There are three types of Resource Family Care providers: foster, adoption, and kinship. Foster caregivers
are individuals and families who voluntarily open their hearts and homes to become temporary parents
to children in need of a home due to protective or other social service reasons.
Adoptive caregivers provide permanent care for children whose parents have had their parental rights
terminated.
Kinship caregivers are related to a child in placement through blood, marriage, civil union, domestic
partnership, or adoption. Kinship caregivers may also be connected to the child by an established positive
psychological or emotional relationship.
While children are in placement, the resource family offers them loving experiences that promote
healthy growth and development. They provide the vital physical and emotional care that children need
when they are separated from their biological parents. Foster and adoptive caregivers must first be
licensed to provide care. Kinship caregivers may provide care before being licensed if they’re eligible
for licensure and are in the process of being licensed.

The decision to adopt a child and fully accept that child as your own is not often made with ease. There is a lot to consider before you make such a commitment. This handbook will provide you with important information regarding general characteristics of available children, who can adopt and a step by step guide regarding the adoption process.

The good news for parents and other caring adults,
including foster parents, is that there is much they can
do to help influence their children’s decisions about sex.
Foster youth say they want to discuss sex, love, and relationships
with their foster parents, but some are embarrassed or feel
uncomfortable starting the conversation. The same holds true
for foster parents. They often don’t know what to say, how to say
it, or when to start. This guide offers some ideas to help foster
parents strengthen their relationships with foster youth. It also
offers some ideas on how best to communicate about sex, love,
and relationships.

Right now, there are thousands of New Jersey children who need the warmth
and guidance of a family. Many parents are welcoming these children into their homes to provide safety, stability and love. These wonderful people are New Jersey’s foster and adoptive families.

In May 2014, the Fostering Youth Success Alliance (formerly YICC) released its preliminary report, “Fostering
Independence: The Need for a Statewide Foster Youth College Success Initiative.” In it, we detailed the low rates
of college-going among young people who have spent time in the foster care system in New York; highlighted the
challenges that prevent many foster youth from attending and succeeding in college; and examined what states
across the country are doing to help foster youth acquire the necessary post-secondary education to lead promising,
independent lives. We found that New York is well behind the curve in providing meaningful financial, educational,
and social supports to foster youth in college, and recommended investment in a statewide college success initiative
for all its foster youth.

This fact sheet discusses some of the emotional issues that parents may face after making the
decision to place an infant for adoption, in surrendering the child, and in handling the
feelings that often persist afterwards. It may be a helpful resource for birth parents as well as
family members, friends, and others who want to support birth parents. It may also provide insight
to adopted persons and adoptive parents who want to understand the struggles faced by birth parents.

The landscape for LGBT adoption is changing, with an increasing number of LGBT individuals and couples choosing
to build families through adoption. Many agencies, both public and private, welcome the LGBT community. Leading child welfare
organizations believe that prospective LGBT parents are an excellent resource for children and youth in need of a permanent
family.1 However, specific challenges continue to face many LGBT prospective adoptive parents; they vary depending on
where you live and whether you adopt as a single person or a couple.

It is common for adoptive families to need support and services after adoption. Postadoption services can help families with a wide range of issues. They are available for everything
from learning how to explain adoption to a preschooler, to helping a child who experienced early childhood abuse, to supporting an
adopted teen’s search for identity. Experience with adoptive families has shown that all family members can benefit from some type of
postadoption support. Families of children who have experienced trauma, neglect, abuse, out-of home care, or institutionalization may require
more intensive services.