5 Groups Providing Resources For Adoptive Families

Adoption can be a lengthy and challenging undertaking for all parties involved, and adoptive families may require some form of emotional, educational, or even financial support throughout the process. Luckily, there are groups dedicated to guiding prospective parents and helping children find their forever homes. In no particular order, here are some organizations providing various services to adoptees and their families.

First up, at #1, we have Family Equality. Its mission is to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families and those who wish to form them through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change. It has an extensive virtual library full of resources, including a map that shows which states have foster care and adoption laws that protect parents from discrimination by agencies.

Its Path2Parenthood program aims to support prospective parents by providing them with useful educational resources and opportunities, such as family building grants, which help offset the costs of assisted reproductive technology or adoption. The organization also has a podcast entitled Outspoken Voices, where members of the LGBTQ community share their experiences and tips on starting a family.

Coming in at #2 is Transfiguring Adoption, which develops media and tools with the goal of nurturing growth in foster and adoptive children. Its media review service alerts families to trauma triggers in current movies, books, and video games while also providing them with guides on engaging with kids in their care and starting conversations about difficult situations.

Aside from publishing reviews, the organization also shares insights from authors, game developers, and other experts in the field of foster care and adoption through interviews and online panel discussions, where viewers may ask panelists questions. It also offers a variety of subscription plans that grant varying levels of access to the website's content.

Next up, at #3, we have Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families. Serving as a post-adoption resource and advocate for children, adults, and families with diverse heritages, it accomplishes its mission by facilitating events that offer culturally relevant experiences, which aim to provide individuals with a deeper sense of community and identity.

The organization has developed an anti-racism toolkit for adoptees, parents, and community members of all racial identities in hopes that it will introduce new perspectives and generate understanding, conversation, and action. Its website also has an extensive list of general readings and guides for parents, as well as picture books about adoption and multiple health and wellness resources.

At #4 is Spence-Chapin, which is dedicated to providing counseling and support for children and the families to whom they have been born or entrusted. It offers domestic and international home studies for families living in New York State and New Jersey, which include in-person interviews and visits with a social worker, as well as pre and post-adoption training.

The Spence-Chapin Mentorship program facilitates events once a month for teens both internationally and domestically adopted. Mentors and mentees meet in social gatherings, where participants can make new friends and connect with others who share similar experiences. The organization also offers consultation and therapy services for prospective parents and adult adoptees.

Finally, at #5, we have the New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House, a state-funded initiative managed by Children's Aid and Family Services that directs people to appropriate, local adoption resources. It has an extensive collection of parenting books, videos, pamphlets, and articles, and through its Free Lending Library, users may borrow materials for up to three weeks.

It’s just such a celebration to see kids in permanent families to get the stability that they need,” said Rebecca Gallese, a licensed clinical social worker with the New Jersey Adoption Resource Clearing House. “For them to be able to be somewhere permanent, it means I’m not being traded in. I’m not moving again. And it means that I can attach and connect with this family that’s going to be with me forever.

Its website's E-Learning page keeps users informed about online educational courses on various issues; it also has a list of support groups and webinars for families and children in need. The organization also offers training workshops in venues around New Jersey, covering topics such as trans-racial adoption and foster care.