Author(s):

These results are current as of: July 30, 2010

Organizations that provide information about child welfare services for children with special needs. If you are aware of any others, please contact Child Welfare Information Gateway at OrganizationUpdates@childwelfare.gov. Inclusion on this list is for information purposes and does not constitute an endorsement by Child Welfare Information Gateway or the Children's Bureau.

To search for child-welfare related national organizations by topic, use the Related Organizations Search at http://www.childwelfare.gov/organizations/search.cfm.

Phone:

(703) 256-9578

The Mission of the ARCH National Respite Coalition is to secure quality, accessible, planned and crisis respite services for all families and caregivers in need of such services in order to strengthen and stabilize families, and enhance child and adult safety.

The National Respite Coalition (NRC) is the policy arm of the ARCH National Respite Network and it also works with State respite coalitions to build State Lifespan Respite Systems. The Network is a membership organization of respite providers, family members, crisis nurseries, State and local agencies and organizations interested in and supporting respite and crisis servics. The Network maintains the National Respite Locator services at http://www.respitelocator.org and it also provides access to respite start-up manuals, factsheets, evaluation guides and more for both parents and professionals at http://www.archrespite.org.

Phone:	(919) 490-5577 x 222
Fax:	(919) 490-4905

The mission of the ARCH National Respite Network is to assist and promote the development of quality respite and crisis care programs; to help families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities; and to serve as a strong voice for respite in all forums.

The ARCH National Respite Network includes the National Respite Locator Service, a service to help caregivers and professionals locate respite services in their community,and the National Respite Coalition, a service that advocates for preserving and promoting respite in policy and programs at the national, state, and local levels.

ARCH is a service of the Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project, Inc. (http://www.chtop.org/).

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• National Respite Coalition - http://www.archrespite.org/index.htm
  

• Respite Locator Service - http://www.respitelocator.org/index.htm
  

Phone:

(202) 690-6590

The major goal of the Developmental Disabilities Programs of the ADD is to partner with State governments, local communities, and the private sector to ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of -- and have access to -- culturally competent services, support, and other assistance and opportunities that promote independence, productivity, and inclusion in the community. The programs address all facets of the life cycle: diagnosis, early intervention, therapy, education, training, employment, and community living and leisure activities.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Association of University Centers on Disabilities - http://www.aucd.org
  

Phone:	(419) 534-3350
Fax:	(419) 534-2995
Toll-Free:	(800) 246-1731

The Adopt America Network, a private adoption exchange, is supported by donations, grants, and the purchase of services. Their mission is to find permanent and loving adoptive homes for special-needs children who are awaiting adoption.

Phone:	(202) 682-0100
Fax:	(202) 289-6555

The Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance facilitates the administration of the ICAMA. The Compact is the legal mechanism by which member States regulate and coordinate the interstate delivery of services to children with special needs who are adopted pursuant to adoption assistance agreements. Along with advocating State participation in the ICAMA, the Association provides technical and legal assistance, education and training, and materials on practice and policy issues.

Phone:	(301) 588-8252
Fax:	(301) 588-2842

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (formerly the American Association of University Affiliated Programs for Persons with Developmental Disabilities) promotes and supports the national interdisciplinary network of university centers on disabilities. The network includes University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD), Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs, and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (DDRC). Through its members, AUCD serves as a resource for local, State, national, and international agencies, organizations, and policy makers concerned about individuals with developmental and other disabilities and their families.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Developmental Disability Research Centers - http://www.aucd.org/ddrcportal/
  

• Interdisciplinary Leadership Training Programs - http://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=6
  

• UCEDD Resource Center - http://www.aucd.org/urc/
  

Phone:

(216) 368-2280

General Scope: The Center on Interventions for Children and Families (CICF) is a research and training center that is focused on developing and disseminating evidence based interdisciplinary treatment models that promote the developmental and social/emotional well-being of young children by enhancing family and social-environmental supports. These include interventions designed to improve parenting/caregiving skills, promote the stability of families, and enhance the social and community supports of families.

Training Specific: CICF is the home for interdisciplinary specialty training programs in intervention services for young children. These programs will provide graduate students opportunities to acquire the professional competencies and research skills that are needed to provide evidence based services to young children and their caregivers. For more information, see http://msass.case.edu/childrenandfamilies/trainout.html.

CICF is also involved in outreach and continuing education programs for professionals working with young children and their families in local and national social service programs. For more information, see http://msass.case.edu/childrenandfamilies/RTNO.html.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Project Bridge - http://msass.case.edu/childrenandfamilies/projectbridge.html
  

Toll-Free:

1-888-818-6298

General Scope: CAN/Do is the Child Abuse and Neglect Disabilities Outreach Project. Under funding from the California Governor's Office on Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP), CAN/Do is seeking to establish Statewide collaboration through meetings of a multi-agency Think Tank, to compile and disseminate "best practices" so that agencies and organizations can succeed in the mission of preventing the abuse of children with disabilities, and to improve data-gathering so that those who work with children with disabilities, and are concerned about child abuse, will know the size and scope of the problem.

Training Specific: One of CAN-Do's objectives is to provide State-of-the-art training. To achieve this goal, the CAN-Do Project is searching to identify the best training technologies on child abuse and children with disabilites. The goal is to create a state-of-the-art training system that can be customized and disseminated Statewide, and later nationwide. For more information about this training resource, see the CAN-Do website at http://disability-abuse.com/cando/abt.htm.

Fax:	(703) 225-2357
Toll-Free:	(800) 394-3366

Child Welfare Information Gateway connects professionals and the general public to information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.

A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to programs, research, laws and policies, training resources, statistics, and much more.

The Deaf Adoption News Service is a special interest group of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD). It is a text-only, free listing service for waiting foreign and domestic deaf and severely hearing-impaired children.

Phone:	(503) 846-1562
Fax:	(503) 846-1590
Toll-Free:	(888) LPA-2001

The purpose of the Little People of America Adoption Committee (LPA) is to find a loving home for every dwarf child. The role of LPA is to act as a link between prospective parents and adoption agencies that represent dwarf children. LPA is not an adoption agency, but a referral source only. By outreaching to adoption agencies, doctors, hospitals, geneticists, and others, LPA is are able to locate available dwarf children for adoption and prospective parents who are interested in adopting them.

Phone:	(301) 443-2170
Fax:	(301) 443-1797

The Maternal and Child Health Bureau strives to provide national leadership and to work in partnership with States, communities, private agencies, and families to strengthen the maternal and child health (MCH) infrastructure, assure the availability and use of medical homes, and build knowledge and human resources to assure continued improvement in the health, safety, and well-being of the MCH population. The MCH population includes all America's women, infants, children, adolescents and their families, fathers, and children with special health care needs.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Children's Safety Network - http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/
  

• Family Voices - http://www.familyvoices.org/
  

Phone:	(215) 735-9988
Fax:	(215) 735-9410
Toll-Free:	(800) TOA-DOPT

General Scope: The National Adoption Center expands adoption opportunities for children living in foster care throughout the United States and is a resource to families and to agencies who seek the permanency of caring homes for children.

Training Specific:The NAC offers The Adoption Roadmap which is geared for prospective adoptive and foster parents interested in receiving an adoption education. For more information, visit http://www.adopt.org/assembled/overview_courses.html.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Wednesday's Child - http://wednesdayschild.adopt.org/
  

Phone:	(612) 624-2097
Fax:	(612) 624-9344

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) coordinates national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful futures.

TTY:	(877) 871-0665
Toll-Free:	(877) 871-0744

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) is a source of information about employment and youth with disabilities. NCWD/Youth assists State and local workforce development systems to better serve youth with disabilities.

NCWD/Youth is funded by a grant administered by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Phone:	(202) 272-2004
Fax:	(202) 272-2022
TTY:	(202) 272-2074

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent Federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families. NCD works to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.

Fax:	(202) 884-8441
Toll-Free:	(800) 695-0285

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) serves as a central source of information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth; IDEA (the law authorizing special education); No Child Left Behind (as it relates to children with disabilities), and research-based information on effective educational practices.

NICHCY services are made possible through funding from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.

Phone:	(202) 785-4585
Fax:	(202) 466-6456
Toll-Free:	(800) 663-0327

The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is dedicated to eliminating birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy and to improving the quality of life for those affected by fetal alcohol syndrome/fetal alcohol effect. NOFAS is committed to raising public awareness of fetal alcohol syndrome and to developing and implementing innovative ideas in prevention, intervention, education, and advocacy in communities nationwide. NOFAS also operates a national clearinghouse for regional, State, and local fetal alcohol syndrome organizations.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• 
  

Phone:	(248) 443-0306
Fax:	(248) 443-7099

General Scope:The National Resource Center for Adoption (NRCA) assists States, Tribes, and other Federally funded child welfare agencies improve their ability to ensure the safety, well being, and permanency of abused and neglected children through adoption and post-legal adoption services, program planning, and policy development.

The Center, which believes every child is adoptable and every child deserves a permanent family, provides training, consultation, and informational materials for professionals, organizations, and parents.

The Center is a service of the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Training Specific: Curricula are available on assessment and preparation of children and families for adoption, cultural competency in child welfare, and adoption support and preservation services.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Minority Adoption Leadership Development Institute (MALDI) - http://www.nrcadoption.org/maldi/index.html
  

Phone:	(804) 828-3876
Fax:	(804) 828-0042
TDD:	(800) 828-1120

General Scope: The Partnership for People with Disabilities, formerly known as the Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities (VIDD), is recognized by the Federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities as a university center for excellence in developmental disabilities. The Partnership currently operates more than 20 Federal and State programs, supporting individuals with disabilities and their families.

Training Specific: In collaboration with seven University Centers for Excellence (UCEs) and five Protection and Advocacy (P&As) Agencies across the nation, the Maltreatment Education for Health Professionals project addresses deficits in the knowledge and skills of health professionals in responding to the maltreatment of individuals with disabilities. This three-year project is developing, field-testing, and disseminating state-of-the-art distance education materials (funded by the Association on Developmental Disabilities and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to help prevent, identify, and report abuse and neglect of persons with disabilities. For more information about this project, see http://www.maltreatment.vcu.edu/info/.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Abuse and Neglect of Children with Disabilities: A Collaborative Response - http://www.vcu.edu/partnership/abuse_neglect.html
  

• Abuse and Neglect of Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities: - http://www.maltreatment.vcu.edu/info/
  

Toll-Free:

1 (866) STOP-FAS

The mission of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence is to facilitate the development and improvement of FASD prevention, treatment, and care systems in the United States by providing national leadership and facilitating collaboration in the field.

The FASD Center is a Federal initiative of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Phone:	(248) 443-7080
Fax:	(248) 443-7099

Spaulding for Children finds permanent homes for children that have been in the foster care and adoption system the longest. It specializes in finding and training adoptive families for the placement of special needs children.

The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption (NCWRCA), part of the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network, is located at Spaulding. For more information, see the separate listing for the NCWRCA.

     Major Program(s)/Initiatives(s):

• Child and Family Services - http://www.spaulding.org/cfs/index.htm
  

• The Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development - http://www.spaulding.org/institute/index.htm
  

• National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption - http://www.spaulding.org/resourcecenter/index.htm
  

To search for other child welfare-related national organizations by topic, use the Related Organizations Search.