Inside you’ll find everything we wished we’d known to help you assess your child’s nutritional needs, and to nourish your little one back to optimal well-being in your care. Be Happy! Be Healthy! Cindy Kaplan and Mishelle Rudzinski Co-Founders of SPOON Foundation This guide is a cooperative effort between SPOON Foundation and Joint Council on… [read more]

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… [read more]

African American Grandfamilies Both inside and outside the child welfare system, the probability that African American children will live in grandfamilies is more than double that of the overall population, with one in five African American children living in grandfamilies at some point during their childhood.

The purpose of this expanded version of the Toolkit is to empower individuals with disabilities and their family and professional caregivers by providing information to more effectively advocate for persons with complex severe behavioral health conditions (which we formerly referred to as “dual diagnosis”) for treatments, supports, services and the conditions that promote mental wellness…. [read more]

Are you pregnant and thinking about placing your baby for adoption? Being well-informed may help you feel better about whatever decision you make—whether it is to place your child for adoption or to parent your child yourself. This factsheet provides information about adoption, presents questions to consider, and points to resources that may help you… [read more]

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.

Whether you are the parent of a 3-year-old who is curious about why a friend’s skin is brown, the parent of a 9-year-old who has been called a slur because of his religion, or the parent of a 15-year-old who snubs those outside of her social clique at school, this book is designed to help… [read more]

It is always better for children and youth to remain with their birth families if it is safe to do so. When foster care is necessary, the goal is to provide a temporary safe, stable and nurturing environment for children and adolescents while actively seeking and supporting reunification with their families. A robust relationship between… [read more]