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Foster Care/Adoption

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What is the Foster Care/Adoption Program? The Foster Care/Adoption program: Finds temporary and/or permanent homes for children who have been removed from their families due to child abuse or neglect. Provides ongoing support and education to our licensed foster and adoptive families. Helps families decide if foster care and/or adoption is right for them. Provides orientations and education (through our Foster/Adoptive Parent Preparation program) for families interested in becoming foster or adoptive parents. Provides ongoing financial assistance to adoptive families through the Adoption Assistance program as well as limited post-adoption support for adoptive families with young children and information services for adult adoptees. What is foster care? Foster care is providing a temporary home for children who cannot safely be at home with their birth families. The children stay in your home for a few weeks or as long as a year, depending on which type of foster care you provide. You work closely with social workers from the Human Services Agency to help reunify the children with their birth families or help the child transition to a permanent home. Foster families provide a safe, stable, and nurturing home. San Mateo County is committed to supporting our foster families and helping them provide quality care to the children. All foster homes are licensed and must meet state regulations. We welcome foster parents of all backgrounds, including single foster parents or gay or lesbian foster parents. For more information, please attend an orientation. What is adoption? Adoption establishes a legal relationship between a child and a parent not related by birth. It gives the adoptive parents and child the same legal relationship that exists between birth parents and their children. Adoption is providing a safe and stable permanent home to a child. In San Mateo County, we place the majority of our children through our "Fost/Adopt" program (also known as Concurrent Planning). Our fost/adopt families have a dual role as both foster and possible adoptive parents. The Fost/Adopt program, or Concurrent Planning, allows children to be placed with families who will adopt them and provide a permanent home if they cannot be returned to their birth families. Adoption Program FAQ. Who are the children? These children are from San Mateo County and are of all ethnic backgrounds and ages. They come to the Agency either through the court system or through voluntary placement by birth parents. They are often victims of abuse, neglect, or prenatal drug exposure; some have medical or emotional difficulties. The Foster Care/Adoption program searches for strong, stable families who care about children and can offer love, patience, guidance, and understanding.