We receive a large number of questions through the National Parent Information Network Web site about what resources are available for prospective adoptive parents. Since the adoption process can be time-consuming and costly, particularly in the case of foreign adoptions, many families require extra support or assistance during the adoption process. President and Mrs. Bush recently announced a new initiative intended to encourage adoption of foster children (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020723.html). The Web site AdoptUSKids.org (http://www.adoptuskids.org) features a variety of resources, including information on children available for adoption.

NPIN does not provide grants for adoption, but we have compiled a list of resources, including a sample search of the ERIC database, to provide ideas on how to find funding and other support to help with adoption. We also encourage prospective adoptive parents to talk with their employers, as many companies now offer employees a stipend that supports adoption. Prospective adoptive parents may also talk with a tax consultant to find out about any applicable tax credits for adoption. For example, in 2001 some parents were eligible for a tax credit of $5,000 for certain adoption expenses. If the adopted child qualified as a child with special needs, the credit was $6,000.

Organizations

National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
330 C St., SW
Washington, DC 20447
Telephone: 703-352-3488
Toll-free: 888-251-0075
Fax: 703-385-3206
Email: naic@calib.com
Internet: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov

Web Resources

Funding Your Adoption
http://precious.org/trinettes-adoption-financing-page.htm

Adoption Funding Options
http://www.chrysalishouse.com/funding.html

Financial Assistance
http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/parents/finan.cfm

Adoption Tax Credit
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/page/0,,id%3D16260,00.html

Parent Soup -- Adoption Central
http://www.parentsoup.com/adoption

Adoption Week
http://adoptionweek.com

Adoption: A Myriad of Options
http://npin.org/pnews/1997/pnewo97/pnewo97d.html

Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft
http://npin.org/books/hopkin97.html

Older Child Adoption
http://npin.org/books/robin98.html

The Family of Adoption
http://npin.org/books/pavao98.html

Displaced and Unaccompanied Children: Understanding this International Problem
http://npin.org/pnews/1997/pnew597/pnew597b.html

Real Parents, Real Children: Parenting the Adopted Child
http://npin.org/books/vangul93.html

Kinship Care: Improving Practice through Research
http://npin.org/books/gleeson99.html
ERIC Resources

ED426814
Protecting the Well-Being of Children: Fact Sheet
Availability: Web site: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/opa/facts/
Publication date: Feb 1998

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services funds a number of programs that focus on preventing abuse of children in troubled families, protecting children from abuse, and finding permanent placements for those who cannot safely return to their homes. This fact sheet provides information on such programs. The first section discusses the statistics of child abuse and neglect, including the fact that 1 million children were victims of substantiated child abuse and neglect in 1995. The next section discusses foster care, adoption assistance, and independent living programs, including federal funding for these programs. The next section of the fact sheet covers family preservation and family support programs, which focus on strengthening families, preventing abuse, and protecting children. The next sections describe child abuse and neglect programs and funding and child welfare services. Finally, a section on special initiatives discusses the Clinton administration's "Adoption 2000," an initiative designed to reduce the number of children in foster care; state child welfare reform demonstration projects; and development of a new program to measure child and family outcomes of welfare services.

Descriptors: Adoption; Child Abuse; Child Neglect; *Child Welfare; *Children; *Federal Programs; Foster Care; Placement; Prevention; Program Descriptions; *Well Being

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EJ538120
Achieving Same-Race Adoptive Placements for African American Children: Culturally Sensitive Practice Approaches
Author(s): McRoy, Ruth G.; And Others
Source: Child Welfare, v76 n1 p85-104 Jan-Feb 1997
Publication date: 1997

Claims that although agencies specializing in adoption of minority children have been successful in achieving same-race adoptive placements for African American children, funding and support for some of these initiatives have been withheld. Describes successful placement practices used by a private agency in California and a public agency in Texas. Elaborates suggestions for culturally competent practice.

Descriptors: Adopted Children; *Adoption; Adoptive Parents; Black Family; *Blacks; Child Welfare; Children; *Cultural Awareness; Disadvantaged Youth; Family Role; Government Role; Legislation; *Minority Group, Children; Placement; Policy Analysis; *Program Effectiveness; *Race; Transracial Adoption

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EJ521989
Services for Families Adopting Children via Public Child Welfare Agencies: Use, Helpfulness, and Need
Author(s): Rosenthal, James A.; And Others
Source: Children and Youth Services Review, v18 n1-2 p163-82 1996
Publication date: 1996

Presents results of a three-state mailed survey that examined pre- and post-adoptive service needs of 562 families who adopted children, most of whom had special needs, through public child welfare agencies. Financial and medical adoptive subsidies emerged as pivotal service needs. Counseling and education services and respite care were evaluated as very helpful services by adoptive families.

Descriptors: Access to Education; *Adopted Children; *Adoption; *Adoptive Parents; Counseling Services; Financial Support; Medical Services; Respite Care; Social Services

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ED395678
Fact Sheets on Selected Programs
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage
Publication date: June 1995

This paper provides 1- to 6-page fact sheets on 15 programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Each fact sheet provides information on program services and funding. The fact sheets cover the following programs: Youth Gang Drug Prevention, Refugee Assistance, Runaway and Homeless Youth, Head Start, Early Head Start, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Child Care, Community Services, Social Services Block Grant, Family Preservation and Family Support Services, Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Child Welfare Services.

Descriptors: Adoption; Block Grants; Child Abuse; Child Neglect; Child Welfare; Community Services; Day Care; Drug Use; *Family Programs; *Federal Programs; Foster Care; *Human Services; Juvenile Gangs; Prevention; Program Descriptions; Refugees; Runaways; Social Services

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ED394712
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Guide to Finding Help and Hope
Author(s): Takas, Marianne
Availability: National Foster Parent Association, Inc., 9 Dartman Dr., Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Publication date: 1995

Intended as a practical guide for grandparents raising their grandchildren, this book contains information and ideas about meeting grandchildren's needs and vignettes describing the coping strategies of many grandparents. The book consists of five chapters. Chapter 1, "Finding Help, Growing in Hope," describes reasons for grandparents raising their grandchildren, discusses normal feelings of anger, sadness, and stress, and provides information about the Grandparent Information Center operated by the American Association of Retired Persons. Chapter 2, "If Your Grandchild Was Abused, Neglected, or Abandoned," discusses the role of child welfare agencies in a question-answer format. Chapter 3, "Getting Help with Expenses," looks at government programs that may help to provide support for grandchildren, including Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Medicaid, food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and special needs adoption subsidies. Chapter 4, "Getting Help from the Legal System," explains the legal process and what it can and cannot do for grandparents raising their grandchildren, including custody and child support issues. Chapter 5, "Meeting Your Grandchild's Needs," describes benefits and services to which grandchildren may be entitled, discusses common problems, and suggests how other grandparents have coped.

Descriptors: Adoption; Child Custody; *Child Rearing; Child Support; *Child Welfare; Coping; *Government Role; *Grandparents; Legal Responsibility; *Social Support Groups; Stress Management

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EJ489915
Adoption Research: Building Blocks for the Next Decade
Author(s): Barth, Richard P.
Source: Child Welfare, v73 n5 p625-38 Sep-Oct 1994
Publication date: 1994

Discusses research areas most critical to the enhancement of adoption practice and policy. These include adoption indicators, recruitment and retention, selection of placements, procedural barriers to the adoption of foster children, foster-adoptive homes, kinship adoption, independent adoption, post-placement services, subsidies, group care placements, intensive adoption preservation services, open adoption, and comparative outcomes.

Descriptors: *Adopted Children; *Adoption; *Adoptive Parents; Foster Care; *Placement

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ED371050
Orphans of the HIV Epidemic: Unmet Needs in Six U.S. Cities
Author(s): Levine, Carol; Stein, Gary L.
Publication date: 1994
Sponsoring Agency: Prudential Foundation, Newark, NJ (BBB18809) Johnson & Johnson Baby Products Co., Skillman, NJ (BBB21539)

By the year 2000 between 72,000 and 125,000 children and teenagers in the United States will have lost their mothers to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). An additional 60,000 young adults (18 and older) will also have lost their mothers. The hardest hit cities are New York City (New York), Newark (New Jersey), Miami (Florida), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Los Angeles (California), and Washington, DC. These major urban areas are expected to account for nearly 60% of the projected number of orphans. This report offers recommendations for programs formulated at a conference of The Orphan Project to meet the needs of orphaned youngsters, their families, and their new guardians. Recommendations are discussed in the areas of (1) services; (2) training and professional development; (3) public policies; (4) legal standards; (5) further research needs; and (6) issues for future policy analysis. Areas where conference participants were not able to agree, particularly with regard to HIV disclosure policies, funding, and child care decisions, are reviewed. An appendix lists conference participants from the Orphans Project Meeting, June 3-4, 1993.

Descriptors: *Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; Adoption; Child Welfare; *Children; Elementary Secondary Education; *Foster Care; Futures (of Society); Health Education; Needs Assessment; Policy Formation; Program Development; *Social Services; Urban Areas; *Urban Problems; *Young Adults

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ED374890
Adoptive Families: Out of the Shadows = Les familes adoptives: sortent de l'ombre.
Author(s): Theilheimer, Ish, Ed.
Source: Transition, v22 n3 Sep 1992 Pages: 33
Publication date: September 1992
Availability: Vanier Institute of the Family, 120 Holland Ave., Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y OX6, Canada.

This theme issue deals with adoption. "Adoption in Canada: A Profile" provides statistics on public and private adoption as well as demographic characteristics on adoption applicants and children placed for adoption. It also discusses current adoption legislation. "Abandoning Ownership: A Philosophical Approach to Adoption" (Terri Spronk) explores the changing attitudes about the place of adopted children in their adoptive families. "Open Adoption in Canada" (Marilyn E. Shinyei and Linda Edney) focuses on the practice of allowing the birth parent to choose the adoptive family for her baby. This article clarifies the distinction between open and closed adoptions, noting that in spite of its positive aspects, open adoption may not be suitable for everyone. "Adoption: So Many Issues, So Little Understanding" summarizes some of the most important issues relating to adoption, including transracial and special needs adoptions. Also included in this issue are short articles about funding for family support programs and the evolving definition of family. The issue concludes with an annual review (1991-92) of the Vanier Institute of the Family.

Descriptors: *Adoption; *Adoptive Parents; *Biological Parents; Foreign Countries; State Legislation; Transracial Adoption

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ED355290
Children's Initiative, H.R. 5600, 102d Congress, 2d Session in the House of Representatives
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC07 Plus Postage
Publication date: July 9, 1992

This publication is the text of the House of Representatives bill H.R. 5600, introduced to the U.S. Congress and titled "Children's Initiative." This legislation is designed to promote family preservation and the prevention of foster care with emphasis on families where abuse of alcohol or drugs is present; to improve the quality and delivery of child welfare, foster care, and adoption services; and to alleviate childhood hunger. The bill contains seven titles, the first of which details child welfare services (entitlement funding, protection for foster children, enhanced court procedures, and state requirements). Title II concerns foster care and adoption assistance and covers abandoned children, removal from home requirements, dissolved adoptions, respite care, service evaluation, court procedures, placement, legal issues, staff training regulations, data publication, and review procedures. Title III authorizes a social services block grant. Title IV addresses funding for research, demonstration, and evaluation. Title V contains miscellaneous human resources amendments. Title VI concerns childhood hunger relief and contains five subtitles: (1) ensuring adequate food assistance; (2) promoting self-sufficiency; (3) simplifying the provision of food assistance; (4) commodity distribution to needy families; and (5) implementation and effective dates. Title VII details funding through a surtax on individuals with incomes over $1,000,000.

Descriptors: Adoption; Alcohol Abuse; *Child Welfare; Children; Disadvantaged Youth; Drug Abuse; *Family Problems; *Federal Legislation; Federal Programs; Foster Family; Government Role; Hunger; Policy Formation; *Poverty Programs; Welfare Recipients; *Welfare Services

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How to Get ERIC Documents and Journal Articles

References identified with an ED (ERIC document), EJ (ERIC journal), or PS number are cited in the ERIC database. Most documents are available in ERIC microfiche collections at more than 1,000 locations worldwide (see http://www.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/). They can also be ordered through EDRS: 800-443-ERIC or online at http://www.edrs.com/Webstore/Express.cfm. Journal articles are available from the original journal, interlibrary loan services, or article reproduction clearinghouses such as Ingenta (800-296-2221).

Credits: National Parent Information Network