Advocacy

As part of NACAC’s Advocates for Families First collaboration with Generations United and the National Foster Parent Association, Communications Consortium Media Center created a comprehensive report on the public image and media portrayal of grandfamilies, foster families, adoptive families, and the children and youth they care for. Below are excerpts from the report. CCMC is… More

This document was originally created as part of NACAC’s Advocates for Families First collaboration with Generations United and the National Foster Parent Association. Note: Throughout the document, the italicized text inside brackets [ ] is where you customize your letter with your own examples. Commentary Family Matters Family. It’s something most of have, many of… More

This document was originally created as part of NACAC’s Advocates for Families First collaboration with Generations United and the National Foster Parent Association. Do you want to increase positive coverage of kinship, foster, or adoptive families? Do you want to shape the public dialog about children who need families? Do you want to respond to… More

This document was originally created as part of NACAC’s Advocates for Families First collaboration with Generations United and the National Foster Parent Association. Tips for Getting Your Story Covered Develop a list of media contacts — Find out which media outlets (including TV, radio, web and print news) are covering child welfare or children and family… More

This document was created as part of NACAC’s Advocates for Families First collaboration with Generations United and the National Foster Parent Association Always Put Children First Frame your messages around children, even if you’re talking about a family’s support need. Make sure children, youth, or kids are in your headline or first sentence. Make sure… More

NACAC worked with Generations United and the National Foster Parent Association as the Advocates for Families First collaboration to create a united voice for advocates of children in kinship, foster, and adoptive families that informs, educates, and inspires the public and policymakers about the needs of families and better ways to connect them with state… More

Effectively Conveying Your Messages How you talk about children and families and your advocacy goals can be as important as your advocacy strategies. It’s important to think about your messaging techniques—how you frame your issue and explain it to others—as you plan and implement your advocacy efforts. NACAC, in collaboration with Generations United and the… More

Below are a few advocacy strategies that parent groups and other adoption advocates have tried. Some are small and more easily accomplished, while other require a committed group of advocates. Choose the strategy that works best for your goals—and your resources. And of course adapt them as you see fit. If you have an advocacy… More

Writing Letters (Learn more about how to convey your ideas in our Messaging section) Consider the following guidelines for letters. With federal lawmakers you want to email the letter to ensure faster delivery: Be clear and brief. State the problem simply and include only pertinent data to get your point across. Show that you have done… More

  Although written for small groups (such as adoptive parent groups), the information in this fact sheet will also help guide individuals and other organizational advocacy efforts on behalf of children and families. Below we outline the basic advocacy steps: identify the problem collect data to document the problem identify decision makers gather support develop… More

Once you’ve decided there’s a change you want to see in the world, you need to figure out what you can do to make difference. Adoptive and foster parents, kinship caregivers, young people who’ve experienced foster care and adoption, child welfare professionals, and others have made amazing advocacy gains in recent years. You have the… More

Parents, youth, and other advocates for children have immense power to shape the child welfare system to improve the lives of children, youth, and families. You—those most affected by policies and practices—can and should inform policymakers about why reforms are needed and how to better the lives of children, youth, and families. Parents, youth, and… More

Advocacy can be big or small and is designed to change attitudes, policies, practices, and laws about issues that matter to you. Advocates can work alone or band together with others in their community. When you pool the talents, knowledge, and skills of your community or group, you can help determine how public policy outcomes… More

NACAC’s Community Champions Network is able to help local advocates create a plan to advocate for post-adoption services in their community. NACAC has been developing and enhancing adoptive parent support groups and helping implement post-adoption services in the U.S. and Canada for more than 40 years. For many years, our staff have worked on building… More

NACAC has held several online trainings, which are listed below, that can help advocates work to achieve post-adoption and other support services in their communities. And attending the NACAC conference is a great way to learn about post-adoption service models and advocacy strategies… More

The following articles and research briefs can be very valuable in your advocacy efforts. Read them carefully and look for quotes and other information that can support your cause. If the item is available on line, we have included the link below. Background on Post-Adoption Services Adoption Support & Preservation Services: A Public Interest, The… More

Below you will find a number of quotes and stories that are designed to demonstrate the importance and efficacy of post-permanency support. Use these and your own quotes and stories to bolster your advocacy message. Quotes When looking for quotes, seek those that are focused on the child’s need and demonstrate an outcome (adoption or… More

[see also Engaging Constituents in Advocacy] A key component of any advocacy strategy is finding personal stories that demonstrate the importance of the change you seek. Personal stories: lend credibility to a problem or solution put a human face on a problem or solution help others identify with a problem or solution engage a reader’s… More

NACAC believes post-adoption services must be available to families—including all members of the adoptive family and the birth parents—whenever they are needed. Each state and province should develop a system for ensuring that all families who adopt—especially children adopted from the foster care system—have access to the continuum of services including those listed below: Information… More