The Board of Supervisors has passed a proposal to make county adoptions more efficient.
Chairman Greg Cox and Supervisor Dave Roberts led the initiative.
“We want to make sure that all redundancies and obstacles are removed,” Cox said.
“We shouldn’t let red tape stand in the way of bringing families together,” he said.
Although the measure passed Tuesday, it will be months before new any new policies are put into place. The Chief Administrative Officer has four months to research ways to streamline the process and create a plan.
San Diego County Child Welfare Services receives about 300 applications from families hoping to adopt each year, according to officials. 45 kids are currently waiting for homes.
Former State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher and his wife Mindy have adopted two children. Fletcher said he sympathizes with other parents going through the process.
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“As I went through the process, I would sometimes ask, ‘Gosh, why do I have to redo this when I just did a year ago for my first son?’ And they’d say, ‘Well, that’s the way it is,’” Fletcher said.
To come up with ways to improve the system, the board will solicit advice from social workers and prospective adoptive parents, according to officials. Fletcher also suggested reaching out to non-profit organizations.
“If your efforts only result in one more child being placed, all the work and effort will mean the absolute world to that child,” Fletcher said.
Last month, Cox and Roberts launched an initiative to find homes for “hard to place” kids in the foster care system. Cox said the county is looking toward less traditional families, including single parents and people with grown children.
For more information on adoption, call San Diego County Adoptions at 877-423-6788 or visit Iadoptu.org.
