Adoption services in North Dakota seeing changes to reduce wait-times

(Bismarck, ND) -- North Dakota officials are working to make adoption services in the state easier to use.

North Dakota's Department of Health and Human Services says they are working to make the system more efficient and easier to use for kids, families, and workers, often times by cutting on bureaucracy and consolidating forms for adoption referrals.

“There has been a long standing concern about the duplication between the foster care licensing process and the adoptive study process,” said Julie Hoffman, the ND HHS adoption services administrator said to the North Dakota Monitor. "They can complete a lot of it as they’re talking with the family — which is unlike what it used to be [...] They would compile all this information and then go back to their office and spend a half a day writing a 22-page study.”

State officials say the goal of the changes is to reduce the time each kid spends in foster care. Additional changes are being implemented, with a different phase for the redesign expected to be launched in the next six to twelve months. 

You can read more about the proposed changes to the ND HHS adoption programs by clicking here.