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Resources
Families entering the child welfare system have a resource to help them navigate its often bewildering complexities. This Guide uses a question-and-answer format and personal stories to describe the experiences, processes, laws, and people who are part of the child welfare system. Also see the companion Training Guide.
Rethinking Birth Parents as Resources to Youth in Foster Care
The August 2007 issue of Connections from Casey Family Services examines ways in which policymakers, child welfare administrators, and practitioners can support youth in foster care to find, connect with, and maintain safe relationships with birth families.
Handbooks for Birth Parents
For birth parents whose children have entered the foster care system, the intricacies of the foster care and legal systems can be overwhelming. In response to this, some states have created handbooks for birth parents to help guide them through the process.
Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents: A Fact Sheet
This factsheet discusses some of the emotional issues that parents face after making the decision to place an infant for adoption, in surrendering the child, and in handling the feelings that often persist afterwards. In addition, it addresses some of the emotional issues of parents whose children are permanently removed from them and whose parental rights are terminated. It may be a helpful resource for birth parents, as well as family members, friends, and others who want to support birth parents. It may also provide some insight to adopted persons and adoptive parents who want to understand the struggles faced by birth parents.
Safeguarding the Rights and Well-Being of Birthparents in the Adoption Process
A study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute suggests that the rights and needs of biological parents who place their children for adoption are often misunderstood or neglected. The study reports on the rights and status of birth parents by exploring the context of infant adoption in today's society, examining how laws and practices affect birth parents' rights, and reviewing research on the impact of relinquishment.
Rise
Rise is a magazine by and for parents who have been involved in the child welfare system. Its mission is to provide parents with true stories about the system's role in families' lives and information that will help parents advocate for themselves and their children.
Curriculum
- A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System – Training Manual
This is a companion to A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System, a comprehensive resource that answers many of the questions that families face when they become involved with the child welfare system. It was developed as a collaborative effort among the American Institutes for Research, Black Administrators in Child Welfare, Inc., Tampa Hillsborough Integrated Network for Kids (THINK), and the Bridgeway Community Church – Creative Arts Ministry. It is intended to be a “guide to the Guide” and includes training exercises, handouts, power point slides, and audiotapes of the Family Voices in the Guide
Teleconference
- Promising Practices for Addressing the Mental Health Issues Impacting Parents of Children in Foster Care
On January 31, 2006, the NRCFCPPP and CWLA hosted this teleconferences for state foster care and adoption managers, the third in a series on mental health issues. To listen to the audio files and download the handouts, visit our archived teleconferences page.
NRCFCPPP Information Packets
Websites
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National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center:
Shared Family Care
Shared Family Care (SFC) refers to a situation in which an entire family is temporarily placed in the home of a host family. The host family is trained to mentor and support the biological parents as they develop skills and supports necessary to care for their child(ren) and move toward independent living.
Last updated 04/20/08
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