SAN DIEGO–Nearly 400 children are placed in permanent, adoptive homes each year in San Diego County. Yet at any given time, nearly 45 hard-to-place children stay in foster care even though they are eligible for adoption into permanent homes.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors launched The Exceptional Families Adoption Campaign to recruit families to meet the needs of children in foster care, particularly those considered hard to place.
“We are fortunate in San Diego County to have many committed, loving foster and adoptive parents,” said Chairman Greg Cox, County Board of Supervisors District One. “But we have a need for exceptional parents who not only have room in their homes, but room in their hearts, to care for these exceptional children.”
There are many challenges that make it difficult to place some children in permanent adoptive homes. In some cases parental rights have been terminated and attempts to place children with extended family have been unsuccessful. Other factors that can pose a challenge to permanent adoption include age; behavioral, developmental, psychological, or medical disabilities; or sibling groups who do not want to separate.
“Today we are renewing our commitment to our foster children to do everything we can to find them loving, permanent homes,” said Supervisor Dave Roberts, District Three. “We are going to be aggressive not only to increase public awareness, but in our efforts to recruit new adoptive parents.”
The Exceptional Families Adoption Campaign will focus on recruiting new adoptive parents by reaching out to groups and organizations for less-traditional adoptive families. Information about adoption is available online at www.IADOPTU.org, or by calling 1-877-I-Adopt-U (423-6788). In addition, 2-1-1 San Diego also has information about adoptions.
The Exceptional Families Adoption Campaign will complement the County’s existing adoption and foster-parent recruitment efforts, which include the long-standing partnership with KFMB-TV’s Adopt 8 program, and the annual Adoption Recruitment Calendar with the San Diego Chargers. The program will provide Foster Parent Training for an easy transition.
The campaign also supports Live Well, San Diego!, the County’s ongoing initiative to improve the health, safety and well-being of children and families.
“For children, living well starts by living in a safe, loving home,” said Nick Macchione, Director of the County Health and Human Services Agency. “Foster and adoptive parents make a positive difference in our community every day by investing in the lives of these children.”
