This presentation will give an overview to the NJ Adoption Resource Clearing House (NJ ARCH) website and services such as the free lending library, Buddy training, Support Group Advocacy programs and more.

Approximate Length of Training: One hour

Have you ever thought about “giving back” to an individual or family who needs a “buddy” or mentor? NJ ARCH offers this training to assist those who would like to take this progressive step in assisting those who need that extra coaching. This workshop includes the qualities of a mentor, the “Core Issues of Adoption” concepts as well as describes how you can assist a person by becoming a “buddy”.

Approximate Length of Training: All Day Workshop (approximately six hours)

Find out your Special Education Rights in NJ. Attend an overview to a parent/ guardian’s right to advocate for their children in the New Jersey school system. This workshop will assist parents in advocating for your child within the New Jersey Special Education System.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

Sharing painful information about a child’s history or birth family can be challenging for adoptive parents. This workshop will help you develop the skills to competently tell you children difficult information and help them process it.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

Adoption issues can impact each developmental task. This workshop will help parents understand how adoption impacts developmental transitions and develop the skills to help their children navigate these transitions.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

Parenting a child from a different race can be challenging. This workshop will explore the various myths in all types of adoptions and will discuss ways to address issues that may come up when either fostering or adopting a child of a different race.

Approximate Length of Training: Two hours

This workshop will focus on the various issues that affect the adopted or foster child in the school setting; adopted related assignments (family tree, genetics, family structure), who to tell in the school, teacher understanding of adoption issues, plus other delicate issues. Included will be discussion and website references and handouts.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

The goal of the workshop will be to help foster and adoptive parents be supportive and “therapeutic” in their reactions to foster or adoptive children in their home. This workshop will serve as a training vehicle to assist foster parents in identifying the psychological underpinnings of potential situations in their home. This workshop will help identify possible situations that could affect the family and /or the other children at home. To assist in the discussion, a training video, “Foster and Adoptive Care Situations” from Northwest Video, with various foster care vignettes will be shown.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

This workshop details the legal criteria for termination of parental rights, contrasts adoption vs. kinship legal guardianship and reviews the psychological issues for children, foster parents and adoptive parents as they move through the process.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

Leaving the nest can be even more challenging for adopted persons and their parents because the adoptive family is not the “family of origin.” This is a time when feelings of separation and loss can be reactivated. The longing for more information about the birth family can become very strong. Parents may experience anxiety about their kids’ ability to manage on their own. Some families find their kids can’t leave without a fight and a cut off; other kids can’t leave at all. This workshop will address the special issues of leaving home for older adolescent and young adult adopted persons and their parents.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

This workshop will look to address issues that may arise, including school concerns, identity and loss issues. This workshop is based on the book “Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew” by Sherri Eldridge. Information and resources will be provided.

Approximate Length of Training: Two hours

Adolescence is a tough time for almost all teenagers. The changes during this time are extensive and include physical, emotional, psychological, behavioral, social and sexual changes.  Adopted teens struggle with these same issues, but do they face different challenges than non-adopted teens?  This workshop will examine the complexity adoption adds to the developmental tasks to teenagers. Techniques and strategies will be explored with parents and professionals to help prepare for and support their adopted child as they enter into adolescence and begin to ask, “Who am I?” and “Where do I belong?”

Approximate Length of Training:  One and one-half hours

Frustration grows when foster, kinship and adoptive parents feel that they have tried “everything” and still “nothing” is working to improve their child’s behavior. Anger, resentment, disappointment and shame increases for both the caregiver and the child and relationships suffer. Traditional parenting, or “old school” parenting techniques are often ineffective with foster and adopted children or children placed in kinship care. Instead, children may require a style of parenting that is unique to their needs, based on their unique living situation. Some attachment focused parenting techniques that will be discussed and explored are: reframing behavior problems, discipline as care and protection not about shaming or degrading, Time Out vs Time In, managing controlling behaviors and more.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours

Navigating relationships with your child’s birth parents can be complicated and can be one of the hardest parts about being a kinship caregiver, foster and/or adoptive parent. This workshop will explore why connections and relationships with birth parents are so meaningful and beneficial to your child’s well-being. Participants will learn ways to encourage and support the relationship between the child and their birth parents while keeping the child safe and develop skills to respond to challenges that may occur while managing complex family dynamics.

Approximate Length of Training: One and one-half hours