Elert!

Child Welfare Information Gateway E-lert! November 2019

Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to E-lert!

Here's what's new from Child Welfare Information Gateway. Use the links below or contact us to request print copies. If print copies are available, we will ship them to you for free.

Youth Voices: Why Family Matters

Every young person deserves and needs permanent and stable connections before and after they transition to adulthood. See what you can do this November to honor National Adoption Month and help bring attention to the thousands of older youth in need of permanent family connections.

Visit the website to find important information and resources for professionals, youth, and legal professionals. Sign up to stay connected!

Adoption Excellence Awards

The Children's Bureau has recognized 12 inspirational individuals and organizations for their achievements in establishing permanency for children and youth in out-of-home care. See this year's Adoption Excellence Awards honorees and join us in wishing them congratulations on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #NationalAdoptionMonth.

Podcast: "Increasing the Impact of Community Organizations"

Whether your organization is expanding to a larger geographic area or widening the types of resources or services you provide, finding the right partners can improve your capacity to serve families.

Hear from Families Forward Virginia, a nonprofit, prevention-focused organization, and learn how to tailor your organization's resources and services to the diverse needs of different communities.

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, and Google Play!

First Foster Care Decrease Since 2011, Record Number of Adoptions: AFCARS

New data released in the latest Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report shows a drop in foster care for the first time since 2011, and the number of children entering foster care dropped for the second year in a row. Read more of the data in the report as well as the statement from the Administration for Children and Families.

Updated Resources

In honor of National Adoption Month, explore these new tools and strategies supporting adoption professionals and families. Share them with your community and your colleagues to bring attention to the needs of children, youth, and families considering or experiencing adoption.

For Families:

For Professionals:

Did You Know?

As much as adoption can include celebration, adoption also involves loss. These feelings must be acknowledged, validated, and grieved in order to heal. Children grieve differently than adults, so it is important for adoptive parents to understand and identify how loss and grief manifest developmentally, behaviorally, and emotionally and learn strategies for helping children heal. Adoption is a lifelong process for everyone involved with significant emotional and legal impacts. Explore these resources to learn more.

In this Month's CBX: National Adoption Month

The theme of this year's National Adoption Month initiative is "Youth Voices: Why Family Matters." It highlights the need to ensure the voices of older youth are heard and they are engaged in planning for their own future. It is important for older youth to consider all their options—whether they decide to pursue adoption or alternative permanency options, such as guardianship.

Subscribe to CBX to receive the issue in your inbox.

Upcoming Conferences

Information Gateway will be at the following upcoming conferences. Please stop by and see the team. Be sure to visit Information Gateway's conference calendar to view and/or submit upcoming events!

November 19–22, 2019: International Conference on Innovations in Family Engagement, San Diego, CA

December 9–12, 2019: Parent and Family Engagement Conference, Anaheim, CA

Updates From the Capacity Building Center for States

The Center for States' Change and Implementation in Practice series includes step-by-step resources that help agencies assess their needs, select strategies, prepare for implementation, and execute their plans for improvement.

Our new At a Glance Overviews provide key takeaways, core tasks, important concepts, and milestones for each topic in the series.

New Monitoring, Evaluating, and Applying Findings Resources:

For more information and news from the Center for States, visit the website.

Give Us Your Feedback

To help us meet your needs, we welcome your feedback. Please take this short survey and help Information Gateway improve the resources and services we provide. Thank you!

Contact Information

Child Welfare Information Gateway
Phone: 800.394.3366
Email: info@childwelfare.gov
Web: https://www.childwelfare.gov

Chat live with an Information Specialist between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT.
E-lert! is a free service of the Children's Bureau/ACF/HHS and Child Welfare Information Gateway.