Exercises in Futility ...

Anyone out there want a quick lesson in extreme frustration ? I have the perfect solution ... go and try to adopt a child from the Pennsylvania Foster Care System !!! We began this journey about one year ago, we didn't realize what we were getting into. As far as the children them selves go we know what we are in for and are not strangers to children with severe emotional problems. What we were totally unprepared for was the workings of the system itself. It took us almost two months just to get the paperwork done, then there were the mandatory parenting classes (we have two kids already, so this was a bit unnecessary) there were interviews and book lists and training documentation statements. And MORE PAPERWORK. Not to mention the home inspections and interviews with our biological children. In the midst of this we had to move which delayed us somewhat, we had another child in our temporary care which delayed us again as the agency could not proceed until this child was safely settled in her new home, then there were weeks of holidays and a months vacation by our caseworker. There were a few delays getting the needed certified documents from Alabama to prove that we were indeed born and were married. So now that we have everything in place we have been told that our file has been open too long (almost a year) and will have to be denied because of it. We decided that we are going to adopt a sibling group and are moving into a bigger house so that we will have room to put them and have been told that this makes us look unstable. Well, the state says I can't make them sleep in the closet , what else were we supposed to do ? So after we get moved into our larger , holds more siblings home we get to start the process over again !! I wonder if they have ever explained this to the 3000 children in foster care in PA. ??