Almost half of the more than 70,000 children in foster care in California will become available for adoption, yet few foster family agencies have adoption licenses. In 2006, to meet this growing critical need, Walden Family Services began the formal process to become licensed as a domestic adoptions agency and, after an 18 month process, is pleased to announce that it has received its license to now execute domestic adoptions. The new license is expected to make a foster child’s transition to a permanent home less cumbersome for the child and prospective parents.

“Many families become foster parents believing they do not want to adopt,” said Karny Stefan, CEO of Walden Family Services in San Diego.  “Then, a child is placed in their home and becomes a part of their life, more than they had imagined. Having our adoptions license will allow us to make the often emotional and stressful process of adopting much less arduous so that they can spend their time growing as a family.”

According to Beth Barnes, executive director of Adoptions for Walden, “Since we can now serve as both a foster care and adoptions agency, the continuity of services and staff is maximized, making the process smoother for the adopting parents and the children.”

Many of the children served by Walden are special needs kids, and need to be placed in loving, nurturing homes. “Being adopted by loving parents is one of the most special gifts a foster child – especially one with developmental disabilities – could ever receive,” said Stefan. “Our goal at Walden is to assure all foster children in our care have the best chance at being placed in a loving home.”