Search Results: MCH Organizations

Annotation: Adopt A Special Kid (AASK) provides complete, no-fee foster and adoption services to families interested in helping children in the child welfare system. The organization was formed in 1973 on the principle that it is every child's right to be a permanent member of a supportive family. AASK's pioneering success in placing children in California lead to requests to replicate its program model, and, today, adoption programs and services developed by AASK operate in California, Arizona, Ohio and New Mexico. In addition to its programs to find families for waiting children, AASK also advocates systemic changes that will improve life opportunities for these children.

Keywords: Adoption, Advocacy, Children with special health care needs, Foster care, Model programs, Services

Annotation: The Adoption Exchange Association (AEA) provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and strategies, collaboration on issues of mutual interest, and increased effectiveness in using resources to provide waiting children permanent homes. AEA connects representatives of state, regional, and national adoption exchanges, including placement agencies, parents, child welfare professionals, and concerned citizens across the United States. The association has developed Standards for Adoption Exchanges, which can be ordered from the Web site, along with other materials exploring various aspects of the adoption process. AEA also offers information packets on children waiting for adoption and resources within individual states.

Keywords: Adoption, Agencies, Collaboration, Information networks, Information services, Standards

Annotation: AdoptUSKids works to raise public awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families and supports states, territories, and Tribes in their efforts to find families for children in foster care, particularly the most challenging to place. AdoptUSKids offers a variety of resources, services, and tools to both families and child welfare professionals. One of its core services is to provide technical assistance and resources to states, territories, and Tribes through the National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (NRCDR).

Keywords: Adoptive parents, Adoption, . Collaboration, Children, Foster care, Foster parents, Information sources, Public service announcements

Annotation: The American Fertility Association (AFA) works to serve the needs of men and women confronting infertility issues; to support families during struggles with infertility and adoption; to educate the public about reproductive disease; and to raise awareness and fight for social and legislative change around infertility issues. The AFA provides a range of services designed to help people gather information about medical treatments, options, coping techniques, legal and insurance issues, and other concerns. One of its goals is to help couples make informed decisions throughout the infertility process. The AFA's services focus around increasing awareness of the medical and social issues around reproductive health and infertility, as well as prevention efforts that target young people to help them make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive lives.

Keywords: Pregnancy, Adoption, Fertility, Infertility, Information services, Public awareness campaigns, Referrals, Reproduction, Reproductive health, Reproductive technologies, Support groups

Annotation: Bethany Christian Services provides pregnancy counseling, interim care for infants awaiting adoption, shepherding care for pregnant women, and domestic and international adoption services. The crisis pregnancy hotline, 1-800-BETHANY, is available nationwide for counseling and referrals to the nearest Bethany office or to another pro-life agency. Publications and videotapes are available.

Keywords: Adoption, Child health, Child welfare

Annotation: The Child Welfare Information Gateway provides information services to child welfare and related professionals and the public as the clearinghouse for the Children’s Bureau, compiling, synthesizing, and disseminating resources to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. The Information Gateway provides access to publications, websites, and online databases covering a range of topics, including child welfare, child abuse and neglect, foster care, adoption, and the content areas for which the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network (TTA) members provide support.

Keywords: Adopted children, Adoptive parents, Biological parents, Child abuse, Child neglect, Children with special health care needs, Clearinghouses, Databases, Family violence, Information services, Information dissemination, Adoption, Injury prevention, Spanish language materials, Support groups

Annotation: The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) brings together public and private nonprofit voluntary child welfare agencies in efforts to advance policies, best practices, and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for vulnerable children, youth, and families. The league sets internationally recognized standards for child welfare practice; proposes public policy initiatives; offers consultation, training, and technical assistance for member agencies; and provides reference information, publications, and referrals for consumers. Areas of concern include adolescent pregnancy and parenting, adoption, AIDS, chemical dependency, child abuse and neglect, child care, child poverty, cultural competence, developmental disabilities, foster care, family preservation, homelessness, juvenile justice, kinship care, and residential group care. Publications include the Children's Voice magazine, Child Welfare Journal, Child Welfare Standards of Excellence, and the PRIDE training curriculum, along with hundreds of books.

Keywords: Adolescent pregnancy, Adoption, Child abuse, Child care, Child health, Child neglect, Child welfare, Foster care, Nonprofit organizations, AIDS,

Annotation: Children Awaiting Parents (CAP) is a national, not-for-profit organization that recruits foster and adoptive families for special needs children who have been waiting the longest for permanent families. CAP serves older and minority children who may have mental, physical and/or emotional disabilities. Photos and narratives of waiting children are posted on the Web site and also provided in The CAP Book, a printed, national photolisting of adoptable children with special needs. The organization also provides a CAP Book CD, featuring national and state contact information, home study procedures, and adoption success stories. The Web site provides pre- and post-adoptive information for prospective parents, as well as registration and other placement assistance for caseworkers. CAP has initiated a program called Faith in Children, a special adoption recruitment campaign to reach out to the community through faith-based organizations and also served as a founding board member of Voice for Adoption, a coalition of 78 special needs adoption organizations, professionals and child welfare advocates addressing the needs of waiting children throughout the United States. In addition, CAP coordinates the Foster/Adoption Network-FAN, which recruits New York State foster and adoptive parents for children with special needs and is comprised of 18 public and private agencies in upstate New York.

Keywords: Information sources, Adoption, Adoptive parents, Affective disorders, Children with special health care needs, Family centered services, Foster care, Foster parents, Psychological needs, Recruitment

Annotation: Concerned United Birthparents (CUB) is a national organization that works to open birth records for adoptees and their birthparents, develop alternatives to the current adoption system, and assist members in coping with ongoing problems related to adoption separation. Members include birthparents and others who support adoption reform. CUB publishes a newsletter and sponsors conferences and has information for consumers on its Web site. It has local branches in nine cities in seven states.

Keywords: Adoption, Adoptive parents, , Biological parents

Annotation: The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, founded in 1996, is a national not-for-profit organization devoted to improving adoption policy and practice, improving the quality of information about adoption, and enhancing the understanding and perception of adoption. The institute conducts surveys, publishes reports and other publicattions, and provides a database of adoption literature and an e-mail newsletter.

Keywords: Adoption, Adopted children, Adoptive parents, Biological parents, Foster care

Annotation: Family Equality Council works to ensure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual families (LGBT) by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advancing social justice for all families. Services include providing support, skills and community needed for LGBT-headed families at all stages of life; leveraging the power of LGBT families—telling stories and driving change in communities, states and across the nation; focusing public and media attention on the love, strength and contributions of LGBT families; educating members of government, schools, faith-based communities, health care institutions and other social systems about how they can promote family equality for all; promoting a proactive policy agenda that sets the standard of support for LGBT-headed families in schools, faith institutions, health care and family creation and protection; defeating or changing laws at the local, state and federal level that compromise family equality for all; and partnering with other LGBT and broader social justice organizations to provide the greatest positive impact and to maximize resources.

Keywords: Adoption, Advocacy, Equal opportunities, Families, Family preservation, Family support, Homosexuality, Social discrimination

Annotation: The Foster Care and Adoption Resource Center (FCARC) provides information and resources for Wisconsin's prospective foster and adoptive families; public, tribal, and private agency foster care, child welfare and adoption staff; and youth currently or previously involved with the foster care system. To assist in providing and locating information, the FCARC provides a toll-free information line, e-mail contact, and comprehensive web-based resources.

Keywords: State agencies, Adoption, Child advocacy, Child welfare, Children, Foster care, Foster parents, Parent support services, Resource centers, Wisconsin

Annotation: Established in 1887, the Gladney Center for Adoption is a comprehensive maternity home and licenced placement agency that provides services to people involved in the adoption process, including adoptive parents, birth mothers and fathers, and adopted persions. Services include residential facilities, medical care, education, adoption, and post adoption services. Gladney provides adoption of infants, African-American and biracial children, children with special needs, and children in foster care, and international adoptions. The center has 10 regional offices to facilitate client access and numerous parent support groups, called auxiliaries, that conduct outreach and public information efforts. The center also maintains an adoption education Web site that focuses on the adoption choice for pregnant adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescent pregnancy, Adopted children, Adoption, Adoptive parents, Outreach, Prenatal care

Annotation: The mission of International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) is to improve the lives of children and families throughout the world, enabling them to survive and succeed. ICRI provides services for families and children locally and around the world through technical assistance and consultation to a wide variety of national and international organizations, businesses, governments, non-profits and others interested in such children's issues as child care, child abuse prevention, child survival, maternal and child health, placement alternatives for abandoned and traumatized children and the promotion of children's rights.

Keywords: Child care, Adoption, Child abuse prevention, Child health, Cultural competence, Developing countries, Development, Early childhood education, Information services, Maternal health

Annotation: Jewish Children's Adoption Network works to find Jewish adoptive homes for Jewish children, primarily those with special needs. No-fee services include helping a birth family parent a child, locating resources for help with personal problems or coping with a child's limitations, helping an adoptive family find resources for adoption or parenting, helping families negotiate adoption subsidies, and helping biological and adoptive triad members in getting a search started. Services to consumers include referrals, publications, and reference information. Oral information can be provided in Hebrew or Yiddish. JCAN publishes a newsletter and sponsors training seminars.

Keywords: Adoption, Children with special health care needs

Annotation: The National Adoption Center (NAC) expands adoption opportunities for children with special needs (those who are older or have physical, emotional, or mental disabilities) and children from minority cultures. Many of these children are siblings who need homes together. The center's National Adoption Exchange provides information, registration, and family recruitment referral services for children and potential adoptive parents. It operates a telecommunications system that links state adoption agencies, state and regional exchanges, and other interested groups. Its Internet site, Faces of Adoption: America's Waiting Children, features photos and descriptions of children for potential adopters. NAC publishes a newsletter and policy positions on adoption topics and sponsors conferences.

Keywords: Adoption, Child welfare, Children with special health care needs, Minority groups

Annotation: The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) is an adoption advocacy nonprofit organization serving adoptive parents, birthparents, adoptive professionals, and agencies by advocating for the positive option of adoption through education, research, and legislative action. NCFA serves as an adoption information clearinghouse, offering referrals, publications, reference information, and online training tools. Some materials are available in Spanish. NCFA also sponsors conferences.

Keywords: Adoption, Adoptive parents, Biological parents, Adopted children, Legislation

Annotation: The National Resource Center for Adoption (NRCA) -- formerly the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption -- works to increase the capacity of States, Tribes, and territories to improve adoption systems; integrate policy and practice; and develop, expand, strengthen, and improve the quality and effectiveness of adoption services provided to children and youth in the child welfare system. The NRCA also helps jurisdictions improve the effectiveness and quality of permanency support and preservation services. The center's website provides access to the news on adoption together with tools, curricula, reports, fact sheets, webcasts, and other resources. The center participates in the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network (TTA).

Keywords: Adoption, Child abuse, Child neglect, Child welfare, Resource centers, Technical assistance

Annotation: The National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment (NRCDR) at AdoptUSKids provides training and technical assistance to states, Tribes, territories, and courts to increase their capacity to recruit and retain foster, adoptive, and kinship families. NRCDR provides technical assistance, tools, coaching, and other support in its efforts to create lasting systemic changes to improve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children, youth and families. The center is a participant in the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network (TTA).

Keywords: Adoption, Child welfare, Foster care, Resource centers, Technical assistance

Annotation: The National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning (NRCFCPP) (formerly the National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning) at the Hunter College School of Social Work is a training, technical assistance, and information services organization dedicated to increasing the capacity of child welfare agencies to provide children with safe, family-centered care in supportive communities. A service of the U.S. Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, the center works in collaboration with partners at the Child Welfare League of America and the National Indian Child Welfare Association. NRCFCPPP publishes newsletters hosts Webcasts and teleconferences and provides free downloadable documents, including training curricula, legislative updates, and topic-specific resource guides. The center is a participant in the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network (TTA).

Keywords: Child welfare, Adoption, Foster care, Resource centers