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New Worlds of Adoption Conference
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The following Information Gateway materials were made available at the New Worlds of Adoption Conference held March 30, 2012, in Amherst, MA.
Abuse-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Child Physical Abuse | |
Series Title: | Issue Briefs |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 209KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2007 - 11 pages |
Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT) has been found to improve functioning in school-aged children who have experienced physical abuse, as well as in their parents, caregivers, and families. This issue brief explores the characteristics and benefits of AF-CBT to help child welfare caseworkers, other professionals who work with at-risk families, and caregivers make more informed decisions about family participation in AF-CBT. It includes information about what makes AF-CBT unique, key components, target populations, effectiveness, and what to look for in an AF-CBT therapist. |
Adoption Assistance for Children Adopted From Foster Care | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 369KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 5 pages |
In every State there are children with special needs waiting in foster care for adoptive families. The most recent data estimate that 126,000 children are available to be adopted from foster care. In the past, the costs of care and services were major obstacles to parents who would otherwise adopt and love these children, and most were not placed for adoption. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 provided the first Federal subsidies to encourage the adoption of children from the nation's foster care system. These subsidies, known as adoption assistance, serve to minimize the financial obstacles to ... |
Adoption Disruption and Dissolution | |
Series Title: | Numbers and Trends |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 437KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 11 pages |
This factsheet reports statistics about adoption disruption (before finalization of the placement) and dissolution (after legal finalization). Differences in disruption rates by age of the child and placement history, reasons why disruption and dissolution occur, and disruption and dissolution trends are noted. |
Child Welfare Outcomes 2006-2009: Executive Summary Brochure | |
Author(s): | Children's Bureau. |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 1,000KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 12 pages |
Child Welfare Outcomes reports provide information on the performance of States in seven outcome categories. The outcomes used in this report reflect widely accepted performance objectives for child welfare practice. |
Foster Parent Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 313KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2006 - 9 pages |
This paper discusses issues related to the increasing importance of foster parents as permanency resources for children in foster care. In order to facilitate adoptions by foster parents, professionals should be knowledgeable about the benefits, costs, and practice issues surrounding foster parent adoption. Practice issues include assessment, adoption preparation and postadoption support, and facilitating ongoing connections with birth families. |
Foster Parents Considering Adoption | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 512KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 9 pages |
Summarizes what foster parents should consider while deciding whether to adopt their foster child or youth. This factsheet does not address the specifics of how to adopt; it provides information on the differences between foster care and adoption, advantages of foster parent adoption, strategies for foster/adoptive families, and useful references. |
Frequently Asked Questions From Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Prospective Foster and Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 281KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 5 pages |
This factsheet answers questions that many prospective lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) parents ask. |
Helping Your Foster Child Transition to Your Adopted Child | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 255KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 12 pages |
Summarizes how foster/adoptive parents can help their child make the emotional adjustment to being an adopted child. Children and youth may not clearly comprehend the difference between being a foster child versus being an adopted child in the same family. This factsheet provides suggestions for talking with children about the changes from foster care to adoption, helping them understand their own histories and losses, helping them cope with trauma and transfer attachments, and useful resources. |
How Many Children Were Adopted in 2007 and 2008? | |
Series Title: | Numbers and Trends |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 629KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 32 pages |
Provides national statistical estimates for the total number of children adopted in the United States in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. The report includes highlights of the data; findings on the numbers of public agency, intercountry, and other adoptions; and data aggregations in exhibits, tables, and appendices. Data were collected by State courts, State bureaus of vital records, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. |
Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 248KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2004 - 8 pages |
As discussion of the adoption process becomes more open and accepted in American society, and as more Americans have experience with adoption, there is also more attention focused on those involved in adoption -- the adopted person, the birth parents, and the adoptive parents (often referred to as the adoption triad or, more recently, the adoption constellation). People who have experienced adoption firsthand are coming forward to talk or write about their experiences, and researchers are conducting scientific studies to find out about the impact of adoption on all members of the adoption triad. This factsheet examines the impact of ... |
Impact of Adoption on Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 401KB) |
Year Published: | 2010 - 14 pages |
This factsheet explores some of the emotional ups and downs that adoptive parents may experience as they approach the decision to adopt, during the adoptive process, and after the adoption. It explores some stresses that adoptive parents may experience, including depression, issues related to identity and attachment, and issues related to the child's adjustment, such as contact with the birth family. Useful resources and suggestions for finding help are included. |
Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 249KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2004 - 9 pages |
This factsheet discusses some of the emotional issues that parents face after making the decision to place an infant for adoption, in surrendering the child, and in handling the feelings that often persist afterwards. In addition, it addresses some of the emotional issues of parents whose children are permanently removed from them and whose parental rights are terminated. This factsheet may be a helpful resource for birth parents, as well as family members, friends, and others who want to support birth parents. It may also provide some insight to adopted persons and adoptive parents who want to understand the struggles ... |
Kinship Caregivers and the Child Welfare System | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 335KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 15 pages |
Informal and formal kinship care arrangements help to ensure stability and protection for children within their extended family. This fact sheet describes the benefits of kinship care as a child protection alternative and examines the agency's responsibility for the placement. The placement decision-making process, what to expect from the child welfare service and court system, and financial support, available services, and permanency planning are discussed. Questions for new kin caregivers to ask and a list of additional references are provided. |
Military Families Considering Adoption | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 296KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 6 pages |
Common questions about adoption of children by military personnel and their families are addressed in this factsheet. Topics include: resources for information about state laws, what to expect during the home study and the impact of deployment on the process, leave time, and cost. Postadoption services and medical benefits for adopted children also are discussed. |
Openness in Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 304KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2003 - 10 pages |
This fact sheet defines open adoption, including information about the laws regarding open adoption and research findings about the effects of open adoption on the adoption triad. It discusses implications for agency policy around adoption openness, foster care adoptions, and when open adoption may not be in the child's best interest. It includes a list of useful web sites, books and articles for both families and professionals, and the pros and cons of each type of adoption (confidential, mediated, and open). |
Openness in Adoption | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 259KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2003 - 6 pages |
This factsheet describes the benefits of postadoption contact with birth parents and reviews considerations for determining the degree of openness that is most appropriate for the child. It suggests that adoptive parents consult Internet websites, books, counselors, and other parents when making decisions about open adoption. The factsheet includes a chart of the advantages and disadvantages of confidential adoptions, mediated adoptions, and open adoptions. |
Parenting a Child Who Has Been Sexually Abused: A Guide for Foster and Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 240KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2008 - 10 pages |
Many factors affect how children react to and recover from sexual abuse. Parents play an important role in their children?s recovery. This factsheet includes information to help foster and adoptive parents of children who have been sexually abused. It includes information about child sexual abuse, tips for establishing guidelines for safety and privacy in the family, and guidance on when and how to seek help, if needed. |
Persons Seeking to Adopt | |
Series Title: | Numbers and Trends |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 153KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 6 pages |
Most Americans favor adoption, and many have at some point considered adoption. However, relatively few have taken concrete steps toward adopting a child, and fewer still have actually adopted a child. This factsheet examines some of the more recent statistics and trends regarding American adults who seek to adopt an infant or child. |
Postadoption Services | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 266KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 14 pages |
All adopted children and their families can potentially benefit from services provided after the adoption is finalized. These services may include educational and informational services, clinical services, material services, and/or support services. This bulletin addresses: who benefits from postadoption services, how can postadoption services help, what postadoptive services do families need, what postadoptive services do States offer, how are postadoption services delivered, how are postadoption services funded, why evaluate postadoption services, what are the implications for practice, and what future research is needed This bulletin specifically focuses on the benefits for adopted people and adoptive parents. Includes resources. |
Postadoption Services | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 285KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2006 - 10 pages |
It is common for adoptive families to need support and services after adoption. Postadoption services can help families with a wide range of issues. They are available for everything from learning how to explain adoption to a preschooler, to helping a child who experienced early childhood abuse, to helping with an adopted teen?s search for identity. Experience with adoptive families has shown that all family members can benefit from some type of postadoption support. Families of children who have experienced trauma, neglect, or institutionalization may require more intensive services. |
Post-Legal Adoption Services For Children with Special Needs and Their Families : Challenges and Lessons Learned | |
Series Title: | Grantee Lessons Learned |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 318KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 15 pages |
With the goal of expanding and enhancing services to adoptive families of children with special needs, post-legal adoption services have been established in annual adoption discretionary grant announcements. Under that priority area in 1998, 15 3-year grants were awarded to increase permanency and well-being for children with special needs by preventing adoption disruption, dissolution, or out-of-home placement. This briefing paper synthesizes the final reports of those 15 projects. The projects targeted post-legal adoptive families and their children with special needs, pre-adoptive families, single adoptive parents, transracial adoptive families, kinship families. Core services included parent support and educational groups, children s ... |
Providing Background Information to Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 278KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2003 - 8 pages |
This bulletin explains the importance of providing background information about a child to prospective adoptive parents so that they can be prepared to address the child's emotional, health, and behavioral needs. The briefing describes the liability of agencies in cases of wrongful adoption and identifies the types of information that families should receive. Issues regarding sensitive information and right to privacy also are discussed. |
Respite Care Services for Families Who Adopt Children with Special Needs: Synthesis of Demonstration Program Final Reports | |
Series Title: | Grantee Lessons Learned |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 242KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2002 - 10 pages |
This report synthesizes information from the final program and evaluation reports of 8 Adoption Opportunities discretionary grants programs written between 1994 and 1999. It summarizes project descriptions, lessons learned, accomplishments, and recommendations. An appendix includes project information for each of the 8 projects, including contact information, area served, target population, and evaluation activities. |
The Role of Educators in Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect | |
Author(s): | Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Caliber Associates. Crosson-Tower |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 3,890KB) |
Year Published: | 2003 - 85 pages |
This manual, designed to examine the roles that teachers, school counselors, school social workers, school nurses, special education professionals, administrators, and other school personnel have in helping maltreated children, provides the basis for the involvement of educators in combating the problem of child abuse and neglect. It also may be used by other professionals involved in child abuse and neglect interventions, such as child protective services, mental health, law enforcement, health care, and early childhood professionals, to gain a better understanding of the role of educators in child protection. Specifically, this manual addresses the following topics: Identifying reasons why educators ... |
Selecting and Working With a Therapist Skilled in Adoption | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 251KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 13 pages |
Provides members of adoptive families with information on the varieties of therapeutic approaches and professional therapists, recommendations for choosing and working with a therapist, and online resources for postadoption support and national organizations. |
Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 356KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2006 - 15 pages |
This bulletin explores research, intervention strategies, and resources to assist professionals in preserving connections among siblings placed in foster care. The importance and benefits of placing siblings together is discussed, and strategies are offered for addressing the barriers that often keep siblings apart. Ways to maintain sibling connections among siblings living in different homes are also described. A final section provides articles, curricula, sample State policies, and more resources to help professionals. |
Stay Connected to Adoption Information | |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 226KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2007 - 2 pages |
Child Welfare Information Gateway promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families by connecting adoption and other child welfare professionals to information and resources that help them address the needs of children and families in their communities. This flier highlights the resources and services that Child Welfare Information Gateway offers. |
Strengthening Families and Communities: 2011 Resource Guide. | |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway, Children's Bureau, FRIENDS National Resource Center For Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, Center for the Study of Social Policy-Strengthening Families |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 2,632KB) |
Year Published: | 2011 - 94 pages |
This Resource Guide was written to support service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. The guide includes information about protective factors that help reduce the risk of child maltreatment, strategies for changing how communities support families, and evidence-informed practices. It also offers suggestions for enhancing protective factors in families, tools to build awareness and develop community partnerships, information about child abuse and neglect, a directory of national organizations that work to strengthen families, and tip sheets in English and Spanish on specific parenting topics. |
Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers | |
Author(s): | Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Caliber Associates. Salus |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 4,010KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart Order CD (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2004 - 110 pages |
This manual provides the foundation for effective supervisory practice in child protective services (CPS). It describes the roles and responsibilities of the CPS supervisor, and it provides practice oriented advice on how to carry out supervisory responsibilities effectively. Best practices and critical issues in supervisory practice are underscored throughout. Topics include: The nature of CPS supervision; Making the transition from caseworker to supervisor; Building the foundation for effective unit performance; Building staff capacity and achieving excellence in performance; Supervisory feedback and performance recognition; Results-oriented management; Clinical supervision; Recruitment and retention; Managing from the middle; and Taking care of oneself and ... |
Synthesis of Findings : Assisted Guardianship Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations. | |
Author(s): | James Bell Associates |
Availability: | View Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 27 pages |
Since 1996, seven States have implemented assisted guardianship waiver demonstrations: Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Montanna, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon. Montanna and New Mexico's demonstrations offered a guardianship option for children in either Tribal or State custody. In two States -- North Carolina and Oregon -- assisted guardianship was one component of a larger, flexible funding waiver demonstration. The number of States implementing guardianship demonstrations reflects growing interest nationally in the use of guardianship as an alternative permanency option for some children in foster care, particularly children placed with relatives, who cannot be safly reunified with birth parentsor who cannot ... |
Synthesis of Findings : Substance Abuse Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations. | |
Author(s): | James Bell Associates |
Availability: | View Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 35 pages |
Since 1996, four States have implemented substance abuse waiver demonstrations: Delaware, New Hampshire, Illinois, and Maryland. Findings from Delaware and Illinois are summarized in this report. Findings from New Hampshire are incomplete; and Maryland obtained no data on the outcomes of its demonstration. The use of the title IV-E waiver demonstrations to implement substance abuse projects reflects a growing national realization that the substance abuse issues of parents must be addressed to decrease the incidence of out-of-home placement, reduce lengths of stay of children in out-of-home placement, and reduce the cost associated with foster care. These demonstrations have provided States ... |
Synthesis of Findings : Title IV-E Flexible Funding Child Welfare Waiver Demonstrations. | |
Author(s): | James Bell Associates |
Availability: | View Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 32 pages |
Throughout the 1990s, several trends in child welfare services contributed to a growing interest in waivers that offer flexibility to States and local municipalities in spending Federal Title IV-E funds while limiting the total IV-E allocations available for services. Key factors that have provided impetus to the development of flexible funding waivers include growth in out-of-home placement costs, increasing complexity in the risk rofiles and service needs of children and families and Federal limitation of the use of title IV-E funds. (Author abstract) |
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Addressing the Mental Health of Sexually Abused Children | |
Series Title: | Issue Briefs |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 217KB) |
Year Published: | 2007 - 14 pages |
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) has been found to reduce children?s negative emotional and behavioral responses after sexual abuse and other traumatic events. It also helps nonoffending parents cope with their own distress and develop skills to support their children. This issue brief explores the characteristics and benefits of TF-CBT to help child welfare caseworkers and other professionals who work with at-risk families make more informed decisions about when to refer children and their caregivers to TF-CBT programs. It includes information about what makes TF-CBT unique, key components, target population, effectiveness, and what to look for in a TF-CBT therapist. |
Understanding Foster Parenting: Using Administrative Data to Explore Retention. Final Report. | |
Author(s): | RTI International., U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Gibbs |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 528KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 68 pages |
This study was designed to extend current understanding of foster parent retention by producing unbiased estimates of length of service and examining factors associated with licensure, provision of care, and length of service. The study used administrative data, applying data management and analytic methods that have been used to describe the length of stay for children in foster care. Principal research questions include: How have the characteristics of foster parents changed over time? How can variations in activity levels be described, and what foster parent characteristics are associated with varying activity levels? What is the typical length of service for ... |
Working With Military Families as They Pursue Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 276KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 7 pages |
This bulletin explains the benefits of using military families as adoptive resources for children. It discusses the challenges in working with military families, ways these challenges have been overcome, and provides a list of resources and organizations that support families in their adoption pursuits. |
Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Families in Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 315KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 14 pages |
This bulletin is designed to help child welfare and adoption professionals expand their cultural competence and build their skills for working effectively and fairly with LGBT families as prospective adoptive parents. It examines issues, laws, and policies on LGBT families in adoption. |