New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House

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. *

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

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.

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 provide valuable information about the Adoption Tax Credit which is available to families who adopt internationally or domestically. The adoption tax credit can greatly offset the costs of adoption. Feel free to bring your questions as we will save time for Q&A! This webinar welcomes families who recently adopted through a Spence-Chapin program or who will be adopting internationally or domestically.

Convened annually by MENTOR during National Mentoring Month, the National Mentoring Summit is an opportunity for mentoring practitioners, researchers, philanthropic investors, youth leaders, government and civic leaders, and Affiliates from across the country to unite under the shared goal of driving positive change for young people. Attendees have the opportunity to learn from one another, form new connections, and explore best practices for strengthening and expanding the youth mentoring movement.

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 free 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.

FREE!

Join the National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support for the AGPT-Train the Trainer Series. This training equips child welfare professionals working with adoptive and guardianship families with the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to effectively deliver the AGPT curriculum. This Train the Trainer consists of four sessions, one and a half hours in length-all of which need to be attended to receive the certificate of completion.

• Session I: Feb 5, 2026 01:30 PM
• Session II: Feb 12, 2026 01:30 PM
• Session III: Feb 19, 2026 01:30 PM
• Session IV: Feb 26, 2026 01:30 PM

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.

FREE!

Join us for our family-friendly Black History Month Celebration—an engaging and meaningful event filled with community, creativity, and connection for all ages.

Free, 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.

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

Do you live in Arizona and are considering adopting an infant? Learn about Spence-Chapin’s Domestic Adoption Program for Arizona families! This free 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 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 Arizona, New York, and New Jersey. Please register for a webinar event that corresponds with the state where you live by visiting our Events Calendar.

If you are unable to register for this webinar, please contact us to learn about other upcoming event opportunities or discuss additional pathways to grow your family through domestic infant adoption.

FREE!

Boys who have been adopted or in foster care are complex individuals whose behaviors often represent unseen grief, identity navigation, and resilience. Dr. Adam Anthony presents his personal narrative and practical guidance to help us better understand and care for them.

This session centers the “They Are Not Invisible” EmpowerMENt framework, highlighting the critical need to recognize and affirm foster/adopted boys—especially boys of color, as whole, complex individuals whose behaviors often represent unseen grief, identity navigation, and resilience. Through personal narrative and practical guidance, the session explores the emotional, developmental, and cultural realities shaping their inner worlds. Families and professionals will receive grounded strategies to reduce misinterpretation, strengthen connection, and build pathways for leadership, belonging, and voice. The goal is simple yet powerful: to ensure these boys are not overlooked, mislabeled, or misunderstood, but instead fully seen and supported in every environment they move through.

Teen Voices of Adoption (V.O.A.) is a virtual community where adopted teens ages 13–17 from around the world can connect, meet peers, and have real conversations about the topics that matter most to them.

Hosted by Rebecca Fiore, transracial adoptee born in Paraguay, and Adoptee Advocate. V.O.A. welcomes adopted people of all backgrounds to experience community amongst other adoptees.

FREE!

Expert in Child Abuse & Neglect Lecture Series: February 2026

State of the Art: From Prevention to Healing: Evidence-based Pediatric Healthcare for Youth at Higher Risk for or Affected by Sex Trafficking.

Description: This training content is an exploration of the most recent research and evidence-based recommendations for identification, treatment, engagement with care, and prevention work in youth with a history of or higher risk for sex trafficking. It promotes awareness and educates professionals on the topic of child trafficking to stimulate both intervention and prevention efforts. It recognizes that the impact of trauma can present in a variety of ways and that all interactions should be grounded in compassion, dignity, and respect.

Intended audiences: This presentation is intended for child protection workers, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, physicians, nurses, mental health professionals (including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers of all levels, and licensed counselors), and all other disciplines not listed.

Voices of Adoption (V.O.A.) is a virtual space for adopted people 18+ world-wide to join in conversation, meet peers and talk about the topics that are important to them. Hosted by Jessica M. Luciere, transracial adoptee born in Bogota, Colombia, and Manager of Community Engagement at Spence-Chapin, V.O.A. welcomes adopted people of all backgrounds to experience community amongst other adoptees.

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.

Join us at The Learning Brain Exchange — ATN’s NEWEST Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference.  This 5-track conference gives educators the neuroscience-based background and tools needed to help students learn and thrive.  Come explore the Science of Learning and the Importance of Connected, Resilience-Focused, Hopeful Leadership in our schools.

Early bird pricing now through December 15, 2025.  Group discounts of 7 or more available.

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.

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