Parenting

In this webinar, Dr. Rowell explores how a child’s early experience with hunger or food insecurity can result in survival behaviors that continue in foster or adoptive families. These behaviors can include eating quickly, stealing or hiding food, getting upset if asked to share or slow down while eating, and more. The presentation helps parents… More

Every child entering foster care has experienced some amount of trauma—if nothing else, removal from his or her home and placement into foster care is itself traumatic. In most cases, children in the child welfare system have multiple experiences with trauma, often referred to as complex trauma. Parenting a child who has been separated from… More

In an adoption world where disruption looms all too often, this session offers a positive approach for workers and families. Here is a way to make sense of (and deal with) some of the negative feelings that adopted children can make their parents feel. Understanding this dynamic, as well as other key parent-child interactions which… More

Children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs, particularly alcohol, can have significant challenges with learning and behavior. When parents or foster caregivers understand the underlying causes and the impact on the brain from prenatal exposure, they can develop therapeutic parenting and teaching strategies that allow both parent and child to experience success! Presented by… More

Children do best when they know the truth about their lives. But sharing difficult information with children is not easy. This webinar will give participants the tools to discuss the most challenging situations (abuse, parental incarceration, death, HIV, incest, termination of parental rights) with children of all ages. Please bring your own challenging questions to… More

Research is revealing that the typical youth brain is not capable of true adult functioning until 20+ years of age – information that has critical implications in terms of cause and effect understandings, critical thinking skills and maturation. For youth who have experienced foster care and adoption, this developmental process can be significantly affected. This… More

Parenting a hurt child calls for innovative, creative, and nurturing ideas. Too often, parents can’t understand why techniques used to successfully parent other children simply have no effect. This session will explore which parenting tools do not work and why, and help parents retire those tools without guilt. Parents will then learn new ways to… More

All children, particularly those who have experienced trauma, need help and support learning to express and manage a wide array of emotions in order to feel and be safe. Once they learn to safely express feelings ranging from excitement to sadness to anger and confusion, their behavior will often improve. However, teaching children specific strategies is… More

Many children in adoptive and foster families come to us with challenging behaviors. Parents and caregivers need to have the knowledge, skills, and understanding of where these behaviors come from, and how to deal with them. This is one of the most common topics in support groups. Join us as we discuss and explore ideas… More

This webinar is about YOU. Child advocates; kin, foster, and adoptive caregiver leaders; child welfare staff; and youth advocates—we all share the same characteristic. We are always taking care of other people, without always taking care of ourselves. Presented by Maris Blechner, internationally known motivational speaker and trainer, and co-founder of Family Focus Adoption Services. 2014… More

Learn about an innovative program currently operating in Missouri that has the potential to revolutionize mental health treatment for kids in the child welfare system who have suffered extreme trauma. Designed by an adoptive parent whose children were in residential care but not getting better, this program is based on her personal approach to “What I need… More

What child doesn’t want to play on a Little League team, go on a school field trip or sleep overnight with friends? What teen doesn’t dream of getting a driver’s license, earning money at a part time job and attending the prom? Many of us can remember how foundational these and similar experiences were in… More

NACAC offers training for parent groups or agencies about how to best support and inform adoptive parents about the issues of race and culture involved in foster care and adoption. Our goal is to give participants an opportunity to talk about transracial placements in a supportive and honest environment, and to help child welfare systems… More

Visit the NACAC resources or other websites to learn more about specific disabilities and challenges that are more common in adoption and foster care. Attachment/Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) NACAC Webinar: Parenting the Hurt Child NACAC Webinar: Healing from Food Insecurity: Beyond the Stash Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh) Attachment and… More

When raising a child of a different race or ethnic background, adoptive and foster parents may need extra help to help the children learn how to address racism and develop a strong sense of their own identity. Since our founding more than 40 years ago, NACAC has been dedicated to helping families understand that race… More

Raising a child who was abused or neglect or who has experienced other significant trauma is different than other parenting. Even experienced parents may need to explore new techniques to respond to the challenges resulting when children have been traumatized. To become the best possible adoptive parent you can be, we encourage you to explore… More

Because of their early life experiences or disabilities, many adopted children or children in foster care may have special nutritional needs or behavioral issues related to food. The resources below can help you as an adoptive or foster parent address these challenges successfully. Read NACAC Articles About Food and Nutrition: View NACAC Webinars About Food… More

Children who have been in foster care are more likely to have a disability or behavioral challenges than children in the general population. These disabilities can make being an adoptive parent more difficult, and we encourage adoptive parents to learn as much as possible about the issues affecting their children. Read the articles and view… More

Every child in foster care and adoption has experienced trauma—often abuse and neglect, but at a minimum, separation from their birth family. In recent years, we’ve learned that the trauma children experience can have serious, even lifelong, effects. Ongoing trauma can affect children’s ability to concentrate, control their emotions, respond to conflict, develop healthy relationships… More