Finding joy
through Adoption
At Ventura County Children and Family Services, through our Strengthening VC Families programs, we seek to work with birth families and family relatives to both reunify or preserve their families with their children whenever possible. Thank you for your inquiry about adoption, we appreciate your kind interest so very much.
Achieving Permanency
Preserving the family unit and support relationships is in the best interest of the children and is our very top priority. We do have wonderful resource families who help us with the care and safety of children who come into care as well.
However, when it is not possible for children and youth in (foster) care to reunify with their own families, we strive to ensure children and youth move toward establishing and maintaining a safe, nurturing family relationship. And with your unconditional love and commitment to create a lifelong family, a new joy will emerge. We call that “achieving permanency,” and it will forever change the lives of the children and especially our brilliant older youth who desperately need that permanent loving family and home.
Permanency is a process that starts at the beginning of the needs of children placed in out of home care. The child or youth’s case plan will have two ‘tracks,’ one for Family Reunification services which is the primary objective; and one for a ‘concurrent’ plan for permanency should the child be unable to return home. Engaging parent’s relatives and extended family at the start of a case is a priority for successful outcomes, however, it is not always possible.
It is important to remember that the majority of children in out of home care have suffered some form of abuse or neglect, many have experienced the difficult task of adjusting to new families, neighborhoods, and schools while in care. They need people in their lives who will do whatever it takes to provide the nurturing and secure environment all children deserve to develop their full potential as a family. Most importantly, children in out of home (foster) care need caregivers and families who are patient, flexible, compassionate, and loving.
Establishing permanency through Ventura County Children and Family Services requires involvement with the dependency court and adherence to public child welfare regulations. Keep in mind that 99% of children achieving permanency with a non-relative do so with their Resource Family caregiver, you may wish to explore that option by visiting Homes With Heart VC and finding out more about becoming a resource parent first. Please take a moment to watch our online Orientation Video to learn more about our program and the Resource Family Approval process.
Adoption Agencies
There are children who are in care for a long time that do need love, support, and a family for their permanency. If you are interested in a more direct path to adoption, we encourage you to consider a journey through a local adoption agency listed below:
