Our beautiful infant son was born in 2011 and 3 days later he came home. Kinship was right there to help us navigate thru the entire process. He is 9 now and growing like a weed. Thank You, Kelly&Elizabeth H.
After spending over two years working with a county social services agency with zero potential matches, I dumped them and transferred my home study to the Kinship Center. They found the *perfect* match for me in less than three months, and my son moved about 6 weeks later. We have been a very happy Forever Family for 10 years now! THANK YOU!
-- Steve in OC
13 years ago my wife and I adopted 2 of the most amazing blessings we could have ever hoped for. Our family looks back now at the kinship center knowing that our first blessing was finding such an incredible organization filled with some of the most amazing people we have ever met. I don't have the words to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation.
Adopted a baby through Kinship Center four years ago. The Social Workers involved told me the child was fine, despite the child's small head circumference and birth mother's history of drug abuse. Turns out, the child has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and needs all kinds of help. She will probably be dependent on me her whole life. She's in kindergarten and already suspended from school due to behavioral issues. I'm told her behavior will worsen as she ages. Called Kinship months ago for services and was told there was a waitlist of TWENTY children. Called PACT for support several times and never received a return phone call.
Kinship and DSES, train your social workers to recognize the signs of a drug/alcohol exposed child so the child is matched with an appropriate family. Adoptive parents should know exactly what they are getting themselves in to, and they should not have to be smarter than their social workers and even the pediatrician. Have sufficient staff so that when a parent needs help, they are not placed on a wait list. I am getting professional help elsewhere for my daughter, but am completely overwhelmed. Not happy!
Kinship center is a terrible organization. My wife and I attempted to adopt through their agency. The social worker assigned to our case had a personalilty clash with my wife, so we went to her superviser. The following week when the social worker visited our home we were told that "she did not appreciate us going to her boss" I was also set up by the socail worker through e-mail conversations and the word were twisted about what I said. Two weeks later the boy was removed out of our home with a visit from Kinship Center and Monterey county social workers and we received a letter that stated we were found not fit to be adopted parents. This organization nearly destroyed our marriage and caused deep depression in my wife who has had fertility problems.
Kinship Center helped with the Adoption of our two children many years ago. Although our children (Ariel now 8 and Brandon now 13) are a bit older, we have never forgotten how everything that Kinship did for our family.
A lifetime full of thanks and love.
Armando and Brett
My husband and I adopted our 2 boys in 2007 after fostering them for 18 mos. The Kinship Center was a fabulous organization to work with and the adoption process was completed in a timely manner and gentle manner with any stress kept to a minimum. It has been such a successful match with our boys that we are now ( all) hoping to adopt a little girl to complete our family ! I am very much looking forward to working with the Kinship Center again to help us complete this dream. !
I see some of you are saing that this center is so good but if you only know how some of the worker like to lie about some of the partants you would porbly not say it. I know of a mother who had two children taken away from her and the worker told her she was doing a good job with her visits,and then when they went to court the worker told the judge that she was not fit to have her children. Then when the judge said it would be an open adpotin and that the mother could still talk to the children and the adpoted parents but she needed to wait a coulpe days so things could get in order the mother agree. Then she called the worker she wouldnt late know anything even if the children where all right or not. Still to this day the mother trys to find out something and still is told the can not tell her anything. Now do you thank is right. I know I do not thank so.
Our family has worked with Kinship Center since we adopted our daughter in 2002. We simply could not have done it without the eye opening pre-adoption training as well as the support we were provided. Kinship Center's professionals as well as the programs were the backbone of our ability to make a difference in our daughter's life.
After exploring several other adoption agency alternatives, I went with Kinship Center in 2009 because it seemed like the most helpful, down-to-earth, knowledgeable and ethical of any I had reviewed. The open adoption philosophy takes into consideration all parties involved, ensuring a higher rate of satisfaction from adoptive parents and birth families. We worked with Kinship's Linda Brown as our social worker, and she has been consistently kind and helpful, while never sugar-coating anything. As I write this review, our one-week-old daughter Grace is cooing in the background. We will always be grateful to the fine folks at Kinship.
We signed up with Kinship center to help us with our desire to adopt a child. As a same-sex couple we were worried that we might find bias or be uncomfortable. We weren't and we were happy to see other same-sex couples in our groups.
We chose Kinship because we liked the thought that we could look for children throughout the whole state of California and not just in our county.
Kinship helped (and continues to help) us navigate the overwhelming amount of information and paperwork that is the Foster System. We took many hours of classes offered through Kinship and I firmly believe that ALL parents should be required to take them. The information was invaluable and allowed us to grow and prepare for parenthood.
Last Friday we signed placement papers on a 12 year old boy. We thought we were looking for a much younger child, thank God for Kinship or we may not have found the son we were meant to have. He is amazing and we love him already.
I would recommend that anyone interested in adopting a child contact your nearest Kinship Center!
Absolutely the most ethical place in the state of California to pursue adoption. Husband and I worked with attorneys, physicians, social workers, etc. before finally finding Kinship Center.
Staff, professionals and their business model are extremely accountable, professional, kind. They are not here to swindle, push, manipulate, or take advantage of adoptive families, birth parents or foster families. Staff is not afraid to answer the tough, uncomfortable questions. Also highly recommend their fost/adopt classes vs. the county which is really hard to navigate.
They take great care of the birth families, mothers, dads, etc. and are available long-term for anyone in the adoption process who needs care or guidance. Birth moms are not pressured to commit to adoption. As adoption is not the choice for everyone, Kinship can help birth mother's figure that out. Not at all the methodology or pressure of a 'facilitator', private attorney or religious group.
It's a miracle we finally found them. Can not say enough good things about their professionalism, expertise and support after we've lived through the other options in So. Cal.
Review from Guidestar
My husband and I have worked with the Kinship Center in Southern California since about 2005. We successfully adopted our son in 2006 and have had a baby girl placed with us recently. Our experience has been wonderful - all of the social workers have been so dedicated and caring. We cannot say enough about Melissa D. - she is a goddess among humans. Her dedication and care is amazing.
We are so happy that we chose Kinship Center to help us grow our family>
Sincerely,
Leticia
Review from Guidestar
Kinship Center in Southern California truly has the most dedicated staff I have ever known. The wonderful social workers and all the professionals there treat you as if you are their family. We have been blessed to work with them for almost nine years. It is amazing to think that a phone call I made to Kinship Center nine years ago inquiring if they needed a foster mother turned into the most amazing experience of my life. I am proud to say that I worked for this incredible agency and feel extremely blessed to have done so.
The Kinship center really undersatnds families. The staff at the Northern CA location are just like our extended family. We had the opportunity to receive their love and support through three foster care situations. Two ended with us adopting the children. One situation required more than our family could handle and Kinship staff walked with us through the difficult decision to not keep the baby and were there when we took him to his new family. They continue to support us through monthly groups, even phone calls! We love the staff at the Kinship Center and everything they do for ALL families!
My adopted children received services from Kinship Center from 2008 until the end of 2010 (we have moved out of state). There are no words to describe how wonderful this agency was/is to us. It's amazing to work with people who "get" your kids. The summer and school break camps were a favorite for socialization with other children of adoption. For us, Kinship Center was also "one stop shopping" as we saw our child psychiatrist, therapist, and received psychological testing and OT through them. I cannot stress enough how important post adoption support is for the success of the family!