November is National Adoption Month. Children’s Bureau is having an Information Meeting at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church located at 27265 Luther Drive, Canyon Country from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday night, November 29. Children’s Bureau offers an innovative and supportive adoption program that is appealing to prospective parents who have made the decision to help a child in need. The agency has a high success rate of these newly formed families staying together because of a unique “matching team” approach that it continues to develop and hone with each new family and child. There are several factors that the agency considers when matching a family with a child that include the child’s age, gender, health, history and special needs as well as how the child might fit in with a family’s interests, activities and beliefs.
“Each child is assigned a team of four Children’s Bureau professional staff to review their case and match that child’s temperament with a family’s temperament. For example, a child who has special needs, such as infant born with drugs in their body, might be placed with a family that can handle the range of emotional and physical demands of that child,” said Lou Graham, director of Children’s Bureau’s foster care and adoption program.
Another feature is what Children’s Bureau calls a “needs and services planning meeting” that is conducted for each child. This involves an assessment of the child and family 30 days after the child has been placed in the home and six months after that. Furthermore, a psychologist does a developmental review to see how well the child is doing.
“When a family is ready to adopt and they choose Children’s Bureau, we provide all of the information, services and support they need throughout the process and long after the final papers are signed. Our mission is to help these families stay strong, be productive and live successful lives,” said Graham.
Children’s Bureau finalizes approximately 150 adoptions each year and one of the largest, private non-profit adoption agency’s in California and one of the few that is accredited by the Child Welfare League of America.
Please watch “A Home for the Holidays” which airs on Friday, December 21 on CBS Channel 2, which portrays both adoptive families and children who are patiently waiting for a home.
For over 100 years, Children’s Bureau remains a non-profit leader in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. More than 14,000 children and families are helped each year throughout Southern California with services that include foster care, adoption, school readiness, parenting classes, family resource centers, support groups, mental health counseling and more.
For more information, please call 661-272-9996 or visit www.all4kids.org .