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

Fee: $110.00

A child’s degree of relationship dependence is a product of forces that promote and undermine that child’s emotional separation from the family. According to Bowen family systems theory, when parent and child functioning promotes emotional separation, the emotional maturity level is maintained between generations. When their functioning undermines separation, parental generation immaturity is transmitted to the next generation. Family Projection Process, a Bowen theory concept, describes how parents instill part of their immaturity into children. Typically the parent becomes less anxious by focusing on one or more of their children. Their partner, sensitive to the caregivers’ anxiety, supports their involvement with these children. Projection process steps are explored where a parent: (1) focuses on a child fearing something is wrong with that child; (2) interprets the child’s behavior as confirming that fear; and (3) treats the child as if something is really wrong with that child.

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.**

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 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.

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.

** 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.**

Openness in adoption benefits all members of the adoption constellation, but its primary purpose is to center the adopted person. To do this, all adults involved need to develop specific skills and mindsets including being honest, appreciating the importance of each participant’s role, being vulnerable, and managing expectations and feelings. Explore how to navigate the high-stakes complexities of openness and the inherent power differentials in adoption.

*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.

These 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.

This call is 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.

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

We will delve into the social, political, and cultural factors that have shaped adoption policies, the role of international adoption, and the impact on families and children. This session offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution of adoption in China, and its significance in a global context. Don’t miss the chance to explore this important and historic aspect of international adoption, with a focus on China.

*if you are unable to attend live, all registrants will receive a recording after the event.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Ohio’s Opening Day – a day 400,000 Ohio adoptees, by law, gained access to their original birth records – Adoption Network Cleveland is hosting a conference to continue the celebration and education. Together, adoptees; birth parents; adoptive, kinship and foster parents; foster alumni; individuals who are donor conceived or have found misattributed parentage through DNA testing; and professionals in the field, and others, will explore unfolding life stories, engage in learning, and create community.

The Summit will be a gathering of local organizations to provide information about resources available to anyone interested in foster care and adoption, anyone already involved in FC/A, as well as anyone praying over how to be a support to someone they know who has adopted or fostered. Our goal is to bring awareness of the support that is available to people interested or involved in this area, to present who we are as a ministry, and to provide a platform for the organizations that have a similar vision and can assist with specific needs and resources.

Attendance is free and breakfast will be provided (gluten/dairy free option available) but we do ask that you register below to have an accurate count for ordering purposes.

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.

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.