Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York’s Family Preservation Statement 

We believe in services that help strengthen families in times of crisis and prevent the unnecessary trauma of family separations.

All families go through tough times, experiencing challenges related to parenting, illness, employment and income, and sometimes substance use disorder.

The Coalition is dedicated to supporting child-centered, family preservation policies, programs, organizations and services that assist in keeping families together.  We believe that an important foundation for supporting family wellbeing and limiting involvement in the child welfare system, especially for families of color, is ensuring equitable access to opportunities, resources and services that support families in meeting their basic needs for income, housing, food, child care and health care. We support programs such as funded child care, Universal Basic Income, Home Nurse Visiting and Power of Two.

Through our decades of providing support, information and advocacy for the foster, adoptive and guardianship families of New York State, the Coalition can validate research that concludes any disruption in a child’s life, even one intended to ensure their own safety, can be traumatic and have negative physical and mental health repercussions for years.