California Department of Social Services
If you would like to adopt a child, contact your local public adoption agency or CDSS Adoption Regional Office to speak with an agency representative about the adoption process, which will include an orientation. After the orientation, if you decide to adopt, you must complete and submit a written application, and the agency will assign an adoption caseworker to discuss the type of child you wish to adopt and the children available through the public adoption agency. You must participate in a "family assessment," which consists of a thorough review of your criminal, medical, employment, emotional, marital, life history, and home environment, as required by law. This process is a joint effort by the agency and the adoptive applicants. The agency evaluates and determines your ability to provide a stable, safe, and permanent home to a child available for adoptive placement.
Services and information
- Adoption
Requirements to become a foster parent
Many do not realize the need for new resource families in California. The number of foster kids outnumber the foster families who can provide short or long-term care. Foster advocates work hard to find places for these children, but it is not easy.
The latest 2021 report from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report in California says there are:
- 47,871 kids in California's foster care system
- 22,892 who entered foster care
- 15,386 foster kids awaiting adoption
- California foster kids across all ages, with a median of 8 years
- 33% whose foster child case plans include adoption
A child's median time in the California foster care system is over a year at 16.8 months. 13% spend 3-4 years in foster care.
California needs foster parents to take in multiple children if they have the time and energy to care for them. Sibling groups often need care, and it is essential to support these family bonds. In California, it is challenging to find homes for teenagers, though they need stable environments and reliable adults to support them.
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