Finding Post Adoption Services in New York
Post adoption support comes in many forms and families are encouraged to use these supports as much as needed to keep their family healthy. It’s normal, natural, healthy and expected that all adoptive families will need to reach out and seek assistance and support during multiple time frames as their family matures and grows.
A range of post adoption support services may include educational seminars, webinars, online chat groups, and direct therapeutic intervention with a mental health professional. Misfile are encouraged to seek out a variation of support and trainings for both themselves and family members.
AGAPE: Adoption and Guardianship Assistance Program for Everyone
AGAPE is the Coalition’s free support, information and educational program open to all adoptive families and relative caregivers who have custody or guardianship of children. Our program is staffed by adoptive parents and social workers with specialized training and experience working with families formed through adoption and guardianship. The program offers clients the opportunity to consult with a social worker around any concern that is placing stress on the family and together decide if AGAPE can provide more assistance to the family.
AGAPE – Hudson Valley: Serving Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster Counties.
AGAPE – Long Island: Serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties
AGAPE – Central New York: Serving Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland,  Madison, Schuyler and Tompkins Counties.
AGAPE’s services are provided free of charge. Whether its a simple question, a need for more training or a more challenging problem, we are here to guide you. Our guiding principle is that adoptive and guardianship families should have the support they need when they need it.
RPRC: Regional Permanency Resource Centers
Regional Permanency Resource Centers (RPRCs) serve families with a adopted child or those that have become guardians of a relative’s child, providing supportive services and connecting families to resources such as parent training, peer support, mentoring, navigation for cross-system needs, therapeutic services referrals, counseling, respite care or other supports to help families address issues as they arise. Regional Permanency Resource Centers help post-adoptive and post-guardianship families through the unique challenges they face following an adoption or guardianship.
PSP: the Parents Supporting Parents Network
The Coalition supports and coordinates volunteer and agency-led parent support groups for foster, adoptive and kinship parents throughout the state. We partner with other groups, large or small, to bring trainings and events to the vast reaches of the state. We provide an directory of parent support groups and we curate a statewide event calendar for all related trainings, events, films, workshops, and conferences, related to foster care, adoption, and the issues surrounding. Throughout the year, the Coalition hosts events and trainings throughout the state including our annual Conference. We even have an online support group hosted on Facebook! For parents, there is no better support than connecting with others who have walked in your shoes.Â
AFCTN: Adoption/Foster Care Therapist Network
The mission of the Adoption/Foster Care Therapist Network of New York (AFCTN) is to create a robust referral network of attachment, adoption, and foster care specialized clinicians; and further the training of mental health and related service professionals so that every foster care and adoptive family can receive the services that they need to support a successful adoption. The AFCTN network of Therapists and Counselors specialize in the treatment and support of foster care children and their families.
Resources for Family Support
While internet can provide a wealth of information, it’s often hard to know who to trust as a verified source. The Coalition’s goal is to provide foster, kinship and adoptive families in New York State with the information they need to make informed decisions and the resources to help them and their children. With a ever growing collection of resources and information, we curate and recommend a wide variety or helpful online resources and links including national organizations, New York specific agencies and assistance, relevant adoption, foster and kinship articles and information.
The HelpLine
The only free, statewide 24/7 service of its kind, the Coalition’s  HelpLine is designed specifically to assist foster, adoptive and kinship families, related professionals and those wanting to foster or become parents. Individuals who contact our HelpLine will speak directly with Coalition staff, often one of our Post Adoption Family Support Specialists who can help answer their questions, listen and help problem solve. Whether it is a family crisis a need for a referral or even just a safe space to be heard, the Coalition’s HelpLine provides post adoption support to families in New York State every single day of year.
Helping to Bring Post Adoption Support To ALL Families
Previously New York State did not, fund support or post adoption services for adoptive families based solely on their eligibility status as a New York State adoptive family. There had been some post adoption services for TANF income eligible families, but that was drastically reduced in the New York State 2014/15 budgets. For over a decade, the Coalition has worked with the state, including conducting a statewide post adoption parent survey, to create a permanent statewide post adoption services program as part of our advocacy efforts. Starting in late 2016, New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) began funding Regional Permanency Resource Centers (RPRCs) throughout the state. The centers, at least one in every county now, provide post-adoption services, kinship caregiver services and services to support positive placement outcomes for children at risk of entering foster care.