California Department of Social Services

1 11/3/16 California Department of Social Services DIRECTORY OF PUBLIC AND LICENSED California ADOPTION AGENCIES The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), through the Permanency Policy Bureau, provides administrative oversight of public and licensed private adoption agencies. This office can be contacted at: California Department of Social Services Permanency Policy Bureau 744 P Street, MS 8-13-66 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 657-1858 The CDSS Adoptions Services Bureau provides Independent Adoption Services in 55 counties and Agency Adoption Services in 16 counties. This office can be contacted at: California Department of Social Services Adoptions Services Bureau 744 P Street, MS 8-12-31 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-8089 TYPES OF ADOPTIONS - The following four types of adoptions are available in California for children under 18 years of age: Agency (Relinquishment) Adoption: Adoption of children who are placed for adoption by a public or licensed private adoption agency that has custody of the child as the result of either the parent(s) voluntarily relinquishing their legal rights to the agency or involuntary termination of parents legal rights by the court.

2 Independent Adoption (I): Parent(s) place directly with prospective adoptive parent(s) for the purpose of adoption. Only the CDSS regional and field offices and delegated counties provide Services under the Independent Adoption Program. o Role of the adoptive parents Independent Adoption: Once the placement is made, the prospective adoptive parent must file a petition in the superior court of the county in which they reside. They must include the Adoption Placement Agreement with the petition. o Role of the CDSS or delegated county adoption agency: The CDSS or delegated county agency is required by law to investigate the adoptive family home, and circumstances of placement to determine whether the child is a proper subject for adoption and whether or not the prospective adoptive family will enable the child to develop to his/her best potential.

3 The agency must complete the investigation and 11/3/16 submit a report to the court with recommendations regarding the adoption within 180 days of the filing of the adoption petition, unless an extension has been granted by the court. Intercountry Adoption: Adoption of foreign-born children for whom federal law makes a special immigration visa available. Intercountry adoption may be finalized in the child's native country or in California . Stepparent Adoption: Stepparents may adopt the children of their spouses. Local county probation or welfare departments handle these adoptions. For more information, contact your local probation or child welfare Department .

4 FEES Fees are set by law for public agencies (maximum of $500 for agency adoptions and $4,500 for an independent adoption). Private agencies charge varying fees depending on the Services provided. CDSS ADOPTIONS REGIONAL AND FIELD OFFICES CDSS Adoption Regional and Field Offices provide independent adoption Services in specific counties (see areas served). In addition, CDSS Adoption Regional and Field Offices provide agency adoption Services in those counties that do not have a public adoption agency. COUNTY (PUBLIC) ADOPTION AGENCIES County child welfare departments provide agency adoption Services . In addition, independent adoption Services are provided by those county welfare departments delegated by the CDSS to study and report to the court when county residents file independent adoption petitions.

5 LICENSED PRIVATE ADOPTION Services Private adoption agencies are licensed to provide direct adoption Services . These Services vary from agency to agency and are defined by their license. Questions about specific Services provided should be addressed to the individual agency. TYPES OF ADOPTION LICENSES The following is a listing of the types of licenses issued to private adoption agencies. Full Service (FS): An adoption agency authorized to assume care, custody and control of a relinquished child. It also authorizes the agency to assess birth parents and prospective adoptive parents, place a child for adoption, supervise that adoptive placement, and to remove a child from an unsuitable adoptive placement.

6 Noncustodial (NC): A license that authorizes an adoption agency to work in cooperation with a full service agency to match prospective adoptive parents with children who are under the care, custody and control of the full service agency. Noncustodial agencies are also authorized under this license to assess prospective adoptive families and, in cooperation with full service agencies, to supervise adoptive placements, but are not authorized to remove a child from an unsuitable placement. A noncustodial agency cannot assume care, custody and control of a child, nor can they make adoptive placements. 11/3/16 Intercountry (ICA): A license that authorizes an adoption agency to provide adoption Services to finalize the adoption of foreign born children either in the child s native country (Non-custodial) or in California (full-service) An Intercountry license is issued only to private adoption agencies.

7 County adoption agencies do not provide Intercountry adoption Services LEGEND A = Agency Adoptions FS = Full Service Adoptions I = Independent Adoptions NC = Non-Custodial Adoptions ICA FS = Inter-Country Adoptions finalized in California ICA NC = Inter-Country Adoptions finalized in Child s native country (###) = Adoption agency reporting code assigned by CDSS = Denotes a change since the last publication 11/03/16 CDSS Adoptions Regional and Field Offices The CDSS Regional and Field offices provide independent and agency adoption Services in the counties as specified below. CENTRAL OFFICE ADOPTIONS Services BUREAU 744 P Street, 8-12-31 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-8089 (916) 651-8143 FAX STATEWIDE REGIONAL AND FIELD OFFICES Arcata (Eureka) Field Office 749 F Street Arcata 95521 (707) 826-9180 (707) 826-9984 FAX Area Served: Independent Adoptions provided for: Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity Agency Adoptions provided for: Del Norte, Trinity, Mendocino Chico Regional Office 520 Cohasset Road, Suite 140 Chico 95926 (530) 895-6143 (530) 895-6148 FAX Area Served: Independent Adoptions provided for.

8 Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Modoc Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Yuba Agency Adoptions provided for: Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter Fresno Field Office 1330 C East Shaw Avenue Fresno 93710-7708 (559) 243-8200 (559) 229-9685 FAX Area Served: Independent Adoptions provided for: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Tulare Agency Adoptions provided for: Mono, San Benito Monterey Park (Los Angeles) Regional Office 1000 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 630 Monterey Park, CA 91754 (323) 981-1730 (323) 981-1785 FAX Area Served: Independent Adoptions provided for: Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura Does not cover Agency adoptions Oakland Regional Office 1515 Clay Street, Suite 308 Oakland 94612 (510) 622-2650 (510) 622-2655 FAX Area Served: Independent Adoptions provided for: Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus Does not cover Agency adoptions Sacramento Regional Office 100 Howe Avenue, Suite 260N Sacramento 95825 (916) 574-1333 (916) 574-1313 FAX Area Served: Independent Adoptions provided for.

9 Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Tuolumne, Yolo Agency Adoptions provided for: Amador, Nevada, Tuolumne, Yolo, COUNTY (PUBLIC) ADOPTION AGENCIES WHO PROVIDE THEIR OWN AGENCY Services Alameda County (I) Children and Family Services - Adoptions 401 Broadway Oakland 94607 (510) 268-2422 (510) 667-7714 FAX E-mail: Mailing Address: Box 1768, Oakland 94604 Alpine County Department of Human Services Adoption Services 3057 Briw Road Suite A Placerville 95667 (530) 642-7100 El Dorado County serves Alpine County through agreement Butte County 205 Mira Loma Street Suite 20 Oroville 95965 (530) 538- 5119 (530) 538-2926 FAX Calaveras County Works and Human Services Agency Adoptions 509 East St.

10 Charles Street San Andreas, CA. 95249 (209) 754-3293 (209) 754-3293 FAX Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Dept. Children & Family Services Bureau 500 Ellinwood Way, 3rd Floor Pleasant Hill 94523 (925) 602-6910 (925) 602-6989 FAX El Dorado County Department of Human Services Adoption Services 3057 Briw Road Suite A Placerville 95667 (530) 642-7100 (530) 626-7427 FAX Branch Office 3368 Lake Tahoe Boulevard South Lake Tahoe 96150-2600 (530) 573-3201 (530) 541-2803 FAX Fresno County Children & Family Services Department of Social Services 2135 Fresno Street, 4th Floor Fresno 93750-0001 (559) 262-4402 11/03/16 Kern County Adoption Agency 3041 Wilson Road Bakersfield, CA 93304 Contact.