Program Description-Concurrent Planning

A New law

(AB1544) was passed approximately 1997/1998 that limits the amount of time that a child can remain in the foster care system.

The new law also provided for the development of a permanent plan along with a reunification plan. This became known as Concurrent Planning.

Concurrent Planning

Means that a child is identified by the Social Services Agency as a probable candidate for adoption, while the child is still a dependent of the Juvenile Court.

The child may be placed in a Concurrent Planning Family when family reunification appears unlikely, yet the legal timelines for reunification have not been completely fulfilled.

The benefit of this process is that a child may be placed in a Concurrent Planning Family at a much earlier point in the legal process. This allows for children to become part of their new adoptive family as soon as possible and aids in the development of h2er attachments.

Concurrent Planning Family

Must become licensed as a foster home and be approved for adoptive placements prior to the placement of any child.

Concurrent Planning Families (formerly referred to as fos/adopt families) are therefore both a foster and adoptive placement homes simultaneously.

Homes are needed that are willing to assume more legal risks. This means that a family may be asked to accept a placement with only minimal information about the child and birth family.

The Concurrent Planning Family must be willing to work with the birth family towards reunification until such time that the parents demonstrate to the Court (within the time lines given) that they have failed to comply with the reunification plan.

Currently, there is a critical need for adoptive homes willing to take sibling sets, older children and children with special medical or developmental needs. Families willing to adopt these types of children will be given priority in completing their home studies.

For more information, please contact the Adoptions On-Duty Worker at

714-704-8000 (M-F/8-5/Pacific Time)