Mellie Klinger expected her adoption of one-year-old Davey to happen fairly quickly. His sister had died after being violently shaken by one of their biological parents. Mellie thought removing Davey from the home and completing his adoption would be open and shut. But it took two years.

Yvonne Wenger reported on Klinger's experience -- and efforts to streamline the adoption process in South Carolina -- in a March 20 Post and Courier article:

About a quarter of the children in South Carolina foster care are left in limbo for an average of 39 months, while the state is torn between its responsibility to respect the rights of biological parents and make sure kids are in permanent, loving homes. ...

Child advocates want kids to spend no more than two birthdays in temporary custody, and several efforts are under way to reach that goal. The national average is more than 3 1/2 years, according to 2007 data, the latest available.

Since 2007, the state has shaved six months off the average time a child spends in foster care before an adoption is final, said Kathleen Hayes, director of the state Department of Social Services. Advocates credit her for helping reach that accomplishment.

Labels: adoption process

Posted By: Aspen/CRC