Disaster Plan Questionnaire
  20. Medical and Dental Providers Form
  21. School Information Sheet
  22. Driving Record Statement
  23. Application for Driving Record, approval for your agency to pull your records
  24. Daily Schedules (Summer + School)
  25. Rules, Consequences, and Rewards
  26. Floor Plan (including Fire Escape Routes and Tornado Routes)
  27. Fire Evacuation Training
  28. Environmental Health Checklist
  29. Home Environment Check
  30. Infant/Toddler Checklist
  31. Child Profile Checklist
  32. Babysitter Worksheet
  33. Rabies Vaccinations for pets
  34. Pictures for your file
Trainings (total = approx. 34.5 hours):
  1. Intro + Orientation (3 hrs)
  2. Therapeutic Parenting Preparation Part 1 (3 hrs)
  3. Therapeutic Parenting Preparation Part 2 (3 hrs)
  4. Therapeutic Parenting Preparation Part 3 (8 hrs!)
  5. Cultural Competency Training (3 hrs)
  6. First Aid/CPR Training + Certification (3 hrs)
  7. Adoption Training (3 hrs)
  8. Psychotropic Medications (2.5 hrs)
  9. Administering Psychotropic Meds (2 hrs)
  10. Medical Consenter Training (2 hrs)
  11. Transportation Safety (2 hrs) 
**Keep in mind, there might be differences based on the agency requirements.

They tell you to just breathe (a lot) but from there I worked on them as I could.  Work on a few forms here and there and before you know it, they are all done.  It took me a lot of time to gather random things like official documents, draw my floor plans, create evacuation plans, and fill out the fire forms that are in prep of a home study to ensure I've got a fire extinguisher, smoke alarms, etc.  The actual forms aren't hard, its just a lot of work because it's so many details.  Just to give you an idea, I submitted my application packet in April (which I started in March) and finished at the end of September!  As you can see, its no small feat so I was definitely excited to turn in those last few items.

Of course, in addition to this, there has been an abundance of prayer, blog/book reading, talking to people, etc.  I'll do a separate post about resources for those of you that are considering this journey and/or are just curious.

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It worked!! Haha, I have to approve comments after 10 days or something, so if you post one that is on a later post, I'll get an email, approve, then you'll see it. So if you write a comment and it doesn't appear right away, that's probably why.

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