The San Diego County Adoptions Program is being updated to meet the changing demographics of families and children hoping to make that special connection.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a plan Tuesday to make the process easier for prospective parents to adopt.
The adoptions program was created in 1948 and some of the program’s policies have been around since then. The children available for adoption now require a broader range of families as prospective parents than those who have traditionally been interested in adoption.
Many children are now placed with relative caregivers or foster parents. The County also has specialized programs for tribal and inter-country adoptions and will soon have one for youths, 18 – 21 years old, who are aging out of the foster care system.
The County will conduct a survey and hold a series of county-wide focus groups with families and community groups to find out what barriers exist in the adoption process and what improvements could be created to remove them.
An Adoption Ombudsman Office will be established by January to provide a more direct way for any complaints to be resolved. More training will also be provided for social workers.
