AdoptUSKids is a project of the U.S. Children’s Bureau, operated through a cooperative agreement with the Adoption Exchange Association. Its two-fold purpose: to raise public awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families; and to support states, territories and tribes in their efforts to find families for children in foster care, particularly the most challenging to place including older youth, those who are part of a sibling group who need to be placed together, and children and youth of color, and to assist with placements across county and state boundaries. AdoptUSKids offers a variety of resources, services and tools to both families and child welfare professionals.
Adoption.org is a volunteer operated information resource that makes information available to adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents. The site includes an adoption book listing, support group listing, legal assistance information and parenting information.
This information guide was prepared in connection with Tapestry Books to help school personnel be more aware of foster care and adoption as it relates to school assignments.
The ABA Center on Children and Law improves children’s lives through advances in law, justice, knowledge, practice and public policy. It offers technical assistance and training. The center’s research program addresses a broad spectrum of law and court-related topics that affect children including child abuse and neglect, adoption, adolescent health, foster and kinship care, custody and support, guardianship, missing and exploited children and children’s exposure to domestic violence.
Casey Family Programs is a national operating foundation dedicated to safely reducing the number of children in foster care. They maintain an extensive online archive of useful information about foster care and child welfare through their Resource Library.
Child Welfare League of America, CWLA – www.cwla.org
The Child Welfare League of America is a coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies serving vulnerable children and families since 1920. Their expertise, leadership and innovation on policies, programs and practices help improve the lives of millions of children in all 50 states. The site contains publications listing, upcoming conference and program notices, articles, gifts, etc.
Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Welfare Information Gateway – www.childwelfare.gov
The Child Welfare Information Gateway connects child welfare and related professionals to comprehensive information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. The Child Welfare Information Gateway consolidates and expands upon the services formerly provided by the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse to provide easy access to programs, research, statistics, laws and policies and training resources all in one place. They feature the latest on topics from prevention to permanency, including child abuse and neglect, foster care, and adoption.
Foster Club is a national network for young people in foster care. Site includes information and resources for foster youth, their caregivers and professionals.
The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative works to ensure that young people, primarily those between 14 and 25, successfully transition from foster care to adulthood. They do this by working nationally, in states and locally to improve policies and practices, promote youth engagement, apply evaluation and research and create community partnerships. Their work creates opportunities for young people to achieve positive outcomes in permanence, education, employment, housing, health, financial capability and social capital.
The Juvenile Law Center plays a leadership role nationally and in Pennsylvania in shaping and using the law on behalf of children in the child welfare and justice systems to promote fairness, prevent harm, secure access to appropriate services and ensure a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood. The site features frequently asked questions about children’s rights and publications for judges, attorneys, health care workers and child care workers. Questions about an individual child’s rights or children’s rights in general can be submitted to JLC.
The National Adoption Center provides public awareness, recruitment, information, matching events and advocacy services. They bring attention to the need for adoptive homes for children living in foster care and help agencies recruit on behalf of their waiting children. They seek to match prospective adoptive families with appropriate adoption agencies.
Site provides helpful information on current child welfare adoption topics as well as updated tools, resources and web media available through the NRCA.
North American Council on Adoptable Children, NACAC – www.nacac.org
NACAC promotes and supports permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. and Canada, especially children and youth who are or have been in foster care and those with special needs. The site includes information on how to adopt, post-adoption services, family recruitment and retention and publications about subsidy, concurrent planning, parent support groups, transracial parenting, etc.
Pact’s goal is to create and maintain the internet’s most comprehensive site on issues of transracial/transcultural adoption. The site also offers informative articles on related topics, website links and a book reference guide.
Spaulding for Children provides help to children who wait the longest for permanency and support services to their adoptive, foster and kinship families. Spaulding offers training, consultation and informational materials for professionals, organizations and parents. The site features publications and videos, current schedule of trainings and the Adoption Support and Preservation Program, ASAP, a referral service.
Tapestry Books specializes in adoption. They understand the adoption process and are committed to making it easier for families and permanency professionals to find appropriate adoption resources. Topics covered include adoption, infertility and parenting challenges. They offer a variety of books and educational information to help families and professionals make informed choices, which leads to successful family outcomes. An online catalog and ordering form makes purchasing easy.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is dedicated to help build better futures for disadvantaged children in the U. S. The primary mission of the foundation is to foster public policies, human-service reforms and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families. The foundation provides grants to public and nonprofit organizations to strengthen support services, social networks, physical infrastructure, employment, self-determination and economic vitality of distressed communities. Grant guidelines are provided on the site. The site features publications and “Kids Count,” a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S.
