Kicking Off Court Adoption and Permanency Month

California courthouses this November will be filled with balloons, stuffed animals, and most importantly, new families in celebration of Court Adoption and Permanency Month. The annual event is celebrated nationally on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and some counties coordinate similar events throughout the year.

On National Adoption Day, Nov. 18, the Chief Justice will join judges, court staff, pro bono attorneys, and child welfare partners at the location of the first Adoption Saturday event, the Los Angeles' Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park.

In California, 

• The number of youth living in foster care has declined from 58,833 in 2013 to 50,224 in 2023;
• On average, children and teens stay in the foster care system for 12 to 20 months; and  
• Los Angeles County launched the first “Adoption Saturday” in 1998 in response to a growing crisis—thousands of foster children and adoptive parents waiting in limbo for paperwork to be finalized. The Judicial Council first declared November to be Court Adoption and Permanency Month in California in 1999. 
• More facts and figures are available on the California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP), a collaboration between the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS).

Judicial Council Supports Adoption and Permanency

On Nov. 17, the Judicial Council's business meeting will feature a presentation about the importance of finding permanent families for children in foster care and how the courts help make it happen. The council will also acknowledge Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero's signing of the resolution officially proclaiming November as Court Adoption and Permanency Month. The public can view the livestream of the meeting on the California Courts Newsroom.

About National Adoption Day

National Adoption Day is a collective, grassroots effort to raise awareness of the more than 113,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. A coalition of national partners — the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Alliance for Children’s Rights and Children’s Action Network — founded National Adoption Day.

During this annual event, courts and organizations in more than 400 communities across the country have opened their doors on or around the Saturday before Thanksgiving to finalize and celebrate adoptions from foster care. To date, National Adoption Day has recognized more than 75,000 children moving from foster care to a permanent family. Learn more at nationaladoptionday.org.