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: 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: Family to Family is an initiative designed in 1992 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to help child welfare agenies respond more effectively to children who are being placed in out-of-home care. Family to Family provides an opportunity for states and communities to reconceptualize, redesign, and reconstruct their foster care system with the goal of improving care outcomes. An explicit premise of Family to Family is that the planning, implementation, and evaluation of child welfare policy and practices have to be guided by clear and specific goals, and that progress toward those goals requires good performance data. As part of the initiative, the Casey Foundation has developed specific tools for rebuilding foster care, written by leading experts on child welfare, built on lessons learned working inside child welfare agencies and with community and political leaders. Fact sheets about the tools, as well as detailed summaries and full how-to manuals, can be downloaded free of charge from the Web site.

Keywords: Electronic publications, Reform, Foster care, . Systems development, Child welfare, Data, Evaluation, Out of home care

Annotation: Boys Town -- formerly known as Girls and Boys Town -- provides a second chance for children and adolescents with behavioral, emotional, or physical problems. Although the Boys Town headquarters is in Nebraska, its outreach is national in scope with more than a dozen treatment sites across the country. Services provided include residential care, shelter care, foster care, treatment, parent training, family crisis intervention, and a 24-hour crisis hotline, as well as technical assistance and referrals to other residential care programs across the nation. The focus is on implementing an integrated continuum of care for children and families based on research-proven services. Boys Town hosts a website for parents -- parenting.org -- and provides positive learning tools for educators based on the Boys Town Model. Other resources include workshops, webinars, presentations, research findings, and a blog The organization conducts research through the Boys Towns National Research Institute and provides treatment for children with speech, hearing, and visual problems at its National Research Hospital in Omaha Nebraska.

Keywords: Adolescents, Speech disorders, Hearing disorders,, Child abuse, Child neglect, Foster care, Residential programs

Annotation: Casey Family Programs is a national foundation that provides direct services and works to promote advances in child welfare practice and policy and collaborate with foster, kinship, and adoptive parents to provide safe, loving homes for youth. The foundation also collaborates with counties, states, and native tribes to improve services and outcomes for the more than 500,000 young people in out-of-home care across the United States. Casey Family Programs conducts studies and gathers information; offers access to innovative projects and online publications; organizes and participates in conferences, and provides life-skills tools and opportunities for young people at risk. The foundation has offices in several states.

Keywords: Child welfare, Collaboration, Electronic publications, Foster care, Foundations, Model programs, Out of home care

Annotation: The Center for Child and Family Programs has replaced the National Foster Care Resource Center at Eastern Michigan University's Institute for the Study of Children, Families, and Communities. The center maintains a strong commitment to child welfare and foster care, and the focus has broadened to reflect diverse community needs as well as children and youth in crisis. The current focus is on children and families within the child welfare system; children and families with mental health needs; women and children living in poverty; access to child care for low-income families; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and their families; marginalized children and youth; "zero-tolerance" in schools and preschools; and juvenile justice. Training manuals on foster care, independent living, and kindship care are available through the center.

Keywords: Child health, Child welfare, Children, Foster Care, Residential Care

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: 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: 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: FosterClub is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports youth in care by providing information about how foster care works, connecting them to peers and other resources in their community, and providing guidance on self-advocacy within the system and in the foster home. FosterClub also supports foster parents, child welfare professionals, and concerned citizens through connections to mentoring or coaching opportunities. The website provides access to research, stories, and discussion groups on topics such as adoption, sex trafficking, grief, healthy relationships, and transitioning. Information about training and state resources are also included.

Keywords: Residential care, Adolescents, Advocacy, Children, Foster care, Mentors, Peer support programs, Self care, Service delivery systems, Transitions, Young adults

Annotation: Healthy Foster Care America (HFCA) is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its partners to improve the health and well-being outcomes of children and adolescents in foster care. Partners have included representatives from child welfare, family practice, social work, nursing, government, the legislative and judicial fields, child psychiatry and psychology, education, advocacy organizations, alumni, and families. HFCA partners encourage collaboration among the various disciplines working with children and adolescents in foster care in an effort to develop a collaborative action plan to improve the health and well-being of these children. The Web site provides information for professionals and families on health issues and needs, health care systems, data, policy statements, and adovcacy.

Keywords: Adolescent health, Child care, Child health, Child protective services, Child welfare, Foster care, Foster children, Foster parents

Annotation: The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) is a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance to attorneys and other professionals working on behalf of low-income children and youth. The Center engages in litigation, and provides a range of support services in foster care, juvenile justice, public benefits, and health. Publications include Youth Law News , a journal published six times a year. Some materials are available in Spanish. Services to consumers include referrals and publications. The Center's health care work focuses on mental and adolescent health, including issues in health privacy, access, health services for foster children, and minor consent issues. The center sponsors conferences and training seminars.

Keywords: Adolescents, AIDS, Access to health care, Advocacy, CSHN programs, Confidentiality, Drug affected infants, Financing, Foster care, Legal assistance, Low income groups, Public policies, Support groups

Annotation: The National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) is a non-profit, volunteer organization that supports support foster parents in achieving safety, permanence and well-being for the children and youth in their care. NFPA promotes communication and cooperation among foster parents, foster parent associations, child care agencies and other child advocates; strives to improve the foster care system; encourages the recruitment and retention of foster parents; and provides information on current issues and events regarding foster care. In addition, NFPA provides training programs, technical assistance, education materials, and information and referral services.

Keywords: Advocacy, Foster children, Information dissemination, Foster care, Adolescent health, Child health, Educational materials, Foster parents, Recruitment, Referrals, Technical assistance, Training, Youth services

Annotation: The National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving children's health by improving the systems responsible for the delivery of children's healthcare. Services include learning collaboratives, building the capacity for improvement, state and regional improvement programs, advocacy and mobilization, and networks. The website provides information on areas of focus, projects, and resources including toolkits, publications, summary sheets, advocacy resources, and resources for parents.

Keywords: , Child health, Adolescent health, Asthma, Attention deficit disorder, Children with special health care needs, Data, Educational materials, Foster care, Health services, Model programs, Preventive health services, Primary care, Quality assurance, Training

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

Annotation: Fostering Connections provides information on the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Children's Bureau policy and guidance, and related resources and websites. Topics include adoption, education, health care, psychotropic and prescription medications, kinship/guardianship, emancipating/older youth, family connections grantees, tribal issues, siblings, and training. Fostering Connections is a component of the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections.

Keywords: Adoption, Family centered services, Foster care, Foster children, Foster parents, Information dissemination, Resource centers

Annotation: Tthe Children's Bureau (CB) is located within the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACF). It is responsible for assisting states in the delivery of child welfare services - services designed to protect children and strengthen families. The agency provides grants to states, tribes and communities to operate a range of child welfare services including child protective services (child abuse and neglect) family preservation and support, foster care, adoption, and independent living. In addition, the agency makes major investments in staff training, technology and innovative programs. A variety of fact sheets, reports, and resource lists can be downloaded from the Web site. The bureau also publishes an electronic newsletter called the Children's Bureau Express.

Keywords: Child welfare, Adoption, Child abuse, Child neglect, Domestic violence, Electronic publications, Family violence, Foster care, Injury prevention

Annotation: The Office of Social Work Research and Public Service (SWORPS) works to improve the quality of social work practice in Tennessee, the southeast region, and the nation. Services include continuing education, multistate survey research capabilities, technical assistance, and training resources for the social work community. Training and materials are available in the areas of foster care, adoption, child protective services, adult protective services, permanency planning, independent living, and family (economic) assistance. Publications include training manuals, books, grant and contract proposals, newsletters, and conference, workshop, and symposium materials. A publications list is available.

Keywords: Social work, Adoption, Child welfare, Continuing education, Family planning, Foster care, Medical research