Adoption Advocate No. 86
Fostering Successful Attachment in Intercountry Adoption
Authored By: Madison Howard
Children adopted internationally often face multiple broken attachments in their early lives, which can make it more difficult for them to build trusting, attached relationships later in life. In the August 2015 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Madison Howard explains why care models for children awaiting adoption that mimic family-based care can help provide the nurturing care they need as well as encourage the kind of secure attachments that will later help them attach to and bond with their adoptive families.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 85
Reinventing Intercountry Adoption
Authored By: C. Jackie Semar, M.Ed.
In the July 2015 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, C. Jackie Semar makes the case that to effectively and ethically promote the right of all children to have permanent families, it is necessary for adoption service providers to capitalize on collaboration. Only from a foundation of open dialogue and common purpose will we be able to strengthen intercountry adoption and address legitimate concerns in the adoption process.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 84
Managing Shifting Expectations in Open Adoption Over Time
Authored By: Amy Hutton Sink
In the June 2015 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, birth mother Amy Hutton Sink writes about her personal experience as a birth mom, how she has learned to set and manage her expectations in open adoption, and how her open adoption arrangement with her child's adoptive family has shifted and changed over time while still remaining strong.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 83
The Human, Social, and Economic Cost of Aging Out of Foster Care
Authored By: Wayne Winston Sharp, Ph.D.
May is National Foster Care Month. In this month's issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Dr. Wayne Sharp lays out the enormous social and economic cost when youth age out of foster care -- as approximately 25,000 do every year -- in an effort to increase public awareness of the challenges facing those who do not find permanency, and provide policymakers with sound recommendations to help youth in care find the long-term stability and support they need.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 82
Sleep and Adoption
Authored By: Julian Davies, MD
Helping children get enough sleep can be an ongoing challenge for many families. In this issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Dr. Julian Davies of the University of Washington's Center for Adoption Medicine offers some helpful hints for adoptive families who might be struggling in this area.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 81
Avoiding the Perils and Pitfalls of Intercountry Adoption from Non-Hague Countries: Considerations for Agencies and Adoptive Parents (Part II)
Authored By: Christine Lockhart Poarch and J. McLane Layton
In the March 2015 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Christine Lockhart Poarch and McLane Layton present Part II of their two-part series on the most common perils and pitfalls involved in intercountry non-Hague adoptions, "Orphan Processing: Navigating Road Blocks and Delays."
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 80
Avoiding the Perils and Pitfalls of Intercountry Adoption from Non-Hague Countries: Considerations for Agencies and Adoptive Parents (Part I)
Authored By: Christine Lockhart Poarch and J. McLane Layton
In the February 2015 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Christine Lockhart Poarch and McLane Layton present Part I of a two-part series that will provide an overview of the most common perils and pitfalls involved in designating a child as an orphan under U.S. law and emphasize best practices for agencies and adoptive families.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 79
NCFA’s 2015 Policy Priorities and Adoption-Related Legislation
Authored By: Megan Lindsey and Erin Bayles
NCFA maintains productive relationships with child welfare officials, legislators, and other key stakeholder groups in order to better advocate for policies that serve the interests of adopted children, birth parents, and adoptive families. In the January 2014 issue of the Adoption Advocate, NCFA presents its policy priorities for the coming year and provides a review of past relevant adoption- and foster care-related legislation.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 78
The Post-Adoption Life: Supporting Adoptees, Birth Parents, and Families After Adoption
Authored By: Kris Faasse, Sarah Horton Bobo, and Angela Magnuson
It's important to recognize that adoption is a lifelong experience, and acknowledge the challenges for many of those touched by it. In the December 2014 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, authors Kris Faasse, Sarah Horton Bobo, and Angela Magnuson outline some of the ways that adoption service providers can help adoptees, adoptive family members, and birth family members find and remain connected to vital, long-term support within the broader adoption community.
Continue ReadingAdoption Advocate No. 77
The Joys and Challenges of Parenting Older Adopted Children
Authored By: Dr. Gary Matloff
Children adopted at older ages—especially those from the U.S. foster care system—typically come to their new families with some history of trauma, abuse, or neglect, and a storehouse of unresolved emotions. But adopting and parenting older children comes with unique joys and rewards as well as challenges. In the November 2014 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, psychologist and adoptive father Dr. Gary Matloff discusses and shares valuable tips for families that have welcomed older children through adoption.
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