Question regarding post below. past abuse and fostering?

MrsMcC.10409

I was reading through the posts below and I had a question. I hope it doesn't cause pain to the OP by rehashing, but this is definitely something I need to know.

Does sexual abuse in your past make you ineligible to foster/adopt? What about a history of depression or anxiety?

CaptainSerious

A history of depression or anxiety should not bar you from adopting or fostering, assuming you can show that you treat/deal with it appropriately and that it would not impact the health or well-being of your child.  That being said, some countries still have a stigma against mental illness/seeking help for depression, and so it may be more difficult and even impossible to adopt internationally from those countries.

As far as having a history of sexual abuse, I have never heard that as being a disqualifier until the post below.  I'm guessing a large part of the thought process is that most people who sexually abuse children were sexually abused themselves as children.  In that vein, I can see having been sexually abused as a child being a red flag to the social workers performing the homestudy, and that the agency may wish to see how the person has addressed and come to terms with what happened to him/her.  Just like any other circumstance in the applicant's past (marital problems, divorce, criminal record, mental illness, etc.), they want to see that it won't affect the child's safety and living situation.  I can't imagine rape (as an adult) would result in a disqualification unless the person is still suffering from trauma.  In other circumstances (child rape/molestation), I can see how agencies, especially the state which is dealing with already traumatized children, might take a harder line and err on the side of caution.

Foster1Mom

I have depression/anxiety issues and they just wanted a note from my PCP stating I was ok to foster. It was not a problem at all. They just sent a note that said here is what she is on and we think she would do great as a FP.

Best of Luck 

elissaann26

I wanted to ditto what all of the PP's have said. 

I have issues previously with depression.  I was REALLY worried about disclosing this.  I decided that honesty is the best policy so I explained the factors that lead up to it and the "warning signs" that I am now always on the look out for.  I also discussed how I handled it and what I am still doing currently to ensure I don't have to see that dark place again.  The SW actually told me that it sounded like I had it really under control and she was impressed at the plan I have in place to deal with it if it ever does come back.  She also said that since I was so "aware" of it that it could really help me deal with children who have depression.

Our county wants to make sure that you have dealt with past abuse and come to terms with it.  While see that there are both pro's (relatability) and con's (potentional to bring back past emotions, possible abuse again, etc.).  All of them are evaluated on an individual basis and very few things are an automatic "no".

MrsMcC.10409

Thank you - this is good to know. I have dealt with the abuse from my past, and it really doesn't impact my life anymore. I no longer suffer from depression, and have developed a healthy system for managing my anxiety. I would hate to get DH's hopes up about adoption only to have something like this make us ineligible.