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

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

FREE!

The virtual group will be held the 3rd Monday of the month from April 21, 2025 – March 16, 2026.

Meeting Dates: 5/19/2025, 6/16/2025, 7/21/2025, 8/18/2025, 9/15/2025, 10/20/2025, 11/17/2025, 12/15/2025, 1/19/2026, 2/16/2026, 3/16/2026

The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) is excited to launch the Lunch Break – Parent Support Group for adoptive, foster, and kinship parents and caregivers! *

Topics covered include relationship building, grief and loss, birth family relationships, coping skills and self-care, and so much more.

In this monthly group we will engage in thought provoking, honest conversations, receive support and guidance, and leave better equipped with expanded knowledge, skills, and confidence – knowing you are not alone. We look forward to seeing you there!

This is a drop-in group and participation at every session is not required. *

What is your little one thinking and feeling about adoption? Preschoolers are very concrete thinkers. They are just beginning to learn about things like “same and different” and to apply their new understanding to everything, including friends and family. Each stage of their development will challenge you to grow along with them.

*Live Webinar: Attend a live real-time presentation, followed by a brief Q&A chat. You receive a recording of the webinar after the live event, whether or not you are able to attend.

Join us for an informative session learning about adoption & foster care options in Pennsylvania.

The information session can help you decide whether you are comfortable taking the next steps to become a licensed Diakon foster family. Sessions are offered without obligation; participants are not required to proceed following the presentation.

FREE!

Facilitated by adult adoptees Tony Hynes and Rachel Shifaraw, adoptees will share, build community, and learn from other adoptees as they explore their experiences. In acknowledging the lifelong journey of adoption, the Adult Adoptee Support Group fosters an environment where participants will be able to voice some of the challenges, triumphs, and identity work unique to adult adoptees.

The virtual group will be held the 1st Thursday of every month. This is a drop-in group and participation at every session is not required.

Dates: 6/5/25, 7/3/25, 8/7/25, 9/4/25, 10/2/25, 11/6/25, 12/4/25.

FREE VIRTUAL support group session via Zoom, Friday, May 2, 8:00-9:30 pm EST
“Preparing for the Launch – School and Life” with Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Pediatrician, Dr. Jane Aronson sponsored by Concerned Persons for Adoption

Dr. Aronson’s discussion will be on the school environment and creating shared commitments and goals for your child with their teachers. The conversation will include sensitivity and tolerance, school support, advocacy, and more with the goal of preparing your child for further education and independence.

As an adoptive parent, Dr. Aronson offers a unique perspective on how we can assist our children navigate school situations and coach them to advocate for themselves. Take this opportunity to ask questions, share your thoughts and concerns. Resources and ideas will be shared with those who attend.
Register here through May 1 at below site. For more information visit www.cpfanj.org

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

Join us in this meaningful event to get to know Justina Chen as an author and mother. Hear about her inspiration for her book, With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei. At the end, there will be a Q+A.

FREE!

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.

WHERE: Virtual – Register at least 1 day before the webinar you are interested in attending to receive the Zoom link to the event. Please do not share the Zoom link. Registration is required.

WHO: This event is open to all members within OCA and CAA and the general public.

ABOUT: Presented by Dr. Teresa Hsu, Executive Director and Founder of S.P.E.A.K., a Supportive Place for Empowering Asian Americans and Kin. A workshop for parents to learn ways to de-stress teens in times of high pressure and identity development.

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.

Fee: $30.00

Come join us in lifting adoptee voices with a panel of adult adoptees of different backgrounds International Adoption, Domestic Adoption, Transracial Adoption, etc. You do not want to miss hearing from the most important members of the adoption triad on their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Panelists will be open for questions from attendees.

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.

Join us for an informative session learning about adoption & foster care options in Pennsylvania.

The information session can help you decide whether you are comfortable taking the next steps to become a licensed Diakon foster family. Sessions are offered without obligation; participants are not required to proceed following the presentation.

Junior Mentorship welcomes adoptees ages 10-12 years old in this group mentoring program that meets once monthly from September to June.

Join us for an informative session learning about adoption & foster care options in Pennsylvania.

The information session can help you decide whether you are comfortable taking the next steps to become a licensed Diakon foster family. Sessions are offered without obligation; participants are not required to proceed following the presentation.

Our International Team is excited to host this webinar and to share information about adopting from South Africa. Spence-Chapin is proud to have the longest history of any US-based agency of facilitating adoption from South Africa and we work with adoptive families living across the entire United States. The South Africa program welcomes adoptive applicants regardless of marital status or sexual orientation. In this webinar we will discuss common medical and developmental needs of children who are currently living in South Africa and waiting for their forever families. We will provide an overview the adoption process. We look forward to answering any questions you may have about adoption in general and specific questions about adoption from South Africa.

** We have chosen the Go to Webinar Platform to respect that during the exploration phase, some families are not yet ready to share their hopes to adopt with others and in Go to Webinar, your names and faces will not be visible to other participants. But we are always happy to support families in building an adoption community! If you do feel ready to connect with other pre-adoptive or adoptive parents, please let us know and we can facilitate introductions for those who wish to be connected to other families.**

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.

FREE!

Do you live in New York or New Jersey and are considering adopting an infant? Learn about Spence-Chapin’s Domestic Adoption Program for New York and New Jersey families during this free webinar! This webinar is the first step for families interested in applying to Spence-Chapin as all webinar attendees will receive a Domestic Adoption Program application. Our team will share details about the adoption program, including the application process, open adoption, demographics of the children in need of adoption, the matching process, options counseling for birth parents, and more!

Bring your questions! The meeting will include ample opportunity to have your questions answered.

Spence-Chapin’s Domestic Adoption Program is open to residents of New York, New Jersey, and Arizona. If you reside in Arizona, please register for a webinar dedicated to Spence-Chapin’s Domestic Adoption Program for Arizona families. These events can be found here.

If you are unable to register for this webinar, please contact us to schedule a call to discuss additional pathways to grow your family through domestic infant adoption.