If adoption is part of your life story, you know that the journey is complex and ever-changing. There may be an adoption story in previous generations of your family, or you may be parenting one or more children who joined your family through adoption from foster care, internationally, as an infant or through relative/kinship or customary adoption. Perhaps you are thinking about starting or adding to your family through adoption. Your adoption journey may have started when you were adopted and you are now navigating life as an adult adoptee, or perhaps a child born to you is now being raised in an adoptive family. All adoption stories begin with loss and grief. The journey continues with both joy and trauma over the years. It is not a path to walk alone. So, we have assembled a small list of resources here. There are many others, but these are excellent starting points across the broad and diverse range of adoption stories.
https://attach.org/ – ATTACh offers many supports to people across the adoption constellation, from support groups, to trainings, to our annual conference.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/adoptionmonth/ – This site offers a range of resources to help you celebrate adoption month.
https://wearefamiliesrising.org Formerly known as NACAC, Families Rising provides training, support and advocacy rooted in the expertise of individuals and families with lived experience.
https://tribalinformationexchange.org/files/products/customaryadoption.pdf – Customary adoption and other traditional approaches to caring for children in Native American cultures are explored here with many resources offered.
https://www.permanency.ca/ – For our Canadian friends, this is a good starting point for exploring adoption and permanency for children.
https://harmonyfamilycenter.org – Harmony Family Center has a wealth of supports, training and information for adoption and kinship families.
https://www.gu.org/explore-our-topics/grandfamilies/ – Generations United’s Grandfamilies initiative is an important starting point if relative of kinship adoption is part of your story.
https://postadoptioncenter.org – The Post Adoption Center provides a one-stop shop for a vast range of post-adoption education, technical assistance and resources for individuals and agencies.
https://adoptioncouncil.org – The National Council for Adoption offers a range of adoption articles, workshops and advocacy efforts.
https://www.adoptuskids.org – AdoptUSKids is a national resource specifically focused on the adoption of children from the foster care system.
https://www.ncap-us.org – National Center on Adoption and Permanency provides a range of experts in fields from social work to law supporting adoption.
https://adoptionmosaic.com/ – Adoption Mosaic is an intentionally BIPOC and women-led community offering training, consultation and resources for anyone touched by adoption
https://dearadoption.com – Dear Adoption is a gathering place for the voices of adult adoptees with a range of life experiences, personal stories, and perspectives.
https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/bpnn/ – The Birth Parent National Network supports and promotes birth parents as leaders and advocates in improving child welfare.
https://concernedunitedbirthparents.org – Concerned United Birthparents provides support services for those who are grieving the loss of a child to adoption.
https://www.thinkofus.org – Led and guided by people with lived experience, ThinkofUs uses innovative approaches to advocate for important reforms in adoption and child welfare.