New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House

FREE!

Having the opportunity to be surrounded by those who understand your family’s journey is a vital experience. There is sometimes a lack of understanding for the intersecting experiences LGBTQ+ families face. Such families require environments that honor those experiences, as well as spaces that provide opportunities to connect with individuals from similar family types.

C.A.S.E. looks forward to providing that space for your family.

Each group will meet virtually via ZOOM on the third Thursday of each month.

Meeting dates: 10/24/24, 11/21/24, 12/19/24, 1/16/25, 2/20/25, 3/20/25, 4/17/25, 5/15/25, 6/19/25, 7/17/25, 8/21/25

FREE!

This support group is designed to support adoptive parents who face the complexities of supporting children with both attachment and developmental issues. The support group will provide education, intervention ideas, space for members to share creative successes, and opportunities to work through challenges involved in engaging systems (medical, school, community) that are not always understanding of the special needs of adopted children or those with developmental challenges. Members will be asked to share their concerns and needs when signing up for the group so that the facilitator can incorporate information specifically relevant to those attending.

Each group will meet virtually via ZOOM on the second Thursday of each month.

Meeting dates: 11/14/24, 12/12/24, 1/9/24, 2/13/24, 3/13/25, 4/10/25

Join us for an evening of connection, community, and discussion with fellow adoptees. Facilitated by Amy Trotter, Director of Post Adoption Services and Elliot Bliss, Supervisor of Adoptee Programs. We are excited to start this new monthly group!

Here are the dates for the upcoming drop-in groups!

• January- Tuesday 14
• February – Tuesday 11
• March – Tuesday 11
• April – Tuesday 15
• May – Tuesday 13

Monthly virtual support calls provide a safe space for adoptive parents of color to connect and share their experiences.
This is a group intended to meet the needs of people of color who have built their families through domestic adoption, kinship adoption, international adoption, foster care, same race and transracial/interracial adoption.   This  call is free to current members of Pact. If you do not have a current Pact membership please join or renew at pactadopt.org.

This programming is for adoptive parents of color.  Please be respectful of their space.

The webinar is a great way to learn more about Adoptions From The Hearts Open Adoption Program which places infants directly from the hospital.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Adoptions From The Heart is ONLY accepting applicants who are open to adopting children of all racial backgrounds and heritages. In addition, because we are an open adoption agency and are seeing an increase in the requested number of yearly visits, all prospective adoptive parents must also be open to a minimum of 2 visits a year with the childs birth parents. And while it is not a requirement, AFTH encourages open relationships through direct communication with birth parents, via text/phone and email post placement. We look forward to connecting with you.

FREE!

Spence-Chapin’s Birth Parent Support Group is a virtual meet-up for individuals who made an adoption plan (with Spence-Chapin or elsewhere) and are in any stage in their placement journey. This group is a safe place to get support and know that you are not alone. Topics will include coping with feelings of grief and loss, sharing challenges and successes with open and closed adoption, and improving communication with friends and family around your adoption plan.

There is no cost to attend. All attendees will receive a Zoom link to their confirmation email after registration.

Are you considering growing your family through adoption? Discover the right adoption pathway for you at our special evening event.  Learn more about 4 different ways to adopt:

• International Adoption with Spence-Chapin

• Domestic Adoption with Spence-Chapin

• Private Domestic Adoption with an attorney

• Adoption from Foster Care

Adoption is not a moment in time, but a lifelong journey. We look forward to helping you pick the right pathway for your family!

Families interested in applying to one of Spence-Chapin’s International Adoption Programs or Domestic Adoption Program can obtain a program application by attending this event.

FREE!

In honor of Womens History Month, we will hear from a panel of incredible women have made an impact in the adoption community. This is a great opportunity to hear our panel share their stories and how theyve made a difference in the community.
This is a fundraising event and all donations will go towards AFTH programs and services as well as our Expectant Birth Parent Support Fund.

In this support call first/birth parents will be able to connect, listen and share their experiences of adoption, both private and through the child welfare system. Space will also be provided for participants to explore and share experiences around open adoptions, closed adoptions, recent reunions, same-race adoption, transracial adoption, termination of parental rights, and other topics as decided by the group.
Please remember that this group is for birth/first parents who are related by birth to a child placed in adoption or foster care.

The Transracial Adoption Support Group is a group to connect adoptive parents who have also adopted transracially. This is a safe space to discuss thoughts and concerns.

This is a Virtual Event, after you RSVP you will be send the Zoom Link for the meeting.

This is a free event open to adults of color who were adopted or are former foster youth. Space will be provided for participants to explore and share experiences around international adoption, foster care, transracial/interracial adoption, search and reunion, birth/first family and other topics of interest to the group.

This is an opportunity to come together and lean on other expecting and birth parents; to share your thoughts and feelings with others who have had similar experiences. Attendees are not required to stay for the whole meeting, nor obligated to speak/share. To RSVP, email Amanda Aliberti at AmandaA@afth.org

Join Pact’s Executive Director and fellow adoptive parent, Beth Hall, to find community and talk about transracial adoption, race and identity issues that may be coming up for you or members of your family. The focus for these calls is transracial adoption.

These calls are open only to current members of Pact. If you have not purchased a Pact membership (or your membership is not current) you can join at pactadopt.org.

We invite you to be part of a special evening of Broadway performances that celebrate Family in all its beautiful iterations. Join an incredible ensemble of performers as we showcase what Family means in our lives through song, dance, and joy.

All proceeds from the event go to support the work of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children who, for more than 115 years, has helped grow families of all shapes and sizes through adoption, and provided them with lifelong support and connection to community.

Institutionalization affects every child’s language and literacy development. Signs of delay can be obvious or obscure; show immediately or years later.  This presentation will review the latest literature regarding the language abilities of post-institutionalized children adopted at older ages. It will discuss language development of older children post-adoption, explain the difference between conversational and cognitive language competencies,  as well as provide recommendations on best evidence based practices working with these children. *If you are unable to attend live, the recording will be sent to you following the event to watch within a 30-day window.

**Holt is sponsoring this webinar – to attend for FREE, enter coupon code: Holt24

NYC Teen Mentorship welcomes adoptees ages 13-18 years old in a group mentoring program that meets once monthly from September to June.

Fee: $110.00

Emotional cutoff, a Bowen family systems theory concept, describes how unresolved emotional issues with parents, siblings, and other family members are managed by reducing or totally cutting off emotional contact with them – moving away and rarely going home or by staying in physical contact but avoiding sensitive issues. Covering cutoff origins and consequences, this workshop also explores how bridging cutoffs provides a path out of recreating the past in the present nuclear family while reducing anxiety and improving personal and relationship functioning.

Monthly  virtual support calls provide a safe space for BIPOC adoptive, foster and kinship parents of BIPOC teens and young adults.

Join Raquel Vivanco, Director of the Adoptive Parents of Color Collaborative (APCC) and fellow adoptive parent, to find community and talk about parenting adopted and foster teens and young adults of color, including challenges, and helpful strategies. We will discuss how relationships shift as our young ones grow in their journey and how we can support ourselves and our loved ones.

These calls are free to current members of Pact. If you do not have a current Pact membership you can join or renew at pactadopt.org.

This call is for people of color who are parenting adopted/foster teens and young adults of color.  Please be respectful of their space.

Spence-Chapin is thrilled to partner with the experts at Your Adoption Finance Coach to provide our families with free access to experts, tools and content that can
take the worry out of financing your adoption. In this webinar, we will be joined by Kelly Ellison, adoptive mother and Founder and CEO of Your Adoption Finance Coach. Kelly will discuss how grants and fundraising can help offset the costs of adoption.

We welcome you to submit your questions ahead of time via the registration link, and we welcome further questions during the event.

The Birth Mother Gathering Committee is pleased to invite you to the 28th Annual Birth Mother’s Gathering! This year’s Gathering will take place at Spence-Chapin’s headquarters in Union Square. We hope you will be able to join us this year as we share, connect, and come together for another special gathering.

Please RSVP by emailing our Events Manager, Toni Schweizer, at tschweizer@spence-chapin.org.

Space is limited so please RSVP as soon as possible and before April 28th.