Need help with career advice, navigating resources, or just want to connect? This space is here for you!

When?

Starting December, join us every 2^nd Thursday of the month from 6 PM-7PM (EST}

Where?

Virtually on zoom! Zoom link will be shared

Who Should Attend?

• Experienced foster care or are currently in foster care
• Been adopted
• Been impacted by the criminal justice system
• Experienced human trafficking
• Had an incarcerated parent during their childhood

Why attend?

• Get answers to your questions
• Receive guidance and support
• Connect with someone who understands your journey

This is voluntary and unpaid. It is designed to support and empower eligible youth in achieving their goals

Helping Children Heal from Sexual Abuse is a Free, virtual Parent Support Group for adoptive, foster, or kinship families raising children who have previously suffered sexual abuses.

WHEN: Scheduled to meet monthly on the third Tuesday at 7 PM

WHERE: Exclusively in the in the AFFCNY.Network

FREE Sleep-Away Camping for Children 7 – 11 years

14-Day Sessions

June 26 – July 9

July 14 – July 27

August 1 – August 14

APPLY ONLINE

Application found on camper / staff page

Open to Middlesex County residents only.

Please join Hudson Valley AGAPE team for an open parent support group via video chat. We will provide educational discussion-based concepts of self-care, advocacy support for your child through their sometimes-difficult behavior, and a safe space to connect with other parents who share similar experiences.

We encourage all foster, adoptive, and guardianship parents to build connections with others who “get it.” During our bi-weekly virtual Hudson Valley Connection Group, we will show a brief training; leaving plenty of time to discuss the topic and open the floor up to anyone looking for resources, advice, or a non-judgmental space to share what’s on their mind.

2026 Schedule: 1st and 3rd Thursday from 7:30-9:00 pm–

May 21; June 4, 18; July 2, 16; August 6, 20; September 3, 17; October 1, 15; November 5, 19; December 3, 17

The Step-By-Step Process To Accessing Services with NJ’s Division of Developmental Disabilities

$22.00 – Base Price

Creating an (Almost!) Stress-Free Experience for Persons with Dementia and Their Family Members. Presenter: Jennifer L. FitzPatrick MSW, LCSW-C, CSP. Do you look forward to needing a hospital, nursing home, hospice, or any other health/mental health service? Neither do our patients, clients and family caregivers, particularly when there’s a dementia diagnosis! Even though clients, patients and caregivers dread needing us, we have a lot of control over how they ultimately perceive the experience of receiving necessary services. When we make a health or mental health experience less stressful for persons with dementia and their family members, there are better clinical outcomes, less complaints, and fewer malpractice claims. This engaging program based on strategies covered in Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare will help you better understand the mindset of those you serve who are impacted by dementia, and make necessary changes so patients, clients and family caregivers are better set up for success.

This interactive discussion brings together leading voices to share what’s working — and how communities can scale effective solutions.

Solo Aging pioneer Carol Marak has created a workshop/program to support planning and solutions that is being implemented throughout the country in senior centers and other settings. Oasis Institute, an innovative national programming that supports lifelong learning and community connection and Northborough Senior Center will share powerful results from their Life Planning/Solo Aging workshop — including strong participant engagement, willingness to invest, and measurable outcomes

Fee: $60.00

Understanding of an older adult’s culture is essential to effective work with them and their family. In this webinar participants will learn about different cultures in New Jersey and the values and beliefs that shape the behavior of these elders. Specific beliefs regarding health, illness and aging will be addressed. The webinar will focus on the barriers older adults may have in accessing and using public social services and programs. Culturally sensitive approaches and skills will be presented and practiced. [Required for Advanced Gerontology Certificate Program]

*A link to register with Zoom to get your login information will be emailed the day before the webinar, and again on the morning of the webinar. Please register at least one hour before the webinar starts, so you have time to receive your login

Join the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) to learn about a new request for proposals for Family Learning Pathways to In-Demand STEM Careers, a new initiative that expands access to workforce learning and credentialing across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for middle and high school students and their parents.

Fee: $70.00

Marking its 10th year, this livestreamed conference offers a timely and challenging look at how racism continues to shape practice, policy, and outcomes. Designed for social workers and allied professionals who want to move beyond awareness to action, the program brings together leading voices to move the conversation forward. Participants will leave with sharper critical insight and concrete tools to address race and racism in their work with clients, organizations, and across communities.

Providing personal care for someone living with dementia—such as bathing, dressing, or grooming—can feel overwhelming at times. These hands-on tasks often bring unique challenges, from resistance and anxiety to communication barriers. Yet, with the right strategies, personal care can become a time of connection, dignity and comfort.

In this webinar, we’ll explore practical approaches to delivering personal care that meet the individual with dementia where they are. From understanding how the disease impacts daily routines to applying person-centered communication techniques, this session is designed to give professionals actionable tools they can use right away. Whether you’re a professional or family caregiver, this session will provide actionable tools you can use right away to gain strategies that make personal care moments more positive, dignified and supportive for the person living with dementia.

Whether you’re planning a family reunion yourself or attending to meet and reconnect with family, you’ll learn the essentials to turn a get-together into a research expedition.

FREE!

The Intern Playbook: Succeeding in Child Welfare Practice is a foundational orientation designed to prepare law students for the realities of child welfare internships and clerkships.

This session focuses on the skills and expectations that are often assumed—but rarely taught—including how to understand and manage assignments, communicate effectively with clients and supervisors, and demonstrate professionalism in high-stakes, client-centered environments.

Participants will gain practical strategies to stay on track, ask the right questions, and navigate their role with confidence from day one. Join us on Zoom!

Join us for an informative session learning about adoption & foster care options in Pennsylvania.

The information session can help you decide whether you are comfortable taking the next steps to become a licensed Diakon foster family. Sessions are offered without obligation; participants are not required to proceed following the presentation.

Pre-registration is required so that the ZOOM link can be shared.

Two Virtual Sessions (three hours each) June 9 and June 16.

Parenting a child with a history of sexual abuse can be frightening—from responding to the child’s acting out behavior to dealing with emotions.  Discussions focus on the best ways to minimize the trauma and help your child heal. Sex trafficking will be explored in the training. This is a two-week class, attendance at both weeks is strongly encouraged.

These classes will be held online and a link to the class will be sent out ahead of time.

Since 2020, enrollment in Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) has more than doubled. Today, over six million individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid are enrolled in these Medicare Advantage plans, and enrollment is expected to continue rising. An increasing number of states are focusing on D-SNPs as a primary vehicle for integrating care and improving coordination of services for their dual eligible populations. Despite this, many advocates haven’t had the opportunity to learn what D-SNPs are, what makes them unique, and how they operate.

This webinar will cover key questions: How D-SNPs work, what to consider before enrolling in a D-SNP, and how to navigate issues after enrollment. Advocates will also learn ways to engage with their states to ensure that D-SNPs work effectively to coordinate care and benefits for dual eligibles, including strategies for centering equity from the outset in the design of D-SNPs. This webinar will be most useful to state advocates working with older adults and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.

Free live webinar. The recording will be emailed to those who register, or you may find the recording posted here after the live event.

Children do not always fit into just one diagnosis. Parents may notice that their child acts very differently from day to day. A child may have trouble paying attention one day but be very strict about the rules the next day. They may be friendly in some places but feel overwhelmed in others. When a child’s symptoms or behaviors do not clearly match ADHD or autism, parents may feel confused, blamed, or unsure where to get help. 

In this Ask the Expert webinar, child neurologist Sarah Cheyette, MD, discusses why ADHD and autism show up together. She talks about what a diagnosis can help explain and why a child’s behavior can change so much from one situation to another. By sharing real-life examples and simple ways to think about behavior, Dr. Cheyette’s goal is to help parents understand their child more clearly. 

This session is meant to help parents look past labels and better understand their child’s strengths, needs, and daily environment. A short live Q&A with participants will follow the presentation. 

Closed captions will be provided.