New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House

Need help with career advice, navigating resources, or just want to connect? This space is here for you!

When?

Starting December, join us every 2^nd Thursday of the month from 6 PM-7PM (EST}

Where?

Virtually on zoom! Zoom link will be shared

Who Should Attend?

• Experienced foster care or are currently in foster care
• Been adopted
• Been impacted by the criminal justice system
• Experienced human trafficking
• Had an incarcerated parent during their childhood

Why attend?

• Get answers to your questions
• Receive guidance and support
• Connect with someone who understands your journey

This is voluntary and unpaid. It is designed to support and empower eligible youth in achieving their goals

FREE!

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

Meeting Dates: 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. *

Helping Children Heal from Sexual Abuse is a Free, virtual Parent Support Group for adoptive, foster, or kinship families raising children who have previously suffered sexual abuses.

WHEN: Scheduled to meet monthly on the third Tuesday at 7 PM

WHERE: Exclusively in the in the AFFCNY.Network

Just Adoptees: A Monthly Virtual Support Group JUST for Adopted Adults

Have you ever been told or made to feel like you’re Just an Adoptee? If so, then have we got the space for you! The fourth Wednesday of the month is, currently, set aside for Just Adoptees.

“Just Adoptees” is a peer led adoptee-centric support group just for adopted adults. We believe being adopted can come with complexities that only another adopted adult can understand. Our goal is to let every adopted person know they aren’t alone and the way they feel is normal for a not normal situation. This isn’t therapy – it’s better! It’s a group designed to be a “safe space” for adopted adults to gather and share experiences regarding their adoption experience without judgement or expectations.

February 25, 2026; March 25, 2026; April 22, 2026; May 27, 2026; June 24, 2026; July 22, 2026; August 26, 2026; September 23, 2026; October 28, 2026; November 24, 2026; December 22,2026

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.

Pre-registration is required so that the ZOOM link can be shared.

Please join us to learn more about contemporary domestic infant open adoption and the work we do here at Open Arms! This free 90-minute information session is where the entire domestic adoption process is discussed at length. We cover the most commonly asked questions, including wait time, fees, laws, statistics regarding race/ethnicity of babies, substance exposures, mental health risk factors, etc. and any additional questions not covered can also be answered at this time. Open Arms is a non-profit adoption program licensed in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Join Pact’s Executive Director and fellow adoptive parent, Beth Hall, to find community and talk about parenting adopted and foster teens and young adults of color, including challenges, helpful strategies and how to support yourself and your loved ones.

This call is free and open to current Pact members only. If you have not purchased a Pact membership (or your membership is not current) you can join at pactadopt.org.

Fee: $10

Child welfare webinar for parents and professionals! Help young people build confidence, communication skills, and advocacy tools so they can effectively use their voices in real-life settings.

Through storytelling, role play, and reflection, participants learn how lived experience becomes leadership and how youth voice can influence decisions that shape their lives.

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

IMPORTANT NOTE: AFTH is currently only accepting applicants who are open to adopting children of all racial backgrounds and heritages. Because we are an open adoption agency and have seen an increase in requested visits, all prospective adoptive parents must also be open to a minimum of 2 in person visits per year with birth parents. Direct communication such as text, phone, or email is also commonly requested.

As a private, non funded agency, there are fees associated with our services. AFTH can connect families to grant and finance coaching resources. If you would like fee information prior to the webinar, please email adoption@afth.org with your city and state, and we will connect you with your local office.

FREE for NAA Members

$25 Non-Members

Overview: In this dynamic training, attendees will explore how to shift their child welfare practice from transactional approaches to transformational engagement. Participants will explore how input from children and youth is essential for identifying, recruiting, and developing, sustainable permanent supportive connections and placement options including legal, cultural, and relational permanence.

Through interactive learning, participants will deepen their understanding of authentic child and youth engagement and examine the core competencies and characteristics developed through the QIC-EY project that are essential for putting engagement into meaningful practice. Presenters will focus on the QIC-EY competencies: “Partnering with Children and Youth” and “Supporting Youth Voice” which are vital to supporting permanency for children and youth with complex needs, as THEY are the experts on their own lives. Impact findings from the project will be shared.

Through an interactive and engaging presentation that includes group discussions, activities and videos, facilitators will provide concrete examples, practical tips, and insights that can help when it comes to partnering with children and youth to recruit, develop and sustain permanence.

This webinar is best for child welfare professionals. (1.5) CEUs are available for this webinar.

These free support groups provide safe space where LGBTQ+ adoptive and foster parents of children of color can find community and talk about their parenting joys and challenges, intersections with our own queer identities and helpful strategies.

Designed for adoptees and their siblings in elementary school, our Mini Camps are a place for kids to have fun and make friends on days where the NYC public school system is out on break throughout the year. Each day is full of activities, crafts, games, plus lunch and snacks to fuel the fun. Sign up for one day or bundle and save!

Camp days are drop off events and run from 9am – 3pm. The 2026 schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 20th · Eid al-Fitr 

Thursday June 4th · Chancellor’s Day

Friday, June 5th · Clerical Day

The CUB Zoom Peer Support Group is a safe, peer-led space created by and for birth/first parents. We understand the unique challenges of adoption loss, and this group is a place to step out of isolation and find community. This is a volunteer-run group where you can check in, share experiences, and learn from others who truly understand, regardless of where you are in your adoption journey.

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.

Pre-registration is required so that the ZOOM link can be shared.

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.

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

Join us to learn about our Colombia Adoption Program. Our Colombia Adoption Program is open to singles, married couples, unmarried couples, and welcomes LGBTQ+ parents. In this webinar, we will detail the pathways to adopt from Colombia, including pathways available to individuals without Colombian Heritage as well as pathways available to individuals who hold a Colombian Cedula. We will share information about the system of child protection in Colombia and will share photos of some of the children’s homes where children reside while in protective care. We will discuss common medical and special needs of children who are awaiting adoption in Colombia. We will speak about eligibility factors for prospective adoptive parents in Colombia. Bring your questions – we’ll save time for Q&A.

In this free 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.

Join us for a special evening of Broadway performances celebrating family and community.

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.