New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House

Honoring Youth: Strengthening Pathways for Lasting Bonds

The webinar aims to promote the well-being of older youths by fostering lifelong connections and equipping the workforce and families with essential resources for continuous support. The goals include emphasizing the importance of enduring relationships for adolescents, providing practical guidance for professionals, and gaining insights from adolescents/young adults on genuine collaboration.

The webinar will also focus on equipping professionals and families with necessary resources before, during, and after adoption, and presenting materials from Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids. Key concepts include maintaining youths’ connections to their cultural and racial heritage, equipping professionals to work with diverse kinship networks, addressing service barriers, and challenging stereotypes.

The webinar will highlight successful initiatives from Lived Experience speakers, including those from, the AdoptUSKids Speakers Bureau, the Minority Professional Leadership Development program and the QIC-EY, to enhance intentional child and family recruitment, ensuring each child is matched with the right family.