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| Foster parent Jamee Baker with County Supervisor Doreen Farr, permanency worker Rebecca Ponce, supervisor Julie Mann, and Deputy Director Devin Drake. Not pictured: Gloria Escamilla, the permanency worker for the case. Photo by Paul Wellman. |
November is National Adoption Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the need for families to adopt children from foster care. We marked the occasion in two ways!
On November 3, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors passed an honorary resolution recognizing the occasion and honoring foster parents. It's an issue close to home for the resolution's sponsor, Supervisor Doreen Farr, who has three adopted children herself. See this article from the Santa Barbara Independent for a profile of one of these parents, and check out this video of the ceremony.
Adoption Month activities continued on November 18 with the annual Adoption Day at the Santa Maria Juvenile Court. In a closed event, the Court finalized adoption of at least seven local foster children into stable, permanent, loving homes, followed by a celebration for the families.
Kudos to all CWS staff working to achieve permanency for children in foster care and making Adoption Month a success!
Over 100 foster children and youth from Santa Barbara County are waiting to be adopted. For more information on Child Welfare Services, foster care or adoption, visit www.AdoptSBC.com or call 1-866-899-2649.