COLUMBIA, S.C. — Four counties across the state celebrated National Adoption Day Monday by helping 74 children find their forever home.
With the month of November recognized as National Adoption Month in South Carolina, South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty authorized four judges to be placed over Adoption Day proceedings in Greenville, Charleston, Horry, and Sumter County.
Each county heard from anywhere between 10 to 20 families who were adopting foster children within the state …all of which work with the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) to ensure the families are the best match for the needs of every child seeking a home.
“We really want permanency, whether that is working for a family and helping them get onto a better path of self sufficiency and having that child safely returned to their family or if that is not an option, working with family courts to make sure they are able to receive permanency through a day like today through public adoption,” said SCDSS Chief External Affairs Officer Connelly-Anne Ragley.
SCDSS is looking to finalize over 600 adoptions for this calendar year, 74 of which were finalized Monday.
One of those waiting for this day was Bridget Webster. “Today is adoption day for my new baby," she said. "I am so excited, just tears of joy."
For Webster, something deeply personal led her to the adoption of three children total in her life. “I was in foster care once when I was a child. I always said I wanted to give back,” Webster said.
The newest addition to the Webster family is four year old Tyrone who had been in the foster care system since Bridget met him at 10 months old.
“When a child comes into foster care, they are not automatically up for adoption," Ragley explained. "That is a big misconception out there. There is a court process as well as the agency to try to make plans to reunify the family safely if at all possible,”
Reunifying the family, however, does not always meet the child's needs.
“A family court can terminate a parents rights after a set amount of time, and then that child becomes open for adoption,” Ragley said.
Now the Websters are going home as a complete family.
Families who are interested in adoption can visit DSS's website for more information about the process and online profiles of South Carolina's children waiting to find their forever home.