Children's Bureau of Southern California

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Foster Care and Adoption

Foster care or adoption is a wonderful, meaningful way for people to both fulfill their dream of parenting while also giving back to the community. Currently, there are 56,138 children in foster care in California with 13,394 children waiting for adoptive families.

Children’s Bureau has a highly-regarded foster care and adoption program that helps more than 500 foster children find safe, nurturing homes and facilitates more than 100 foster-adoptions each year. Our program helps children newborn to 18 years of age. Homes are needed for infants, sibling sets of brothers and sisters, older children and children of all ethnicities, especially African American children. Our foster and adoptive parents are given the support, resources and tools they need to help these fragile children to trust, love and feel confident about their place in the world.

Samantha found a forever home thanks to Children’s Bureau. Her story was on Wednesday’s Child. Watch Now.

Children’s Bureau also provides Adoption Promotion and Support Services to increase permanency for Los Angeles County children. Adoption from foster care is promoted when it is in the best interest of the child. Foster care and adoption families are provided with additional help through therapy, mentoring and support groups. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Foster and Adoptive families receive a stipend of approximately $900 to cover the needs of a foster child along with medical coverage and social worker support. Adoption costs incurred are normally under $400 and include fee-free home studies. Federal and state adoption tax credits are in place for completed adoptions. The Federal Tax Credit is approximately $12,150 per child as of 2010. Many employers also provide paid leave or financial support for adoptive families. An important element in maintaining a quality foster care program is evaluating the progress our families make and determining what we can do better. We're proud to report that foster children continue to demonstrate significant cognitive and academic progress while placed in our foster care program over periods of time as short as six months. In Los Angeles County more than 2,000 foster children turn 18 and leave foster care without an adoptive family. Over a third of these emancipated teens end up homeless or incarcerated during the first two years of living on their own and without the support of a family. Young adults may now remain in foster care until age 21 if desired. They may also access subsidized housing and tuition at a California college year around. Click Here to See Families We've Helped to Create Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent To learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent, we offer information meetings each month at several locations throughout Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties. For a schedule of upcoming meetings, click here. You can also call us Toll Free at 800.730.3933 or COMPLETE THIS FORM. Both English and Spanish services are offered. To start the process, click here to open the application. Once completed, you can either mail the application to: Children's Bureau Foster Care & Adoptions 1910 Magnolia Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90007 OR fax to: 213.342.0253 Foster Care & Adoption Newsletters & Brochures Foster Care & Adoption Brochure Adoption Promotion and Support Services Brochure (English) Adoption Promotion and Support Services Brochure (Spanish)