Adoption & Beyond is proud to be one of 172 child welfare organizations joining the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s All Children – All Families (ACAF) program in 2023, as highlighted in a new report. Together, these organizations work to improve the services provided to the LGBTQ+ community, including children in foster care and prospective foster and adoptive parents who are LGBTQ+. This year alone, this multi-organization partnership assessed 9,500+ policies and practices within child welfare organizations to ensure they meet ACAF best practices criteria — approximately 6,000 more than were assessed when this report was first released in 2019. This allowed for over 1.4 million children, youth, and families across 43 states to benefit from these LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and affirming practices.
“Providing children and families with the most inclusive environment in which to grow should always be the number one priority,” said Phii Regis, Director of HRC’s All Children – All Families Program. “We are grateful for Adoption & Beyond’s work as part of this partnership — together, we can win the fight for equality and build safe and loving communities at the same time.”
“We are so excited to get this recognition, we have worked really hard to achieve it and we feel it’s important for us to be able to work with All Families and All Children,” said Steffany Aye, Director and Founder of Adoption & Beyond.
This report comes at a time when LGBTQ+ people, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, are under threat. Laws and policies protecting LGBTQ youth in foster care from discrimination are a patchwork from state to state. Only 13 states and the District of Columbia have explicit laws or policies in place to protect foster youth from discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. Seven additional states explicitly protect foster youth from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation but not gender identity. Approximately 1 in 3 youth in foster care are LGBTQ+, and laws that attack them on the basis of sexuality and gender put an already vulnerable community at risk. When they aren’t allowed in homes that support them, LGBTQ+ youth face higher rates of abuse and mistreatment than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. Data shows 44% of LGBTQ+ youth in state custody were removed, ran away, or thrown out of their home for reasons directly related to their identity.
At the same time, there are an overwhelming number of LGBTQ+ families who have at least considered adopting or fostering a child in the future, but 55% of them feared being turned away because of their identity, and only 14% knew of an LGBTQ+-inclusive agency near them. One couple was quoted in the report as having been rejected from two child welfare agencies on the basis of their identity before finally being accepted to foster with an ACAF partner agency: “[I] got rejected twice from two different agencies and I didn’t see how going to another agency was going to make any difference. One day I was just browsing online, and I found a foster care licensing agency and they (had) the LGBT flag so I called them and I found that, yeah, they’re inclusive to everybody. It’s kind of like it was meant to be.”
With the work of ACAF, A record-breaking 10,650+ professionals were trained in how to make their agencies as inclusive of LGBTQ+ families and youth as possible. Additionally, all partner organizations that earned a Tier of Recognition with the program, such as Adoption & Beyond, now include “sexual orientation,” “gender identity” and “gender expression” in their client non-discrimination policy and communicate this policy to staff and clients. They also documented client forms featuring gender-neutral language, such as “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” rather than “Mother” and “Father,” and they display visual cues throughout common areas to communicate support and inclusion of LGBTQ+ clients and their families.
To learn more about Adoption & Beyond please visit adoption-beyond.org. To learn more about the All Children-All Families program, please visit https://www.thehrcfoundation.org/about/all-children-all-families.
C.A.S.E. is proud to be one of 172 child welfare organizations joining the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s All Children – All Families (ACAF) program in 2023, as highlighted in a new report. Together, these organizations work to improve the services provided to the LGBTQ+ community, including children in foster care and prospective foster and adoptive parents who are LGBTQ+. This year alone, this multi-organization partnership assessed 9,500+ policies and practices within child welfare organizations to ensure they meet ACAF best practices criteria — approximately 6,000 more than were assessed when this report was first released in 2019. This allowed for over 1.4 million children, youth, and families across 43 states to benefit from these LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and affirming practices.
“Providing children and families with the most inclusive environment in which to grow should always be the number one priority,” said Phii Regis, Director of HRC’s All Children – All Families Program. “We are grateful for C.A.S.E.’s work as part of this partnership — together, we can win the fight for equality and build safe and loving communities at the same time.”
In the past year, C.A.S.E. has made significant strides in enhancing its support of the LGBTQ+ community among its staff and the families it serves. “All of these efforts align seamlessly with C.A.S.E.’s mission, vision, core values, and commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” said Debbie Riley, LMFT, CEO at C.A.S.E. “Through our work, we continually strive to improve the lives of children, youth, and families, providing a safe and supportive environment for all those we serve.”
HRC’s report comes at a time when LGBTQ+ people, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, are under threat:
· Only 13 states and the District of Columbia have explicit laws or policies in place to protect foster youth from discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. · Seven additional states explicitly protect foster youth from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation but not gender identity. · Approximately 1 in 3 youth in foster care are LGBTQ+. · LGBTQ+ youth face higher rates of abuse and mistreatment than their non LGBTQ+ peers.
At the same time, there are an overwhelming number of LGBTQ+ families who have at least considered adopting or fostering a child in the future, but 55% of them feared being turned away because of their identity, and only 14% knew of an LGBTQ+-inclusive agency near them.
With the work of ACAF, A record-breaking 10,650+ professionals were trained in how to make their agencies as inclusive of LGBTQ+ families and youth as possible. Additionally, all partner organizations that earned a Tier of Recognition with the program, such as C.A.S.E., now include “sexual orientation,” “gender identity” and “gender expression” in their client non-discrimination policy, and communicate this policy to staff and clients.
To learn more about C.A.S.E. please visit adoptionsupport.org. To learn more about the All Children-All Families program, please visit https://www.thehrcfoundation.org/about/all-children-all-families.
The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) ™ is a nationally recognized nonprofit that improves the well-being and permanence of children and families by delivering adoption competent mental health services, training a national network of professionals, and informing the field through research and advocacy. C.A.S.E. has trained more than 33,000 mental health and child welfare professionals in 33 states. With offices in the greater Baltimore-Washington metro area, C.A.S.E. has provided clinical services for more than 7,000 clients and their families since its founding in 1998.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.
Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) Felecia Woodard 301-476-8525 adoptionsupport.org caseadopt@adoptionsupport.org
The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) has been awarded a 5-year, $10 million Cooperative Agreement from the Children’s Bureau (CB), Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) starting September 30, 2022 and continuing through September 29, 2027. The purpose of this award is to continue to scale the web-based National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) to remaining states in the nation, refine and update the curriculum as needed and perform an updated evaluation regarding current use and impact of the curriculum.
The NTI has developed two free, state-of-the-art, standardized, web-based trainings to build the capacity of child welfare and mental health professionals in all states, tribes, and territories to effectively support children, youth, and their foster, adoptive and guardianship families. NTI trainings were piloted with over 9,000 child welfare and mental health professionals in 2017 and 2018 and launched nationally in 2019 with more than 20,000 professionals enrolled to date. Currently, 29 state child welfare systems are hosting or using NTI trainings to support the workforce development of their staff. This new agreement will allow us to provide implementation support to the remaining states and to expand NTI usage by mental health systems nationally.
C.A.S.E. CEO Debbie Riley stated, “NTI is essential in building a workforce nationally that can more effectively respond to the complex behavioral health issues of our most vulnerable children especially during this time of the mental health crisis facing our nation. I am deeply appreciative of this vibrant 7-year collaboration with the Children’s Bureau for their recognition and support of the impact of this critical initiative.” This new funding will support updating the training so that it remains state of the art and relevant, continued implementation and expansion of NTI with child welfare and mental health provider systems as well as continued evaluation of the training. We are please to announce our partners in this initiative: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Families, Children, and the Law, FosterClub, Family Equality, and PolicyWorks along with our National Advisory Board who will lend their expertise.
C.A.S.E. is a nationally recognized leader in mental health services for the adoption and foster care community. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to improve the lives of children who have been adopted or are in foster care and their families through counseling, lifelong education, and a growing national network of trained professionals. With seven offices across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and New York, C.A.S.E. has provided clinical services for more than 6,200 clients and their families since its founding in 1998. Visit www.adoptionsupport.org to learn more.
Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) Felecia Woodard 240-763-0025 adoptionsupport.org caseadopt@adoptionsupport.org
The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) announces plans to launch a National Demonstration & Teaching Clinic for Adoption Competent Mental Health Therapy. C.A.S.E.’s vision in undertaking this bold new strategic direction is to make all clinical therapy for the families of children who have been adopted, are experiencing foster care, or guardianship, adoption competent, accessible so that all families have access to this specialized support.
Due to traumatic life experiences and compromised beginnings, many children who are adopted or experiencing foster care have higher risks for developmental, health, emotional, behavioral and academic challenges. In addition, there are often complex racial, ethnic and cultural issues inherent in families who adopt transracially/transculturally. Understanding and addressing the impact of these experiences is vital to positive outcomes. Yet, most professionals who work with these youth have not been trained in adoption competent mental health therapy.
Currently in concept development, C.A.S.E. is in the process of identifying the resources and external partners needed to successfully launch this endeavor in fall 2023. “Embarking on this new, exciting chapter in C.A.S.E.’s history is the culmination of decades of training in best practices and a rigorous strategic planning process launched in fall 2020 involving both internal staff and external stakeholders,” said Debbie B. Riley, LCMFT, C.A.S.E. CEO and co-founder. “The learnings revealed during that process were both extensive and transformational and clearly pointed us in this direction.”
C.A.S.E. is at the forefront of innovation through training, evaluation and program development with the focus on providing therapy to adoptive, foster, kinship and guardianship families and bolstering the skills of professionals who support them. C.A.S.E. has developed two nationally recognized adoption competency trainings for professionals: the accredited and evidence-based Training for Adoption Competency™ (TAC), which has trained over 2,000 clinicians nationwide since 2009, and the web-based National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative™ (NTI) funded by the Children’s Bureau and evaluated in 2018 with over 10,000 professionals across the country.
TAC is a comprehensive, 72-hour classroom-based and rigorously evaluated training for post-Master’s licensed clinicians accredited by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. It is the only accredited, assessment-based certificate program on adoption competency in the country. NTI is a 20–30-hour, web-based, self-paced training to provide child welfare and mental health professionals the foundational understanding of the needs and mental health challenges for children and their foster, adoptive, and guardianship families. Both trainings are embedded in C.A.S.E.’s current clinical service delivery, providing their therapists with the skills, insight, and experience to help families navigate the many challenges they face.
To lead this first of its kind National Demonstration & Teaching Clinic for Adoption Competent Mental Health Therapy, C.A.S.E. has named Laura Ornelas, LCSW, as Director. A licensed clinical social worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California, Ms. Ornelas has specialized in the field of foster care and adoption for over 25 years and has been instrumental in the startup of multiple adoption placement and adoption specialty mental health programs throughout California.
She has been immersed in all aspects of child placement in public and private adoptions; has been running mental health clinics for nearly 15 years and has worked with children of all ages and with widely diverse families. She has been training professionals on best practice nationwide for the last two decades and brings her unique combination of experiences to launch this important effort. “I am so excited to join the C.A.S.E. team for this one-of-a-kind endeavor,” said Ms. Ornelas. “It feels like the perfect match for my background, and I am so honored to be asked to contribute to the field at such an important time in our nation.”
C.A.S.E.’s investment in building this national cadre of adoption competent mental health professionals is doubly important, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s youth, many of whom will sadly become more vulnerable to involvement in the nation’s child welfare system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that to date, more than 140,000 children have lost a primary caregiver due to COVID-19. Children’s Health Advocates and the American Psychological Association have made it clear that lawmakers need to invest in more long-term solutions to build the pediatric mental health workforce and C.A.S.E. is answering the call.
“Providing adopted children and their families access to quality mental health services is key to supporting their long-term happiness and stability,” said Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen. “For decades, C.A.S.E. has delivered these crucial services to families in Maryland and across the country. This new Demonstration & Teaching Clinic for Adoption Competent Mental Health Therapy will help continue their incredible work by developing the next generation of therapists to support the mental health needs of foster and adoptive families. I am proud that C.A.S.E. calls Maryland home, and that their leadership promotes improved outcomes for thousands of children and families.”
The Center for Adoption Support and Education is a nationally recognized leader in mental health services for the adoption, foster care, and guardianship community. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to improve the lives of children who have been adopted or in foster care and their families through counseling, lifelong education, advocating for adoption-competent enhancements in child welfare and mental health systems, and a growing national network of trained professionals. C.A.S.E. has trained over 17,000 mental health and child welfare professionals in 31 states. With offices in the Baltimore-Washington metro area, C.A.S.E. has provided clinical services for more than 6,800 clients and their families since its founding in 1998. Visit www.adoptionsupport.org to learn more.
Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) Jennifer Jankowski 301-238-4789 adoptionsupport.org caseadopt@adoptionsupport.org
Nonprofit open adoption agency, Adoptions From The Heart (AFTH), is hosting “Heart-to-Heart with the Adoption Community”, a live panel to celebrate National Adoption Month. The event takes place Wednesday, November 10, 2021, from 7:00-8:30 pm. This insightful discussion will be held via Zoom with no cost to attend.
AFTH is offering the opportunity to get an inside look at what life is like for individuals involved in an adoption and the unique role they each play in each other’s lives. The panel includes two individuals from each section of the adoption triad: birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees. Guest speakers will share why they chose adoption and what they would like the public to know about the triad. AFTH is excited to bring this live discussion to viewers as November is designated as National Adoption Month and the event takes place nearly one week before the 36th anniversary of the agency’s founding.
From now until the event’s conclusion on November 10, 2021, AFTH will run a fundraiser via JustGiving.com. Donations are welcomed as all proceeds will support the agency’s programs and services for birth parents, such as the Birth Parent Scholarship Fund, which has helped over 25 parents to date.
AFTH invites all who are interested in adoption to join the conversation, learn more about the triad, and celebrate National Adoption Month with the community.
To learn more or to register online visit: www.tinyurl.com/H2H-AdoptionTriad
Adoptions From The Heart Mayra Herrera 610-642-7200 https://afth.org/
Contact
