Adoption Triad

Welcome to the May 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In honor of National Foster Care Month, this edition focuses on encouraging the adoption of children and youth in foster care, celebrating those making a difference for the more than 400,000 children and youth currently in foster care across the country, and accessing foster care and adoption statistics.

May 15, 2012

Welcome to the May 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In honor of National Foster Care Month, this edition focuses on encouraging the adoption of children and youth in foster care, celebrating those making a difference for the more than 400,000 children and youth currently in foster care across the country, and accessing foster care and adoption statistics.

Review the National Foster Care Month website to read and hear real-life personal stories of children and youth in and adopted from foster care. Some of these stories were adapted from the Voice for Adoption Family Portrait Project.
Visit the Child Welfare/Foster Care Statistics section of Information Gateway's website for State and national data on the number of children in the child welfare system, trends in foster care caseloads, and well-being outcomes. The Child Welfare Outcomes Report Data site provides the latest data from the Child Welfare Outcomes Report to Congress. The report builder allows users to select and view the specific State(s), data, years, and display format: graph, table, or map outputs. It also allows for comparison of data across States. See an overview of the number of children adopted from foster care in each State: http://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/data/tables/adopted_overview.
Read Information Gateway's How Many Children Were Adopted in 2007 and 2008? for information on adoption statistics and adoption trends for adoptions from all sources. It notes that 136,000 children were adopted annually in the United States in 2007 and 2008, and approximately two-fifths of all adoptions occurred through the foster care system. Public agency adoptions accounted for 39 percent (52,657) of all adoptions in 2007 and 41 percent (55,303) of all adoptions in 2008. In 2000, approximately 40 percent of all adoptions (50,000) were public adoptions.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on Adoption Triad, as well as on our website and publications.

Regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Adoption Triad is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children's Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It provides adoption professionals with practical information to help them identify, recruit, train, and retain families for children and youth, and provides resources on all aspects of adoption for members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents.

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the April 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, this edition focuses on Protective Factors. The six protective factors-Nurturing and Attachment, Knowledge of Parenting and of Child and Youth Development, Parental Resilience, Social Connections, Concrete Supports for Parents, and Social and Emotional Competence for Children-are key elements in supporting and enhancing child and family well-being for all families, including those formed by adoption. Find out more about the six protective factors at the National Child Abuse Prevention Month website.

April 17, 2012

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Welcome to the April 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, this edition focuses on Protective Factors. The six protective factors—Nurturing and Attachment, Knowledge of Parenting and of Child and Youth Development, Parental Resilience, Social Connections, Concrete Supports for Parents, and Social and Emotional Competence for Children—are key elements in supporting and enhancing child and family well-being for all families, including those formed by adoption. Find out more about the six protective factors at the National Child Abuse Prevention Month website.

The vast majority of adoptive families are nurturing and not abusive; however, all families can benefit from building protective factors that help bolster family resilience and coping strategies for parenting under stress. One stress unique to some adoptive and foster families is explained in Maris Blechner's article Inducement: Adoption Language We Must Understand on the NACAC website. Blechner explains how families parenting children who have previously been abused or abandoned may be induced to feel the underlying hopelessness, rage, and profound sadness many of these children bring to the family. If families can draw on the protective factors during these times, they can help ensure family stability and permanency for children and youth.
Postadoption services can link families to social connections, help to build parental resilience, and provide the concrete supports that can serve as a buffer for families at difficult times. Find more information on postadoption services in the Postplacement Adoption Casework Practice (for professionals) and Parenting After Adoption (for families) sections of the Child Welfare Information Gateway website.
See examples of how two States are using the protective factors. Florida has built protective factors into its postadoption program and 5-year plan. Illinois has a publication available on the National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement website, Six Protective Factors That Help Keep Families Strong (PDF - 206 KB).

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on Adoption Triad, as well as on our website and publications.

Regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the March 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues in adoption. This topic, like others in adoption, may raise ethical and legal concerns for some adoption professionals. However, LGBT families adopt children both domestically and through intercountry adoption, and youth in foster care who are lesbian, gay, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) need families willing and culturally competent to parent them.

March 20, 2012

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Welcome to the March 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues in adoption. This topic, like others in adoption, may raise ethical and legal concerns for some adoption professionals. However, LGBT families adopt children both domestically and through intercountry adoption, and youth in foster care who are lesbian, gay, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) need families willing and culturally competent to parent them.

National Resource Centers (NRCs) in the Children's Bureau's Training and Technical Assistance Network have information on this topic.

The NRC for Permanency and Family Connections has a web section on LGBTQ Issues and Child Welfare that includes curricula, teleconferences, videos, webcasts, and webinars.
The NRC for Youth Development has a webpage of information and resources for LGBTQ Youth in Care.
The NRC for Recruitment and Retention of Foster and Adoptive Families at AdoptUSKids has a number of resources on engaging LGBT foster and adoptive families, including its study Barriers and Success Factors in Adoption From Foster Care: Perspectives of Lesbian and Gay Families.

The Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice section of Child Welfare Information Gateway has a subsection on Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Families in Adoption that includes the recently launched bulletin, Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Prospective Adoptive Parents and the factsheet Frequently Asked Questions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Prospective Adoptive Parents.

Serving LGBTQ Children in LA Child Welfare is a recent article in Children's Bureau Express that highlights one of the Children's Bureau's Permanency Innovations Initiative grantees in Los Angeles that is testing new approaches to finding permanency for LGBTQ youth experiencing long-term foster care.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on Adoption Triad, as well as on our website and publications.

Regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the February 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on Openness in Adoption. As with all adoptions, openness raises ethical issues to consider as professionals work with all members of the adoption constellation. Research has demonstrated the benefits of birth family connections for children and youth. Find resources below to help you consider the ethics, understand the research, and help maintain connections between children and youth and their birth families.

February 21, 2012

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Welcome to the February 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on Openness in Adoption. As with all adoptions, openness raises ethical issues to consider as professionals work with all members of the adoption constellation. Research has demonstrated the benefits of birth family connections for children and youth. Find resources below to help you consider the ethics, understand the research, and help maintain connections between children and youth and their birth families.

Child Welfare Information Gateway provides resources on openness for different audiences:

Adoption professionals may benefit from the Openness Ethics subsection, which has thoughtful articles about ethics in open adoption, and the Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice subsection on Openness, which points to the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project, a 20-year longitudinal study on the consequences of variations in openness in adoption arrangements for all triad members.
Prospective adoptive parents may explore the Considering Openness in Adoption subsection. It includes a summary of State statutes on Postadoption Contact Agreements Between Birth and Adoptive Families and resources about Common Fears Regarding Openness in Adoption.
Pregnant women, expectant fathers, and birth parents may find helpful resources in the Openness/Maintaining Connections subsection and under Examples of the Range of Openness in Adoption and Addressing Challenges in Open Adoption.

The National Resource Center for Adoption provides links to the most recent Open Adoption resources from Child Welfare Information Gateway's library as well as information about Youth Permanency Connections Grantee Projects that dealt with maintaining family connections for children in care.

Several useful products produced by Youth Permanency Connections Grantee Projects include Maintaining Connections, a free course developed by the Adoptions Unlimited grantee with Adoption Learning Partners, and Making the Case for Ongoing Connections Between Youth and Those Who Matter to Them—Before Permanency and Beyond: A Guide to Presentation to the Court and Legal Community a handbook produced by the Family Connections Project.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on Adoption Triad, as well as on our website and publications.

Regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the January 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on Transracial Parenting. Many families adopt children of a different race or ethnicity. Find resources below that will help you support families that have adopted children across racial or ethnic lines and the children, youth, and adults who were adopted.

January 17, 2012

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Welcome to the January 2012 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on Transracial Parenting. Many families adopt children of a different race or ethnicity. Find resources below that will help you support families that have adopted children across racial or ethnic lines and the children, youth, and adults who were adopted.

Child Welfare Information Gateway provides resources on transracial and transcultural adoptions for different audiences:

For adoption professionals, Supporting Transracial and Transcultural Adoptive Families includes perspectives of transracially adopted people.
For prospective adoptive families, Transracial/Transcultural Families presents options to consider and ways to prepare for transracial adoption.
For adoptive families after adoption, Transracial/Transcultural Adoption can help parents understand and care for their transracially adopted child.

To learn more about raising children in multicultural families:

Transracial Parenting in Foster Care and Adoption: Strengthening Your Biracial Family (PDF - 510 KB) is a guidebook to help parents understand the importance of race and culture for their families.
The Transracial/Transcultural section of New York State Citizen's Coalition for Children's website has an Ask The Experts webpage—transracially adopted professionals answer the questions.

Organizations have been formed by adults to support children and youth who, like them, were (or may be) adopted transracially or transculturally:

Adoptment (Adoption Mentoring) is a program in which adults who were adopted and/or in foster care mentor young people in foster care.
The Mixed Roots Foundation is a newly formed global, multicultural foundation led by adopted people.
Adoption Mosaic provides educational resources and ongoing support to all those whose lives are influenced by adoption.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on Adoption Triad, as well as on our website and publications.

Regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the December 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on the effects of trauma on adopted children, effects that may be magnified during the holiday season. Some agencies offer staff training around the holidays to alert workers that for many children and youth who have experienced trauma and separation from their birth families, the holiday season isn't always "merry." Images of happy families may heighten the sense of loss and separation from birth parents or siblings and may revive memories of trauma experienced during holidays. Resources below describe the continual effects of trauma on children and youth as well as tools for you to help resolve those effects.

December 20, 2011

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Welcome to the December 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on the effects of trauma on adopted children, effects that may be magnified during the holiday season. Some agencies offer staff training around the holidays to alert workers that for many children and youth who have experienced trauma and separation from their birth families, the holiday season isn't always "merry." Images of happy families may heighten the sense of loss and separation from birth parents or siblings and may revive memories of trauma experienced during holidays. Resources below describe the continual effects of trauma on children and youth as well as tools for you to help resolve those effects.

The free online course offered by Child Trauma Academy, Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma, provides lessons on the psychology and physiology of trauma, the costs of coping, resources, and more.

Child Welfare Information Gateway provides information on the effects of trauma and maltreatment on brain development and evidence-based treatments to address them. Among its publications are Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development, Supporting Brain Development in Traumatized Children and Youth (PDF - 193 KB) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Addressing the Mental Health of Sexually Abused Children (PDF - 216 KB).

"Walking the Walk: Trauma-Informed Practice in the Training Environment," an article in the current issue of Children's Bureau Express (CBX), describes a training guide for staff who work with children and families affected by trauma.
The February 2012 issue of CBX will spotlight trauma-informed practice. Search CBX archives for additional articles related to trauma by entering "trauma" in the search box.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on Adoption Triad, as well as on our website and publications (go to http://www.childwelfare.gov/admin/index.cfm?event=admin.showFeedback).

Happy holidays!

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the November 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on National Adoption Month and its theme: Build Capacity to Make Lasting Change.

November 15, 2011

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Welcome to the November 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on National Adoption Month and its theme: Build Capacity to Make Lasting Change, which offers ways for adoption professionals to enhance their abilities to recruit and retain parents for the 107,000 children and youth in the foster care system who are waiting for families.

Visit the official 2011 National Adoption Month website for details on what professionals can do Today, This Week, and This Month to recruit and retain families for the children who wait in foster care. You can help us enhance the National Adoption Month website by taking a short (3-minute) survey.

Visit the beautifully redesigned website of AdoptUSKids, our partners in developing the National Adoption Month website. You can download the 2011 National Adoption Month Capacity Building Toolkit (PDF - 3,000 KB) and watch the new, funny public service announcements developed in partnership with the Ad Council.

Post on your office wall, in English (PDF - 2,796 KB) and/or Spanish (PDF - 2,494 KB), the two-sided 2011 National Adoption Month poster, which features real adoptive families. Order your copy from a Child Welfare Information Gateway Information Specialist at 800.394.3366 or info@childwelfare.gov

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the October 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on postadoption services. Adoption has lifelong implications, not only for the immediate triad members, but also for grandparents, extended family members, and kinship networks in both the birth and adoptive family. The term "adoption constellation" more accurately captures the dynamic, systemic group of individuals affected by adoption. The luminance and emotional gravity of constellation members change over time, and there may be 'black holes' of secrecy. Members of the adoption constellation may benefit from high-quality, culturally competent postadoption services.

October 18, 2011

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Welcome to the October 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on postadoption services. Adoption has lifelong implications, not only for the immediate triad members, but also for grandparents, extended family members, and kinship networks in both the birth and adoptive family. The term "adoption constellation" more accurately captures the dynamic, systemic group of individuals affected by adoption. Members of the adoption constellation may benefit from high-quality, culturally competent postadoption services.

The Postplacement Adoption Casework Practice section of the Information Gateway website provides resources that assist adoption professionals in identifying, providing, and evaluating quality postplacement services.

Logic models are roadmaps that help identify links between the services your agency offers and the outcomes you hope to achieve. The Logic Model Builder for Postadoption Services Programs is a six-step tool to help professionals plan and evaluate outcomes of postadoption services. This tool is free; however, users must enter a name and password to develop and then later return to view their logic models.

TAPLINK is an example of a postadoption services website that provides support to adoptive, foster, and kinship families in Pennsylvania. The "Supports by County" webpage enables families to find therapists, tutors, respite care facilities, support groups, and other postadoption services in their area if they are available.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the September 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on diligent recruitment. Diligent recruitment means seeking out foster and adoptive parents who reflect the race and ethnicity of children and youth in foster care.

September 20, 2011

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Welcome to the September 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on diligent recruitment. Diligent recruitment means seeking out foster and adoptive parents who reflect the race and ethnicity of children and youth in foster care. The Children's Bureau provides guidance on satisfying the diligent recruitment requirements of the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/cwpm/programs/cb/laws_policies/laws/cwpm/policy_dsp.jsp?citID=120. The resources below are meant to assist adoption professionals, agencies, States, and Tribes in their efforts to recruit families for the 107,000 children and youth who wait for families in the U.S. foster care system.

The newly launched National Adoption Month website provides resources on diligent recruitment.
The article Engaging African American Communities and Organizations to Support Foster Care and Adoption for Children in the Child Welfare System discusses diligent recruitment in African American communities. It's in The Roundtable, the newsletter of the National Resource Center for Adoption.
In 2008 and 2011, the Children's Bureau funded eight grantees to provide diligent recruitment of families for children in the foster care system. One grantee, the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services—Partners for Forever Families, is a public-private partnership that uses a neighborhood approach to increase permanency outcomes for youth about to age-out of care and works to align policy with practice to drive system change. Read more about Cuyahoga County's efforts and see examples of resources they developed. Information about all of the grantees can be found on the AdoptUSKids website

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the August 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on siblings in adoption.

August 16, 2011

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Welcome to the August 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on siblings in adoption. Sibling relationships can provide a significant source of continuity throughout a child's life and are likely to be one of the longest relationships that most people experience. One of the most important contributions that adoption professionals can provide for children is to preserve their connections with their brothers and sisters.

Several web sections on Information Gateway supply resources on siblings, such as:
- Adopting Sibling Groups
- Siblings and Adoption From Foster Care
- Siblings
- The National Foster Care Month web section, Building Connections with Siblings, offers a story about three siblings, separated in foster care, who lost contact when they were adopted:
  http://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/connectionssiblings.cfm
The National Resource Center on Permanency and Family Connections has compiled research on siblings. http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/siblings.html
The Information Gateway bulletin, Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption (http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/siblingissues/siblingissues.pdf) explores research, intervention strategies, and resources to help professionals preserve connections among siblings in foster care.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the July 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on the use of social media in adoption.

July 19, 2011

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Welcome to the July 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on the use of social media in adoption. People of all ages and backgrounds use social media—Internet communications in social networking sites, text messaging, blogs, podcasts, and RSS feeds—in their personal and professional lives. The use of social media has the capacity to change many aspects of adoption from how adoptive families are recruited to how triad members connect and communicate.

"Social Media and Social Networking in Child Welfare" is a recent webinar posted on the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology.
www.nrccwdt.org/conferences/webinars.html
It includes a presentation by Dale Fitch, "Child Welfare Meets Technology & Social Media: Help or Hindrance?" See www.cehd.umn.edu/ssw/cascw/events/SocialMedia/ to access the presentation slides and handouts.
An article in the April 2011 edition of Children's Bureau Express, "Who's Using Social Media?" points to an AdoptUSKids report of a survey of child welfare professionals and their use of Facebook and Twitter.
http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=125&articleid=3142
Anecdotal evidence suggests that birth family members who have been separated by adoption are finding each other through Facebook and other social media channels. Although current statistics are not available, future research may seek to determine the number of adoptees, birth parents, and birth relatives who have reunited through social networking sites. Information Gateway’s web section on Social Media in Adoption Recruitment has information on the use of social media in recruiting adoptive parents.
www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/adopt_managers/social_media.cfm

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the June 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In this edition we focus on resources about Fostering Connections legislation.

June 21, 2011

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Welcome to the June 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This edition focuses on interjurisdictional issues in adoption. Placing children across jurisdictions can mean placing children with adoptive families in the next county, across State lines, or in other countries. The State Department has information on these outgoing cases on its website: http://adoption.state.gov/hague_convention/outgoing.php. Below are links to additional resources about interjurisdictional placements.

The Adoption section of the Information Gateway website includes a page devoted to Interjurisdictional Placement:
www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/preplacement/interjurisdictional.cfm
On the AdoptUSKids website, view the film Beyond Borders: Achieving Child Permanence Across Geographic Boundaries. See the Preview (3:32) or the Full Length (21:23) film:
http://adoptuskids.org/resourceCenter/atcPublications.aspx
Find several State-specific resources under "Services and Tools" on Information Gateway's homepage: www.childwelfare.gov, including State Statutes Search, National Foster Care and Adoption Directory, Adoption Assistance by State, and the Child Welfare Workload Compendium. Look for additional resources in this section in the future.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the May 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In this edition we focus on resources about Fostering Connections legislation.

May 17, 2011

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Welcome to the May 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In this edition we focus on resources about Fostering Connections legislation. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act was signed into law on October 7, 2008. This wide-ranging legislation includes provisions designed to increase incentives for the adoption of children in foster care with special needs, mandate reasonable efforts to place and connect siblings in foster care, promote Tribal foster care and adoption access, support relative caregivers, and expand funding for training.

View the Information Gateway web section on the Fostering Connections Act:
www.childwelfare.gov/fosteringconnections/
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections has a web section devoted to Fostering Connections legislation:
http://www.nrcpfc.org/fostering_connections/
The Children's Bureau website offers information on implementing the Fostering Connections Act:
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/laws_policies/implementation_foster.htm

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the the April 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In this edition we focus on resources about Supporting and Retaining Families in adoption.

April 19, 2011

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Welcome to the April 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. In this edition we focus on resources about Supporting and Retaining Families in adoption.

Retention and support are crucial not only to the families you've already recruited, but in helping to attract new families for waiting children and youth. Find information about supporting families on the 2010 National Adoption Month website: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/supportingfamilies.cfm
The recently launched Postplacement Adoption Casework Practice section of Information Gateway's website provides resources on supporting families formed by adoption: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/postplacement
Section 1 of AdoptUSKid's 2010 National Adoption Month Capacity Building Toolkit has resources on Supporting and Retaining Families: http://adoptuskids.org/images/media/documents/2010-National-Adoption-Month-Capacity-Building-Toolkit.pdf (PDF – 5,681 KB)

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the March 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. March is Ethics Awareness Month, so in this edition we focus on resources about professional ethics in adoption.

March 15, 2011

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Welcome to the March 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. March is Ethics Awareness Month, so in this edition we focus on resources about professional ethics in adoption.

Ethical practice in adoption is critical to ensure the rights of all adoption triad members. The recently launched Ethical Issues in Adoption section of Information Gateway's website provides resources to help guide the professional's ethical practice:
www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/adopt_ethics
Learn about a variety of topics on child welfare ethics in the Ethical Practice and Client Rights section of Information Gateway at:
www.childwelfare.gov/management/ethical
Read an essay on ethical issues involved in child-specific recruitment of adoptive families in Ethics and Family Recruitment at:
http://nysccc.org/family-supports/recruitment-retention/ethics-and-family-recruitment

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on this publication and hope you find it useful. Please note the ways you can comment on our publications and website, and give us your input. Thank you.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the February 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on resources on proactive family finding.

February 2011

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Welcome to the February 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on resources on proactive family finding.

Proactive family finding involves actively looking into children's and youth's past relationships to find new possibilities for ongoing family connections and potential adoptive parents. Find resources, tools, and State examples of proactive family finding on the National Adoption Month website at: www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/proactivefamilyfinding.cfm.
Learn more about family finding strategies (also referred to as "family search and engagement"), including case mining and engaging youth to learn about past significant relationships in section 4 of the National Adoption Month Capacity Building Toolkit at: 2010 National Adoption Month Capacity Building Toolkit.
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections has compiled resources on family search and engagement at:
www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/family-search.html.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on this publication and trust you find it useful. You can comment on our publications and website, including our 2010 National Adoption Month survey. We appreciate your input. Thank you.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Adoption Triad is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It provides adoption professionals with practical information to help them identify, recruit, train, and retain families for children and youth, and provides resources on all aspects of adoption for members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents.

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the January 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on resources for pregnant women, expectant fathers, and birth parents.

January 18, 2011

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Welcome to the January 2011 edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on resources for pregnant women, expectant fathers, and birth parents.

Birth parents are often the most neglected members of the adoption triad. There are fewer publications and services for birth parents than for adoptive parents and adopted children/adults. Expectant and birth fathers and their families sometimes are overlooked in adoption planning.
Visit the webpages For Pregnant Women, Expectant Fathers, and Birth Parents on Child Welfare Information Gateway* for more information and resources for this important group: www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/birth/for.
The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory provides contact information for a variety of adoption organizations and services, including support groups for birth parents. Search the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory: www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad/index.cfm.
Send us information about any support groups not included in the directory: www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad/index.cfm?event=loginForm.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on this publication and trust you find it useful.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

*Formerly the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (NAIC). In 2006, NAIC combined with the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information to become Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Adoption Triad is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It provides adoption professionals with practical information to help them identify, recruit, train, and retain families for children and youth and provides resources on all aspects of adoption for members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents.

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the third edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on working with diverse populations.

December 21, 2010

View past editions of Adoption Triad

Welcome to the third edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on working with diverse populations.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on this publication and trust you find it useful.

Diversity goes far beyond race and ethnicity and may include family structure and marital status (single-parent families, two-parent families, or multigenerational families who live as a unit); age; socioeconomic status; civilian or military employment; sexual orientation or gender identity; type of home (single or multi-unit); owner or renter; urban, suburban, or rural location; able-bodied or disabled parent, and other attributes. Working with diverse populations in a culturally competent manner requires that professionals be self-aware and open to learning about the populations with which they work. Cultural competence is a journey – not a destination.
Visit the Culturally Competent Adoption Casework Practice section of Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice in Child Welfare Information Gateway's* Adoption section for ideas, information, and resources: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/preplacement/culturally_competent.cfm.
The 2010 National Adoption Month Capacity Building Toolkit devotes section 3 to working with diverse populations. It offers take action ideas and considerations to explore in moving toward cultural competence. Find the 2010 NAM Capacity Building Toolkit on the AdoptUsKids website: http://adoptuskids.org/images/media/documents/2010-National-Adoption-Month-Capacity-Building-Toolkit.pdf.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Adoption Triad is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It provides adoption professionals with practical information to help them identify, recruit, train, and retain families for children and youth and provides resources on all aspects of adoption for members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents.

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the second edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on diligent recruitment.

November 16, 2010

View past editions of Adoption Triad

Welcome to the second edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we focus on diligent recruitment.

Diligent Recruitment—recruiting foster and adoptive parents in a community that reflects the race and ethnicity of children and youth in foster care awaiting families—is not only good practice, it is a requirement. Each State needs to report diligent recruitment efforts in their Title IV-B Child and Family Services Plans (CFSPs). Those efforts are also necessary to comply with recruitment plans required under the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA)
Visit the Diligent Recruitment section of Preplacement Adoption Casework Practice in Child Welfare Information Gateway’s* adoption section for ideas, information, and resources: www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/preplacement/diligent_recruit.cfm
The 2010 National Adoption Month Capacity Building Toolkit devotes section 2 to diligent recruitment offering ideas from the field, a specific strategy of targeted recruitment, take action ideas, and tools to assist in diligent recruitment. Find the 2010 NAM Capacity Building Toolkit on the AdoptUsKids website at: www.adoptuskids.org/nam

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on this publication and trust you find it useful.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Adoption Triad is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children’s Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It provides adoption professionals with practical information to help them identify, recruit, train, and retain families for children and youth and provides resources on all aspects of adoption for members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents.

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe

Welcome to the first edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals

October 19, 2010

Welcome to the first edition of Adoption Triad, a monthly e-brief for adoption professionals. This month, we want you to know about National Adoption Month resources:

November is National Adoption Month (NAM), a month set aside each year to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth from foster care. This year's National Adoption Month initiative targets adoption professionals by focusing on ways to recruit and retain parents for the 115,000 children and youth in foster care waiting for adoptive families.
Visit the 2010 National Adoption Month website, created in partnership with AdoptUsKids, at www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/. The 2010 National Adoption Month website is built around five themes to help adoption professionals raise awareness and make lasting change:

Supporting and Retaining Families
Doing Diligent Recruitment
Working With Diverse Populations
Doing Proactive Family Finding
Facilitating Interjurisdictional Placements

View the 2010 NAM poster, which highlights things professionals can do “today,” “this week,” and “this month” to make a difference in each of the five areas above. The double-sided poster (English/Spanish) is available for download off the NAM website at www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/nam_poster_english.pdf and www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/nam_poster_spanish.pdf.

Adoption Triad is published on the third Tuesday of each month. We welcome your feedback on this publication and trust you find it useful.

Best regards,

Phyllis Charles
Adoption Program Manager
Child Welfare Information Gateway

Adoption Triad is distributed at no charge by Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), a service of the Children's Bureau/ACF/HHS (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb). It provides adoption professionals with practical information to help them identify, recruit, train, and retain families for children and youth and provides resources on all aspects of adoption for members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents.

Other free subscriptions from Child Welfare Information Gateway are available at www.childwelfare.gov/admin/subscribe