Family Resources and Supports

African American Family

This section of our site contains literally hundreds of resources to help you parent or support foster, kinship or adoptive parents and families you work with.

Trauma and Mental Health

While there are inconsistent findings on the relationship between adoption and mental health, there is enough to know that it is not 100% the same as parenting a child born to you. As parents, the best bet is to be educated, aware and informed.

Navigating Relationships

To support adoptive families in considering and maintaining adoptions most beneficial to the growth of children in their care. Our collection of resources for building and strengthening relationships with all parties under all circumstances. As we recognize the potential benefits of allowing an adopted child or youth to establish or maintain connections with his or her birth family, we owe it to our children to to learn and grow.

Transracial and Transcultural Families

Many American families foster or adopt a child of another race or culture. It is against federal law to delay or deny a child’s placement for foster care or adoption on the basis of race, color or national origin. However, multi-cultural families need extra support.  Designed for parents who are fostering or adopting a child of another race or culture.

Health, Disabilities and Special Needs

Deciding to adopt a child with additional challenges can be scary. Yet, if you conduct your own honest self-assessment and discover that you are among those who are able and willing to proceed with this type of adoption, it can be an extremely rewarding experience.

Youth Education

All too often adoptive and foster parents find they must train others to be more responsive to the needs of adopted children, children cared by relatives, or children in care. Making sure your child’s teachers and educational environment are safe and welcoming places for our families is key.

Older Youth and Launching to Adulthood

The number of youth who age out of foster care has risen steadily over the past decade, even in the wake of increased efforts to achieve permanence for all children in foster care. For far too many youth, aging out of care results in homelessness, work instability, and a lack of stable, loving relationships with adults.