Counties served by the Chico District Office

Adoption Information Meetings

Adoption information meetings are held quarterly in Glenn, Colusa, Lassen, Siskiyou, and Sutter Counties.

Individuals and families considering adding a child to their family by adoption, please call 530-895-6143 for information.  An Adoptions Specialist will provide general adoption information and explain family assessment and placement procedures.  Questions regarding adoption will be answered and additional written information can be provided.

Adoptive Parent Support Group

Three adoptive parent support group meetings are held each month.  These groups are open to families who have an adopted child in their home.  The groups provide on-going opportunities for discussion of parenting issues, and educational presentations to assist families in meeting the needs of their adoptive children.  The groups are facilitated by an adoptions social worker.  Childcare is provided.  For more information, meeting location, or to be placed on the support group mailing list, please call Leslie Damschroder at (530) 879-3861.

Post Adoption Services (PAS)

The Chico Regional Office has a post adoption social worker available to provide services to families and children who have finalized their adoptions, but who have a continued need for assistance.  The PAS program offers information and referral services, individual and family counseling, specialized adoption training events, regular group meetings with adoptive parents to offer support and guidance, and respite care and educational resources.  Post adoption services are intended to serve families and children from Butte, Glenn, Sutter, and Colusa Counties.  For more information about resources in your area, contact Leslie Damschroder at (530) 879-3861.

Valley Exchange Matching Picnic

The Chico Regional Office works with other north state adoption agencies to provide a special picnic to bring together children in need of adoptive homes, and families who are seeking to adopt one or more children.  Families with the appropriate clearances and approved homestudies arrange attendance through their adoption agency representatives.  Picnics are held in Sacramento and occur in September and May of each year.  For more information about the Valley Exchange Matching Picnic, please contact your adoption agency representative.

Children Available for Adoption

• The Chico Regional Office is always in need of additional families to provide permanent homes for children who are awaiting adoption. Available children are generally between the ages of three and twelve.  Most children have experienced some forms of neglect or abuse prior to being referred for adoption.  The children are usually court dependents living in foster homes.  Some children have brothers and sisters who also need to be adopted.  Children are placed with their siblings whenever possible.  Information about adopting waiting children can be obtained by contacting your local adoption agency, or by accessing the Internet at the site listed below.
• In an effort to utilize the power of the Internet and to bring children and families together, the California Kids Connection program was developed as California's registry of children waiting to be adopted and families wanting to adopt.  The program offers both a secure website accessible only to California licensed adoption agency personnel and a public site accessible to any Internet user.
• The California Kids Connection public website is available to anyone using the Internet.  Visitors to this area of the website may view and indicate their interest in specific children by sending an immediate email to the adoption agency identified for each child.  This site features children for whom legal clearance has been granted by the court.

Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) establishes procedures for the adoption of children coming into California from another state and for children who are leaving California to be adopted by individuals who live in other states.

Information about ICPC forms and procedures for Agency adoptions is available at licensed public or private adoption agencies.  Information regarding ICPC for Independent adoptions is available at CDSS Adoptions Regional Offices.  Residents of Alameda, Los Angeles, or San Diego Counties should contact the licensed public adoption agencies in their county of residence.

To obtain a copy of licensed adoption agencies, please visit the Directory of Public and Licensed California Adoption Agencies website or call 1 (800) KIDS-4-US.

Inter-Country Adoptions

You can adopt a child from another country through California's Intercountry Adoption Program.  To obtain information about the program requirements, contact a private adoption agency licensed to provide these services in the county where you reside.  To obtain a copy of licensed adoption agencies, please visit the Directory of Public and Licensed California Adoption Agencies website or call 1 (800) KIDS-4-US.

For further details on Intercountry adoptions, please visit the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website or contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service National Customer Service Center at 1 (800) 375-5283.