CCAI is proud to announce the release of the 3rd annual policy recommendations report authored by the 2010 Foster Youth Internship Class. Nicole, Sam, Jeremy, Serena, LaTasha, Markus, Wendy, Josh, and Victor spent their summer in DC reading reports and analyzing legislation related to 3 major topics in child welfare: Federal Financing, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act. This report is their way to forever leave their mark on federal policymakers.

To view the report, click here

08/23/2010
Do Students have to pay taxes on their summer income?

Many students have a summer job and may not realize they have to pay taxes on their summer income. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) wants you to know about taxes on income earned while working a summer job.

All employees fill out a W-4 - Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate (.PDF document) when starting a new job. This form is used by employers to determine the amount of tax that will be withheld from your paycheck. You may use the IRS Withholding Calculator to verify your withholding tax is correct.
Whether you are working as a waiter or a camp counselor, you may receive tips as part of your summer income. All income you receive from tips is taxable income and is therefore subject to federal income tax.
Many students do odd jobs over the summer to make extra cash. Earnings you receive from self-employment are subject to income tax. These earnings include income from odd jobs like baby-sitting and lawn mowing.
If you have net earnings of $400 or more from self-employment, you will also have to pay self-employment tax. This tax pays for your benefits under the Social Security Administration.
Food and lodging allowances paid to Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) students participating in advanced training are not taxable. However, active duty pay received during summer advanced camp is taxable.
Special rules apply to services you perform as a newspaper carrier or distributor. You are a direct seller and treated as self-employed for federal tax purposes if you meet the following conditions:
You are in the business of delivering newspapers.
All your pay for these services directly relates to sales rather than to the number of hours worked.
You perform the delivery services under a written contract that states you will not be treated as an employee for federal tax purposes. Generally, newspaper carriers or distributors under age 18 are not subject to self-employment tax.

08/23/2010
U.R.O.C.K.
A program for Teens Transitioning out of Foster Care

You know as well as I do the challenges that face teens when they leave foster care. Everyday, your organization works hard to ensure that teens have the tools they need before they leave care. I can remember the how I struggled to find a program that was not only educational, but also motivational and engaging for teens. And after 13 years, I believe we have the perfect one-day program to do just that! Our team came together to create a program that is unique, educational, and motivational for teens in care. Below you will find more information about the one-day program, as well as, how you can bring this program to your agency. I'd be glad to work with you to create a one-day program to pull in the teens from your program, and the other programs in your area. I look forward to talking with you about this exciting program.
Adam Robe, MSW
To read more please click here.

07/27/2010
We're home! Now what? Webinar

Please join us for a webinar introducing adoption professionals to
WE'RE HOME! NOW WHAT? How to Settle in and Thrive as a New Adoptive Family.
This webinar is for adoption professionals only. Judy Stigger and Barbara Supergan will walk you through what families will learn in these courses and will share practical tools to get this help into the hands of families who will benefit the most.
What's more, you'll get a free NASW-approved CEU course enrollment just for attending the webinar!
To register please click here.

07/27/10
Graying Adoptees Still Searching for Their Identities

Carol Cook of Blairstown, N.J., grew up thinking she was a WASP with Native American blood, a splash of ethnicity that pleased her because she had majored in anthropology in college. But at 33, the executive secretary and mother of two inadvertently discovered a secret her entire family had held from her: Cook was adopted, born in a Catholic hospital and was likely Italian. "I suspect the [secret] evolved and it became more impossible to tell me," she said. "I had good parents. But suddenly I was not the person I thought. I was a totally different nationality. I was floored." Now she is 68 and a grandmother, but Cook's struggle to find her identity is never-ending. In New Jersey -- and in all but eight states -- it's against the law to for her to get her original birth certificate.
To read the entire article please click here.

07/19/2010
Turrell Child Care &early Learning Center Fall Enrolment

To see the flier please click here.

07/19/2010
Report shows Misconceptions Stymie Equality for Adoptees by Keeping Records Closed

In its continuing effort to improve law, policy and practice so that “all adopted people can achieve equal treatment with their non-adopted peers,” the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute today released a major report recommending that every state enact legislation restoring the right of all adult adoptees to access their own original birth certificates (OBCs).
To read the entire article please click here.

07/14/2010
New Management and Supervision section in Child Welfare Information Gateway

Child Welfare Information Gateway has added an entirely new section to its website: Management and Supervision. This new section provides the resources that help child welfare managers and supervisors provide effective leadership and build and maintain a skilled workforce. The new Management and Supervision section, which can be found on the left navigation bar of the Information Gateway website, addresses a vast array of topics relevant to the delivery of effective child welfare services, which include: Administering and Managing Child Welfare Agencies and Programs; Ethical Practice and Client Rights; Evaluating Program, Practice, and Service Effectiveness; Disaster Preparedness and Response; Funding; Information Systems and Data; Service Improvement; Supervising Child Welfare Services; System Reform; Training; and, Workforce. Access the resources of the Management and Supervision website section by clicking the link below.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/management/

07/01/2010
Adoption Fact Sheets

NACAC produced the following adoption fact sheets to help inform adoption community members and adoption advocates. The fact sheets, derived mostly from 2007 AFCARS data, have information about the number of waiting children, the length of time children spend in care, the race of waiting and adopted children, types of exits from foster care, Title IV-E payments, and more.
To review the entire publication please click here.

06/29/2010
State Budget Restores $3 Million Budget Allocation to New Jersey After 3

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the Fiscal Year 2011 state budget into law today, restoring $3,000,000 to New Jersey After 3. New Jersey After 3 is a nonprofit organization which supports a Statewide network of evidence-based afterschool programs that expand learning time in public schools. The restoration of public investment in New Jersey After 3 was one of a handful of items restored through the budget deal between Governor Christie and the Legislature on June 21st, demonstrating the widespread support of this innovative public/private partnership among State leaders, and validating New Jersey After 3's position as a top priority for children and families of the Garden State.
To read the entire article please click here.

06/28/2010
Facebook Fuels Honesty, Unpredictability in Adoption
As Adoption Becomes More Open, Social Media Present New Questions

In private messages and on public pages, adopted children and parents of children of given up to adoption are seeking out _ and finding _ estranged relatives. But experts say that while the phenomenon is moving families toward more transparency about adoption, it is also raises new questions.
"It has the rich promise of opportunity, but also absolutely has potential pitfalls that we as a field have not thought through and figured out how to deal with," said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.
The Internet age has enabled more people than ever before to locate their birth parents or children once given up for adoption, he said, but social networking sites like Facebook allow reunions to take place without the support systems and third-party intermediaries traditionally available during that often vulnerable moment.
"One of the ways we see this manifesting is people are finding each other without any structures around them, without any guidance around them and often without any rules," he said.
To read the entire article please click here.

06/24/2010
Educational Scholarships offered by the University of Phoenix

In partnership with the National Foster Parent Association, the University of Phoenix has offered 50 full-ride scholarships to foster youth, foster care alumni or foster parents, under the banner of the University's First Chance Scholarship program. The scholarship is redeemable at any University of Phoenix campus, including the online program. Foster Care Alumni of America has just agreed to partner with NFPA to promote the scholarships to the alumni community and to assist in the selection of 25 alumni scholarship recipients.
The program is offered on a competitive basis. To access the guidelines and application click here, or visit the NFPA website at www.nfpainc.org.
Time is of the essence! The deadline for applying is July 18, 2010.
Whether you are a first-time college student, someone working to complete their undergraduate or advanced degree, or an established professional looking to re-train in a new field, take a look at this opportunity or pass it on to someone you know could benefit.

06/16/2010

N.J. Assembly committee approves bill unsealing adoptees' birth records

Lawmakers this evening advanced a bill that would allow adoptees in New Jersey to access medical history and birth records.

The measure was approved by the Assembly Human Services Committee by a 6-0 vote with four abstentions. It now advances to the full Assembly. It has already passed the state Senate. To read the entire article please click here.

06/14/10
Edison man fights for adoptees' rights in new film

Joe DiGeronimo of Edison was so close, yet so far.
His search for his birth parents, which began 30 years ago, culminated with his learning of his birth father's identity just six months after he died and five years after his birth mother died.
"That's the worst part," DiGeronimo said. "That's crazy to know that at least I could have said hello."
DiGeronimo's search is depicted in the new documentary "For the Life of Me" from filmmaker Jean Strauss. It will be shown 7 p.m. Sunday at Voorhees Hall on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick as part of the New Jersey International Film Festival.
To read the entire article please click here.

06/03/2010
The Birds and the Bees (via the Fertility Clinic)

If you want to adopt a child in the United States, you’ll face an array of bureaucratic roadblocks and invasive interrogations. Adoption agencies will assess your finances, your relationships, and your fitness as a potential guardian. The interests of the child, not the desires of the would-be parent, will be treated as paramount throughout.
If you want to procure sperm or eggs, the process is completely different. You can shop for gametes the way you’d go shopping for a house or a car — buying ova from an Ivy League undergraduate, or sperm from a 6-foot-8, athletic, blue-eyed Dane. The person selling you the right to bear and rear their biological offspring can do so anonymously, with no future strings attached at all.
To read the entire article please click here.

06/02/2010
Adoption Records

Airs: Sunday, May 30^th at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. & Tuesday, June 1^st at 11:30 p.m.

Good news! You will be able to watch the show on the Web the entire week after it airs this coming Sunday morning... (through next Saturday night). Thank you, NJN!

http://tinyurl.com/348wqrk
Adoption Records

New Jersey adults, who were adopted as children, are barred from access to their birth records. A bill to change that recently passed committee with a unanimous decision, but there is staunch opposition to the proposed legislation from an unlikely coalition of opponents: the A.C.L.U., the NJ State Bar Association, and Right to Life. History is in their favor as the bill has been voted down repeatedly since it was first introduced in 1980. Sandy King’s field piece profiles two adoptees who have been lobbying ever since. But we also hear from the director of NJ Right to Life who fears a rise in abortion rates if adoption files were opened. In the studio, Raymond Brown talks to State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, Bar Association Representative Thomas Snyder, and Attorney Barry Evenchick.

05/24/2010
AdoptUSKids twitter party

Join us for a live Q&A on Twitter!
We’ll be hosting a live question-and-answer session with adoption experts and former foster youth on Twitter from 2 to 3 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, May 27. This will be a safe and open informational chat about the benefits of adoption with a focus on adoption from foster care.
We welcome you to this online community of concerned citizens and look forward to your questions about how you can make the difference of a lifetime for these children.

05/18/10
Modern Love: Open Adoption: Not So Simple Math

We were taking a walk in the woods outside Boston, and following behind him I was surprised by how much he moved like his father. We spent that afternoon showing each other icicles and hollow trees, breaking frozen patterns in the river ice, inching too close to the water to get a better view of the bridge above.
When we arrived home, Ben said that the reason he wanted to go for a walk was to spend time with me. It had been three months since I last saw him. I smiled sheepishly and stepped into the living room, where the woman who had adopted him six years earlier sat reading the newspaper.
To read the entire article please click here.

05/13/2010
Time for Prom and Graduation? Time to Talk with Your Teens

Prom season is fast approaching, and for many teens, this time of year offers a taste of new freedoms and the temptation to engage in risky behavior. A new study of 11th and 12th grade students from across the country shows that teens don't recognize the dangers of driving on prom and graduation night, even though they recognize their peers may be more likely to drink on these occasions. Nearly all of the students surveyed, 90 percent, reported that their peers are more likely to drink on prom night and 79 percent reported the same for graduation night. Despite believing that their peers are more likely to drink during prom and graduation, only 29 percent reported that they believe driving on prom night is dangerous, while 25 percent said the same for graduation night.

The study surveyed over 2,500 students and was conducted by ORC Guideline for Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

05/12/2010
Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity in Adoption

Adam Pertman will provide an in-depth look into The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute's groundbreaking research on identity formation in adoption. While Korean Americans are at the heart of this study, the Institute's review of decades of literature and its examination of trans-racial adoption from foster care indicate that the recent findings are highly relevant to all trans-racial adoptive families.
Judy Stigger, LCSW, will then show you how you can begin to put the most current, most authoritative data available into practice.
This webinar is designed for professionals working in the field, and offers CEs for successful completion.
www.AdoptionLearningPartners.org/ce_information.cfm for details.
Audio for the webinar will be via telephone at the following toll number: 218-339-2409. You will receive call in information prior to the webinar.
To register please click http://www.bluestreakwebinars.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EE53D88089

05/10/2010
May is National Foster Care Month

Proclamation issued by Governor Chris Christie. To see the proclamation please click here.

05/10/2010
Harvard University Announcement: No tuition and No Student Loans

Harvard University announced over the weekend that, from now on, undergraduate students from low-income families will pay no tuition. In making the announcement, Harvard’s president Lawrence H. Summers said, “When only ten percent of the students in elite higher education come from families in the lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution.”
If you know of a family earning less then $60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard for free… no tuition and no student loans!
To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $60,000 a year, visit Harvard’s financial aid website at: http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/ or call the school’s financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.

05/06/2010
In Some Adoptions, Love Doesn't Conquer All

At times, Kelly Lytle Baehr wondered how they would all get through it. Two years ago, she and her husband adopted three boys from Ukraine — two of them 8, the other 16 — and brought them back to their home in Omaha. She knew assimilation into a family life would not be easy; all had come from troubled backgrounds, including one who had spent the first five years of his life in a prison orphanage back in Ukraine, and had a mother who drank while she was pregnant.
She was often tested by the strains of raising these three new sons. The youngest of them, Ian (born Igor) had rummaged in garbage dumps in Ukraine for toys, with hub cabs and discarded car parts his only possessions. At the Baehrs’s home in Nebraska he soon became a wild, uncontrollable kleptomaniac, she said. The other 8-year-old, Erik, struggled to attach to her — kicking, screaming, biting and yelling, “I hate you.” Only the oldest son, Viktor, seemed to welcome his new life quickly, blending easily into the family and eventually making the honor roll at his high school.
To read the entire article please click here.

05/04/2010

May is National Foster Care Month!

Every day, some 513,000 children and youth are living in foster care because their own parents can't take care of them. We must address the needs of these children, who need a stable and secure home until they can either return to their parents or establish a lifelong connection to a nurturing adult.
National Foster Care Month in May provides an opportunity for people nationwide to get involved as foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers, or in other ways. It's also an opportunity to show our appreciation for the dedication of the foster families who care for these children and youth, and the social workers who support them.
Foster Care Month originated in 1988 when the National Foster Parent Association persuaded then-Senator Strom Thurmond to introduce a resolution to proclaim May as National Foster Care Month. The first President Bush issued an annual proclamation during each year of his presidency, providing an impetus for state, county, and city proclamations. The main focus of the early efforts was appreciation and recognition of the tremendous contributions of foster parents nationwide.
The Foster Care Month partnership now comprises 14 national organizations. CWLA invites you to recognize May as National Foster Care Month. Join us in making this a time to recognize and celebrate those who make a difference in the lives of children in the foster care system.
For more information on how to get involved in National Foster Care Month activities, visit www.fostercaremonth.org, or check out the Foster Care Month Toolkit for ways you can show recognition for foster parents and social workers, tools for reaching out to reporters, materials for working with businesses and elected officials, fact sheets, and more.

05/03/2010
Presidential Proclamation - National Foster Care Month

Nearly a half-million children and youth are in foster care in America, all entering the system through no fault of their own. During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the promise of children and youth in foster care, as well as former foster youth. We also celebrate the professionals and foster parents who demonstrate the depth and kindness of the human heart. Children and youth in foster care deserve the happiness and joy every child should experience through family life and a safe, loving home. Families provide children with unconditional love, stability, trust, and the support to grow into healthy, productive adults. Unfortunately, too many foster youth reach the age at which they must leave foster care and enter adulthood without the support of a permanent family.
To read the entire proclamation please click here.

05/01/2010
May is National Foster Care Month...You Can Change a Lifetime

All children — including the 463,000 American children and youth in foster care — deserve a safe, happy life. Young people in foster care especially need nurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them.
Each May, we salute the compassionate people who make a difference by serving as foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families.

But some children in foster care are less fortunate. Most communities across the country are urgently seeking more everyday people to help these youth overcome their troubled childhoods and realize their full potential. No matter what their age, every young person in foster care benefits from a meaningful connection to a caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in his or her life.

Take a closer look at the number and diversity of people who were once in foster care. It might surprise you. In fact, there are an estimated 12 million foster care alumni in the U.S. representing all walks of life. Behind this statistic are countless stories of children who grew up to be thriving adults while others struggled with life’s challenges all alone. The difference between triumph and tragedy will become very clear as you read about these foster care alumni. Success stories come about when someone takes the time to offer comfort, provide support, give advice, or simply share a milestone moment with a youngster enduring a difficult family situation.

Now is the time to get involved. No matter how much time you have to give, you have the power to do something positive that will Change a Lifetime for a young person in foster care.

04/27/2010
Russia, Adoption Notice

We have received no official notification that adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans have been suspended, but it is clear the recent controversy has slowed down adoptions in some parts of the country.
To learn more please click here.

04/14/2010
Anderson Cooper’s CNN’s interview with Dr. Jane Aronson regarding the Russian Adoption

Anderson Cooper talks about the outrage over the 7-year-old adopted boy sent back to Russia and other international adoption problems with Dr. Jane Aronson, international adoption specialist and founder and CEO of Worldwide Orphans Foundation and with legal analyst Lisa Bloom.
To watch the entire interview please click here.

04/08/2010

Study Finds More Woes Following Foster Care

Only half the youths who had turned 18 and “aged out” of foster care were employed by their mid-20s. Six in 10 men had been convicted of a crime, and three in four women, many of them with children of their own, were receiving some form of public assistance. Only six in 100 had completed even a community college degree.
The dismal outlook for youths who are thrust into a shaky adulthood from the foster care system — now numbering some 30,000 annually — has been documented with new precision by a long-term study released Wednesday, the largest to follow such children over many years.
To read the entire article please click here.

04/06/2010

After Haiti earthquake, spike in adoption requests benefits other countries in need

Adoption agencies in New Jersey and the rest of the country received thousands of calls after the Jan. 12 earthquake from people interested in bringing a Haitian child to the United States. But agency officials knew it might be months or even years before those children could be adopted.

So the officials suggested that prospective parents consider another country filled with orphans needing a home. In most cases, that country was Ethiopia.

To read the entire article please click here.

04/01/2010
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

This Thursday, April 1, marks the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month when organizations and communities across the country will promote the importance of healthy child development and child abuse prevention. As one of the more than 3.5 million people who have chosen to support this mission and our organization, Prevent Child Abuse America and our flagship program, Healthy Families America, we offer our most sincere thanks for your commitment; we could not do our work without you. With April around the corner, we would like to share the following preview of messages to come over the next six weeks, highlighting the various ways you can get involved.
Tomorrow (April 1) – Launch of an exciting new month-long fundraising challenge to help make an impact on families and children in communities nationwide.
Week of April 5 – Next fundraising challenge message.

Week of April 12 – Next installment of the fundraising campaign as well as re-introduction of the pinwheel-themed Facebook gift benefiting Prevent Child Abuse America, born from our national campaign, Pinwheels for Prevention^®. These are great to give as virtual birthday gifts or gifts at any time of year!

Week of April 19 – Introduction of a new signature line of handcrafted pinwheel-themed sterling silver jewelry as well as the next installment of the national fundraising challenge.

Week of April 26 – Final fundraising challenge message to make sure we end the campaign strong!

Week of May 3 – Recap of all the great achievements you made possible in April!

Week of May 10 – Launch of a new groundbreaking survey polling why members chose to join the Society Against Child Abuse, ways you may have supported our mission and your thoughts on how social media can positively impact real world social causes.

03/23/2010
NJ Senate Approves Open Adoption Birth records Bill

Adult adoptees moved a step closer to being able to get copies of their original birth certificates and medical histories when the state Senate voted today to open adoption records.

The bill, approved 27-10, includes protections for biological parents who want to remain anonymous, but opponents in the Senate said it does not go far enough and that parents’ privacy could still be invaded.
To read the entire article please click here.

03/08/2010
SCS for S799/S1399 released to Senate for vote

Trenton. SCS (Senate Committee Substitute) for S799/S1399 was released from the Health, Human Services and Sr. Citizens Committee yesterday afternoon, just two years and a day after last session's bill passed on the Senate floor, 31-7. After hearing more than two hours of testimony (in addition to the previous hours heard by all but one (a new) member of the committee at previous hearings), the committee made its decision. The bill is now released for posting on the Senate floor.

03/08/2010

An only child finds his big family

Growing up, a suspicion constantly gnawed at Harold Cogdell Jr. He'd never heard his mother, Jeanette, talk about her pregnancy, or how much he weighed at birth - like his friends' mothers did.
She and his father, Harold Sr., were older than his friends' parents in Kinston, where Harold Jr. was raised an only child 70 miles southeast of Raleigh. They were reserved; he was outgoing.
And they didn't share the same physical features. Harold Jr.'s friends often kidded that he looked like he came from Ahoskie, a town in northeast North Carolina known for its large Native American community.
To read the entire article please click here.

03/04/2010

N.J. Senate panel approves bill unsealing adoptee birth records

Adopted adults would gain access to their original birth certificates and family medical history under a bill a Senate panel approved today.

The bill in one form or another has been before the Legislature since the 1980-81 session. Religious leaders, anti-abortion activists and the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union have successfully lobbied against it, asking lawmakers to protect birth mothers, who believed they had anonymity when they gave up their children. To read the entire article please click here.

03/03/2010
Open records bill for NJ adoptees advances in Legislature

The state Senate today approved a bill that would allow adults adopted as children to obtain their original birth records, now sealed under New Jersey law.

For nearly three decades, adoption rights advocates have tried to get this bill passed, arguing they have a right to know their biological and cultural identities. Yet religious leaders, anti-abortion activists and, more recently, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union have persuaded lawmakers to reject the bill to protect the identity of birth mothers, who believed they had anonymity when they gave up their children.
To read the entire article please click here.

02/27/2010
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act

When the Fostering Connections Act was passed by Congress the National Foster Care Coalition formed a committee to develop documents to help the foster care community better understand all the provisions of the Act. By clicking on the link that follows you will find a document that answers the frequently asked questions on the provisions of this act that impacts youth and young adults. To access the FAQ Report:
View the FAQ Report: CLICK HERE
http://www.nfpaonline.org/uploads/NFCC-FAQ-olderyouth-2009.pdf

02/27/2010
The 2009 Federal Tax Guide for Foster Parents and Kinship Parents

The 2009 Federal Tax Guide for Foster Parents and Kinship Parents has arrived. Please click here to download.
http://www.nfpaonline.org/uploads/2009_federal_tax_benefits(1).pdf

02/23/2010
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) launches blog to provide you with more adoption and foster care resources!

CCAI is thrilled to share the launch of our new blog with you! Updated weekly, our blog will feature Executive Director Op-Eds, Current Event Responses and Positions, CCAI Program and Project Updates, Upcoming Adoption Events, Responses to Legislative Happenings, and Adoption Polls! Click here to visit, and be sure to bookmark our blog and check regularly for updates!

02/23/2010
Children's Trust Fund Tax Check-off

We need your help spreading the word that New Jersey residents can help prevent child abuse just by checking the box on Line 58 of their state income tax return. A check on that line means support for the Children's Trust Fund, a fund that supports prevention programs throughout our state. Tax Day is about seven weeks away so we need to act NOW!
Each year, the Children's Trust Fund supports innovative programs in New Jersey that strengthen families and help prevent child maltreatment. The largest source of donations to the Children's Trust Fund comes directly through the check-off box at Line 58 of the New Jersey state income tax return. People can donate any amount they choose.
Last year, approximately $197,000 was donated to the Children's Trust Fund. While we are thankful for those contributions, we know we can do better.
Every dollar we can invest in child abuse prevention will benefit us immeasurably in the long run by making better lives for children and their families.
To donate online anytime of the year by visiting www.nj.gov/dcf/home/sponsor.html
Remember: A Person Who Cares Can Prevent Child Abuse. Be a person who cares – Check Line 58 and urge others to do likewise.

02/08/2010
New Resources from NACAC

We have recently uploaded two new resources to the NACAC web site:
A series of state-by-state adoption fact sheets (based primarily on 2007 AFCARS data) — Designed to be a tool for local adoption advocates, each sheet highlights the number of waiting children, number of children adopted, race and ethnic background of waiting children, data on who adopted foster children, and much more.
A flyer for recruiters about our adoption subsidy program — Adoption recruiters, parent group leaders, and other adoption professionals can use this flyer to help inform prospective adopters about the support and information NACAC can provide related to adoption assistance.
We encourage you to use these resources and to share them with others.

02/04/2010
Haiti's Children Best Served By Care, Not Removal

SAN DIEGO, February 3, 2010 – Concerned United Birthparents (CUB) urges the governments of Haiti and the U.S. to stand strong against suggestions that the best way to help Haiti’s children is by removing them from their families, culture and homeland.
A national non-profit of birthparents, adoptees and adoptive parents, CUB shares the world’s concern for Haiti’s most vulnerable in the wake of the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. But the 33-year-old non-profit says it has a unique understanding of how important it is to reject quick-fix solutions when it comes to a child’s life, especially in its time of greatest need.
To read the entire article please click here.

02/03/2010
EITC Awareness Day is Friday, January 29, 2010:
Help Spread the Word about the Earned Income Tax Credit

One of the largest benefit programs for working families is also one of the most overlooked tax credits. It’s called the Earned Income Tax Credit and, as the name implies, it’s for people who work for a living but don’t make a lot of money.
Rural residents, self-employed people such as farmers, childless workers and grandparents raising grandchildren are among those who may be eligible but fail to claim EITC.
The EITC can make life a little easier in these hard times. A married couple with three children and an income ranging from $12,570 to $21,420 could be eligible for the maximum tax credit of $5,657. Taxpayers making as much as $48,279 could qualify for EITC and can get tax returns prepared for no charge at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site in their local community. In New Jersey the 2-1-1 Hotline can help families locate VITA sites and other vital services. For Newark area VITA site locations go to the Newark Asset Building Coalition (NABC) website at http://www.newarkassetbuild.org.
The Association for Children of New Jersey just released the Newark Kids Count which shows that the number of Newark residents claiming the federal Earned Income Tax Credit rose 5 percent from 2003 – 2007 and the number claiming the state EITC rose 2 percent from 2004-2008. This is good news through the times of economic downturn, but so many more children and families could benefit from the credit.

02/03/2010
A family in China made babies their business

Reporting from Changning, China - The telephones kept ringing with more orders and although Duan Yuelin kept raising his prices, the demand was inexhaustible. Customers were so eager to buy more that they would ply him with expensive gifts and dinners in fancy restaurants.
His family-run business was racking up sales of as much as $3,000 a month, unimaginable riches for uneducated Chinese rice farmers from southern Hunan province.
What merchandise was he selling? Babies. And the customers were government-run orphanages that paid up to $600 each for newborn girls for adoption in the United States and other Western countries.
To read the entire article please click here.

02/03/2010
Mother and Child

This private screening is about a 14 yr old that places her child for adoption. It will be coming to movie theatres in the summertime.

Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Tickets: $7.00 per person

April 26, 2010 8pm
To learn more please visit www.countbasietheatre.org

01/25/2010
New Adoption Documentary "Off and Running", opens at the IFC Center in New York City on January 29th

With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers - one mixed-race and one Korean - Brooklyn teen Avery grew up in a unique and loving household. But when her curiosity about her African-American roots grows, she decides to contact her birth mother. This choice propels Avery into her own complicated exploration of race, identity, and family that threatens to distance her from the parents she’s always known. She begins staying away from home, starts skipping school, and risks losing her shot at the college track career she had always dreamed of. But when Avery decides to pick up the pieces of her life and make sense of her identity, the results are inspiring. Off and Running follows Avery to the brink of adulthood, exploring the strength of family bonds and the lengths people must go to become themselves. See the website and trailer for more information.

01/25/2010
NACAC has posted updated state adoption fact sheets

NACAC has posted updated state adoption fact sheets on the NACAC web site. Here is a link to New York State's. The fact sheet notes the need to recruit families for older youth. A recent article by Rosemary Avery noted in a study of 1,143 recruited families that the likelihood of the prospective parent getting licensed and having the teen placed with them was far greater (53% versus 4%) for those who knew the teen as opposed to those recruited from the general public

01/25/2010

Haiti quake, tough standards complicate adoption process

Adoption agencies across North Jersey have been inundated with calls from families who want to care for the youngest victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.
But agency directors are responding cautiously — saying media images of suffering children may be triggering an emotional reaction from some who have not considered the complexities of adoption.
“That always happens after a huge national disaster and they show pictures of children and show horrors,” said Jared Rolsky, executive director of New Jersey-based Golden Cradle Adoption Services. The priority, he said, is to protect the children and verify they are actually orphans.
To read the entire article please click here.

01/20/2010
Canada to fast-track Haitian adoptions.

The federal government is fast-tracking the adoption of up to 100 Haitian children, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Wednesday.
Kenney announced temporary resident permits will be issued and fees waived. The government is contacting 100 families who are at different stages of adoption procedures for Haitian children that were underway before last week's devastating earthquake.
To read the entire article please click here.

01/20/2010
UNICEF worries about Haitian children adoptions

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday it is worried about some countries decision of speeding up Haitian children adoptions after the earthquake, in detriment of family reunification.
"We want to find the children's family at all cost and to achieve reunification. Adoptions are the last alternative", explained the UNICEF spokeswoman Veronique Taveau.
To read the entire article please click here.

01/20/2010
Quebec holding new Haitian adoption requests over child smuggling fear

The Quebec government has put on hold all new adoption applications for Haitian children as part of an international effort to prevent a repeat of the child smuggling that occurred after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. On Monday, a United Nations agency urged caution with any new adoptions, given that the events unfolding in Haiti make it impossible to verify the personal and family situation of children.
To read the entire article please click here.

01/20/2010

53 Haitian Orphans Are Airlifted to U.S.

A group of 53 Haitian orphans landed in Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning, the first wave to arrive after the United States loosened its policy on visa requirements to expedite Americans’ adoptions of parentless children living in the post-earthquake ruins.

But the new policy, announced late Monday, affects only 900 children whom the Haitian government had already identified as orphans, and whom adoption agencies had matched with couples in the United States.
To read the entire article please click here.

01/19/2010
Center For Family Connections It's Show Time

Tune in to WMBR at 88.1 FM TONIGHT at 7pm to hear an interview with CEO and founder of Center For Family Connections, Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao!
This week's version of Emily Corwin's radio show, "The Neighborhood," will focus on providing insight regarding issues around adoption. It will be composed of several segments, featuring the perspectives of a variety of individuals, including Dr. Pavao herself!
Find the show on MIT's radio station, WMBR, at 88.1FM or streaming online at wmbr.org.
It will also be available as a podcast afterwards on Emily's website, www.neighborhoodradio.org.

01/19/2010
Assessing Lesbian and Gay Prospective Foster and Adoptive Families: A Focus on the Homestudy Process

Foster care and adoption by gay men and lesbians is not a new phenomenon. Children and youth have always been placed by states and public agencies in homes with gay and lesbian parents. Some gay men and lesbians have fostered or adopted children independently from private agencies or have made private adoption arrangements with individual birth mothers; others have fostered or adopted through the public system. Drawing on research literature, practice wisdom from 34 years of child welfare experiences, and case examples, this article offers child welfare professionals guidelines for competent assessment with prospective foster or adoptive parents who identify as lesbian or gay.
To read the entire article please click here.

01/19/2010
Hearst Training Introductory Webinar, March 18, 2010

During this interactive webinar, the presenters will describe The Healing Nature of Relationships©. This training program creates a cross-team approach to care and provides a solid foundation in the basics of child and personality development, psychopathology and systems theory.
Helping vulnerable children and teenagers heal from tragic pasts is difficult and challenging work that demands patience, skill, knowledge, resilience, and willingness to work together across various disciplines. Yet the perspective and language of child care workers can be very different from the perspective and language of clinical staff. The Healing Nature of Relationships© bridges these differences by creating a common language and fostering a true relationship-based team environment dedicated to meeting these youngsters’ needs.

This curriculum was designed by staff at Children’s Aid and Family Services to provide affordable training to those that work with severely traumatized children and adolescents in community-based therapeutic settings. This new training program is being offered to Alliance members at a specially discounted rate.
To learn more please click here.

01/13/2010
Help When It Is Needed Most

It has been an extraordinary year of need for residents in NJ. Last year, one in every four callers to 2-1-1 needed emergency financial assistance. Today, one of every two callers needs immediate financial relief. In 2009, 2-1-1 was able to respond to 373,000 requests for health, human service and preparedness information because of you - the agencies and community organizations who provide much needed services and support. In the spirit of the season, all the staff at 2-1-1 would like to thank you and our state, local and United Way partners for believing in providing the residents of NJ with an easy to remember number to call, 2-1-1, when help is needed most.
To visit the 211 Homepage please click here.

01/12/2010
Intercountry Adoption

Statistics from the Intercounty Adoption, Office of Children’s Issues, US is not posted. These include the number of children adopted internationally around the county as well as by state. To view the numbers log onto http://adoption.state.gov/news/us_map.html and select the state.

12/22/2009
Deadline Approaches for Foster Youth Internship Program

The application deadline for the 2010 Congressional Foster Youth Internship Program is fast approaching, and is due on January 4^th! What we are asking from you is simple. You may know of someone who would be a perfect match for this program.

To read the entire article please click here.

12/21/2009
Significant Reduction in International Adoptions

The number of foreign children adopted by Americans plunged more than a quarter in the past year, reaching the lowest level since 1996 and leading adoption advocates to urge Congress to help reverse the trend.

Big declines were recorded for all three countries that provided the most adopted children in the previous fiscal year. In China and Russia, government officials have been trying to promote domestic adoptions, while in Guatemala, a once-bustling but highly corrupt international adoption industry was shut down while reforms are implemented.
To read the entire article please click here.

12/21/2009
Lean Times, but No Raise in Adoptions

Just over a year ago, when the economy first took a nose dive, snatching the stability of countless families with it, the people who run Spence-Chapin Adoption Services, a New York-based adoption agency, prepared themselves for an influx of pregnant women seeking their help.
To read the entire article please click here.

12/08/2009
Jane Aronson: The Guardian Angel

She is a Woman of the Year because: “She has a heart the size of Texas and a drive like Tiger Woods, and she has made a huge difference to countless children and their families.” —Hugh Jackman, actor and longtime supporter of Worldwide Orphans Foundation
To read the entire article please click here.

12/02/2009
A Home for the Holidays

Broadcast set for Wednesday, December 23^rd on CBS from 8:00 – 9:00 pm. “A Home for the Holidays” shares, through the eyes of a child, the joy of having a family - not just for the holidays, but every day and forever.

Each December, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Children's Action Network presents “A Home for the Holidays”, a CBS network television special bringing together all-star talent to raise awareness for foster care adoption.

In its 11th year, the special will feature Faith Hill and include performances by Mary J Blige, Reba McEntire, Skakira and Carrie Underwood.

Nia Vardolos (My Fat Greek Wedding) and Jenna Elfman are among the celebrities who will present inspirational stories of extraordinary families who share the joys found through foster care adoption.

Since 1999, this heartwarming holiday special has generated tens of thousands of calls to the Foundation, from viewers moved to action after hearing true stories of waiting children and families who adopted from foster care.

To learn more about the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, log onto www.davethomasfoundation.org or contact us at www.njarch.org .

To see archived entries of our what's new page, please click here.