About the process

The foster care system is so huge and so varied and it is really difficult to get a handle on. We have been foster parents for about 9 months now and I feel almost as clueless about how it all works as I did when we first began. I've read several books by experienced foster parents (thank goodness for them!), but still it seems that every county has its own way of doing things and its so difficult to figure out what the heck is going on.
Here is what I know...and what I don't
Step one... families get reported to the police and social services
Step two...social services begins and investigation and builds a case (this seems like it can take months or years)
Step 3... children are taken in to foster care (seems like there usually has to be a precipitating "event" that is documented and requires law enforcement intervention on top of the previously documented observations)
I don't know why some times children are only taken into care for like a week and other times its longer term... I don't know how timing is figured out. I think maybe if there isn't a lot of other data in a file already, then maybe one event (especially one that isn't too horrible or is too hard to prove) isn't enough to keep the kids in care for an extended amount of time.
Step 4... children are placed either in an "on-call" temporary home, a transition facility, or possibly in some cases in the foster home that they will stay in.
I don't understand how the caseworkers decide who to place children with. I'm sure it is partly to do with who had room, who says yes, and who is licensed for the given age range... but are there other considerations? I ask this because, so far, our case workers have acted very cloak and dagger about whether or not they were going to place kids with us. Why can't they just be a little clearer about what they are thinking and what they are hoping for. I mean, I know some foster parents must be difficult to work with at times, but really, I think a lot of us are nice and that we really do want what is best for the kids~ we just want to know a little more about what is going on behind the scenes.
Step 5...children settle into a foster home (or don't and move around a little or a lot) visit their parents, receive therapy and other services
Step 6...child either gets reunified with his/her parents or the parent's rights are terminated and the child becomes legally free for adoption. Again, I note that this seems like it can have a variety of time lines. In CO, I know that children under the age of 6 have to have a "permanency plan" within one year and children over six must have one within 18 months. I haven't quite figured out if that means that they need to have a "permanent" home within that time frame or if they there just needs to be the "plan" that is being worked on.
Okay, I know that is pretty basic, but there you have it... all I know with MANY gaps. :)