Belcher-Dixon v. Saenz

No. (Cal. Super. Ct. San Francisco County filed, Feb. 11, 2003) ; Clearinghouse Number: 55132

Description

California Agency Is Sued for Failure to Place Foster Children for Adoption Promptly

Abstract

Citizen and taxpayer sued California Department of Social Services and its director for failure to regulate and monitor county child welfare services and adoption agencies adequately to ensure that children in foster care were adopted in a timely manner. Plaintiff alleged that unreasonable delays in completing adoptions of thousands of foster children in California caused those children severe emotional distress and psychological harm and deprived them of economic and other benefits of the parent-child relationship. Plaintiff pointed to federal and state audits that found unnecessary delays in adoptions in California and extreme variations among counties’ adoption processing times. Plaintiff charged that defendants were aware of the problems, which could result in loss of federal funding, but failed to develop state standards and oversight procedures to address the delays and inconsistencies. Plaintiff charged that defendants (1) failed, in violation of state and federal child welfare statutes, to finalize permanent placements timely; (2) failed to ensure compliance with federal and state statutes; and (3) violated the constitutional due process and fair-hearing rights of children in foster care. All these violations constituted a waste of public funds, plaintiff claimed. Plaintiff seeks an injunction to require defendants to promulgate and implement procedures to ensure timely completion of all steps necessary for adoption and to implement notice and hearing procedures.

Additional Information

Attorney Information
Plaintiff represented by: Maria F. Ramiu, Alice Bussiere, Carole B. Shauffer, Youth Law Center, 417 Montgomery St., Ste. 900, San Francisco, CA 94104 (415.543.3379)
Docket Date
2003-02-11 00:00:00+00:00

Files

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