The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) governs foster care and adoption placements across the U.S. It is estimated that states explore ICPC placements for nearly 100,000 children each year, but persistent challenges remain in the implementation of the compact. In 2013, the American Public Human Services Association and its affiliate, the AAICPC… More
In the late 1990s child welfare leaders began to challenge the belief that attaining permanent families for preteens and teens was an impossible goal, and model specialized youth permanency services were developed across the country. Sadly many of the projects fell into disuse as initial funding sunset. In many cases, counties and states failed to… More
NACAC frequently receives calls from adoptive parents about their adoption assistance payments. Usually these calls are about a payment that hasn’t been received, but sometimes they are asking about how payments can be made, especially via direct deposit. Below is the information we have for every state that has responded. Arizona The date the check… More
Across the US and Canada, adoption agencies and their partners are coming up with innovative ways to find families for children in foster care. Below are specific articles about how to recruit families for children who are waiting. Most of the articles were published in Adoptalk, our quarterly newsletter, which is a benefit of NACAC… More
Weekend Miracles Los Angeles, now entering its second decade, offers a unique and proven approach to creating forever families and lasting connections for adolescents who are languishing in foster care in Los Angeles. Since the program’s official launch in 2006, Weekend Miracles has been a resounding success, having recruited adoptive families, legal guardians, and lasting… More
In 2013, Pennsylvania’s Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) launched #MeetTheKids, a new campaign to recruit foster and adoptive families. This unique effort features 12 Pennsylvania youth in foster care using iPods to film each other while they discuss foster care and their need for a permanent family. While the youth filmed one another, a… More
Now entering its fifth year, the Georgia Cold Case Project is designed to change outcomes for children who have been in care for years and are likely to age out of care without achieving permanency. The project is a joint effort of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and the Supreme Court… More
Published in the Summer 2010 issue of Adoptalk In fall 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rewarded 38 states for increasing foster care adoptions. Some states were particularly adept at finding families for older youth—in 2008, adoptions of children nine and up rose 39 percent in Florida, 25 percent in Texas, and… More
from Summer 2005 Adoptalk The federal fiscal year 2003 AFCARS report suggests that by October 2003, more than 40 percent of children in foster care who needed adoptive families—nearly 50,000—were African American. By contrast, as of July 2003, only 13.3 percent of the entire U.S. population was black. This appalling disproportionality makes the task of… More