|
Featured Sections Headlines Opinion Obituaries Sports Crime Blotter Happenings Country Cooking Wandering Minds Classifieds Birthdays Off The Wall On The Record Church Listings Archives Featured Columns Pastor Howle Wise Tech Tips Editor's Column Carl Langley Dr. Skip Myers Edgefield Square Registered Sex Offenders for Edgefield County Contact us Contact Info or E-mail the Editor Phone: 803-634-0964 day 803-279-5041 eve 803-279-8943 fax Mail to EdgefieldDaily.com PO Box 972 Edgefield SC 29824 Video & Audio Updates Audio Archive Video Archive School System EC District Office School Board Strom Thurmond Charter Schools Fox Creek Private Schools Wardlaw Academy Public Offices Edgefield County Edgefield Johnston Trenton Political State and Federal Legislative Contacts Local Political Parties Republican Party Democrat Party Chamber of Commerce Edgefield County Chamber Historical Edgefield Genealogical Society News links The Citizen News Aiken Standard North Augusta Star The State Augusta Chronicle Atlanta Journal United Press Associated Press FOX News Reuters CNS News WorldNet Daily Newsmax Drudge Report GoogleNews Yahoo!News New York Times New York Post Los Angeles Times Washington Times Washington Post |
  Gov. Sanford Signs Bill Improving Foster Care to Adoption Transition web posted May 27, 2010 COLUMBIA – Governor Mark Sanford joined legislative leaders and children's advocates on Tuesday to sign S.1172, legislation aimed at speeding up and improving the process transitioning South Carolina children in foster care into permanent adoptive homes. This bill is a direct result of recommendations made by the Governor's Children in Foster Care and Adoption Services Task Force, a group created by Executive Order in 2007 and tasked with identifying ways to improve the efficiency and quality of the state's foster care and adoption processes. Specifically, this legislation allows family courts overseeing the adoption process to cut through red tape in cases of severe abuse and neglect, and places a greater responsibility on parents in these cases to demonstrate their readiness for parenthood. "This administration has consistently advocated for making the adoption process easier for South Carolinians trying to adopt, and this bill represents a small but meaningful step in that direction," Gov. Sanford said. "Whether it's fully restoring the adoption incentive benefit, or allowing more in the way of flexibility for state employees to become foster parents, we've always tried to encourage adoption and quality foster care in South Carolina. On that front, I'd give real credit to George Milner and Carl Brown, the Co-Chairmen of our Adoption Task Force, as well as the other Task Force members * including various children's advocates and legislative leaders from across South Carolina. For this legislation in particular, I'd commend Senators Mike Fair and Paul Campbell, as well as Representatives Joan Brady and Bruce Bannister, for their efforts * and ask all involved to continue looking for ways to provide for the most vulnerable children in our state." During Gov. Sanford's first term, the Department of Social Services enacted a number of reforms to streamline and expedite the adoption process, including: fully restoring the adoption incentive benefit from $250 to $1,500; unifying the certification process for adoptive and foster families; looking for ways to give foster parents some of the same rights as biological parents; working with faith-based groups to recruit potential foster families; and working with the court system to identify ways to speed up the adoption process. Over the last seven years, finalized adoptions have steadily increased in South Carolina. In 2003, only 329 adoptions were finalized, while last year, 523 were finalized. During just the last two years, the average time a child waits to be adopted has been reduced from 45 to 39 months * a six month reduction. © Copyright 2010
EdgefieldDaily.com All
original material is property of
EdgefieldDaily.com and cannot be reproduced, rewritten or redistributed
without the expressed written permission of Edgefield Daily.com
|
Advertise Contact Us   Above ad not
currently linked
   Parting Shots A book by Columnist Carl Langley ------- NOTICE:
We still need recipes for Cooking Section WEBNEWS – Send in your favorite or favorites. There is no limit to the number of recipes you can send in. With the Editor’s wife being the driving force behind her own personal section, help her create an exchange of local favorites, home cooking, grilling, sauces, and deserts! Send in your submissions here. |
