Creating A Family
This is the National Infertility and Adoption Education Non-profit. You will find a wealth of adoptive family knowledge on this site.
The Adoption Tax Credit
Creating A Family does an annual radio show on the adoption tax credit with an accountant. This will help you navigate using the Adoption Tax Credit for your adoption.
Adoption Support Groups in PA
Many families decide to become a part of a support group to help learn from other adoptive families and support one another through life.
The National Survey of Adoptive Parents
The National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP) is the first large, nationally representative survey of adoptive families across adoption types. Conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this will give you insight into what they learned about adoptive families.
Post Adoption Services through SWAN (Statewide Adoption Network in PA)
All adoptive families, regardless of whether they adopted domestically, internationally, or through foster-to-adopt are eligible for free post adoption services in their home through The Statewide Adoption Network (SWAN). If a family is facing some obstacles with their adopted child and would like additional support to help them, the SWAN post adoption services are a great resource. A staff member would come out to the home once per month for several months to help you obtain additional resources and get a long-term plan of help in place.
TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention)
The Karen Purvis Institute for Child Development has developed Trust Based Relational Interventions (TBRI). TBRI is attachment-based, trauma informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children.
TBRI practioner list
This is a database of trauma-informed counselors throughout the United States that are trained in TBRI practices and principles.
Pre-natal Drug and Alcohol Exposure
Creating A Family’s, Dawn Davenport, interviewed Dr. Ira Chasnoff on the prenatal effects of drug and alcohol exposure on her weekly radio show They address the effects, but also talk about what adoptive parents can do to help a child that has been exposed to drugs or alcohol.
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) Fact Sheet
This is a fact sheet on Identifying Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. There is a spectrum of disorders caused by fetal alcohol exposure.
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS)
NOFAS has also created a fact sheet on what everyone should know about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
Adopting An Opiate Exposed Baby
Creating A Family has created an article called: “What you Must Know When Adopting or Fostering an Opiate-Exposed Baby” by Dawn Davenport. This will give adoptive families ideas on what to expect and how to care for a drug exposed baby.
Learning and Attention Issues
Understood.com is a website for parents who want to help their child with learning and attention issues. There are free webinars as well as resources for children with ADHD and other learning and attention issues.
Wrightslaw
Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.
Children’s books about adoption
Amazon has many children books about adoption. You’ll want to review them and see which ones fit your situation best. Reading books to your children about adoption is one way to help them understand adoption from the very beginning.