Finding and Using Postadoption Services: Advocating for Postadoption Services

This information was taken directly from Child Welfare Information Gateway

Advocating for Postadoption Services

If quality postadoption services are not already available, parents can advocate for them or start their own. Many postadoption services were founded by concerned adoptive parents. Parents might want to:

Connect with a State or regional adoption advisory council. Adoptive parents who advocate for postadoption services are frequently represented on these councils. State Adoption Program Managers or Postadoption Services Contacts may be able to link parents with councils in their State. (For contact information, search the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory at http://www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad and check State Foster Care and Adoption Officials.)

Join together with other adoptive parents and start a parent support group or organize special events. (For more information and tips, visit the website of the North American Council on Adoptable Children at http://www.nacac.org/postadopt/postadopt.html)

Talk to local school personnel, mental health providers, and health care professionals about how they can build their skills for meeting the specific needs of adopted children, youth, and their families. Some materials and trainings have been developed for community professionals, such as the following:

National Resource Center for Adoption’s Adoption Competence: A Guide to Developing an Adoption Certificate Program for Mental Health Practitioners http://www.nrcadoption.org/resources/ practice-tools/

C.A.S.E. Adoption-Competence Training resources http://www.adoptionsupport.org/train/ index.php

Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Training to Provide Postplacement Adoption Services http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/postplacement/training/

Continue to Finding and Using Postadoption Services: Conclusion and Additional Resources

Return to Adoption Parenting

Acknowledgment

The original (2006) version of this factsheet was developed by Child Welfare Information Gateway, in partnership with Susan Frievalds. This update is made possible by the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The conclusions discussed here are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views or policies of the funding agency, nor does the funding agency endorse the products or organizations mentioned in this factsheet.

Resource

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012). Finding and using postadoption services. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.