VENICE, Calif. – Julie is a teenager who has been in and out of the foster system for years. Despite COVID-19, she completed the adoption process May 19.

New parents Delaney Miller and Kelly Slattery started this journey in 2018. Back then, they could never have envisioned it would culminate in a virtual adoption proceeding.

“I’m an attorney. We don’t do anything virtually in my line of work. The fact that they were able to make this happen through the court system virtually was just huge for us,” said Miller.

Julie's name is now legally changed to Julie Eva Slattery-Miller. Her last name is a combination of both her adoptive parents’ last names.

Julie was 12 years old when she entered the foster care system. Her biological father passed away and there’s little communication with her biological mother.

Julie has overcome some long odds. The road from foster care to adoption is windy for everyone. However, Julie is 17 and months away from aging out of the system.

Kidsave is the nonprofit that brought the family together. They’re hosting all their prospective adoption meetings online. This is one of the first adoptions founder Randi Thompson has seen since coronavirus shut down everything.

“It’s really important that it’s done right because it is a lifetime decision, but then you layer on COVID-19 and you have a situation where the courts are open, but they’re really focusing on emergency situations, detentions, and other more urgent matters,” said Thompson.

Julie starts her senior year of high school in the fall.