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… [read more]

Frequently Asked Questions From Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Prospective Foster and Adoptive Parents WHAT’S INSIDEHow do I find a welcoming agency?What States allow LGBTQ individuals or same-sex couples to foster or adopt?Should I disclose my sexual orientation or transgender status? If so, when?What about intercountry adoption?What should I expect from the home… [read more]

From Rights to Reality is designed to unite parents and parent advocacy around a common set of goals. It identifies 15 rights for parents affected by the child welfare system. Most parents do not yet have these rights in child welfare proceedings. From Rights to Reality represents a commitment to working in our communities and… [read more]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people are in America’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems in disproportionate numbers. Like all young people in care, they have the right to be safe and protected. All too often, however, they are misunderstood and mistreated, leading to an increased risk of negative outcomes. This tool… [read more]

GrandFacts A State Fact Sheets for Grandparent and Other Relatives Raising Children The AARP Foundation, The Brookdale Foundation Group, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, and Generations United have partnered to produce fact sheets for grandparents and other relatives raising children that include state-specific data, programs, and public policies. This… [read more]

GrandFacts National Fact Sheets for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children AARP, The Brookdale Foundation Group, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, and Generations United have partnered to produce state and national GrandFacts fact sheets for grandparents and other relatives raising children. The state fact sheets include state-specific data and… [read more]

Every State, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have statutes providing for the termination of parental rights by a court. Termination of parental rights ends the legal parent-child relationship. Once the relationship has been terminated, the child is legally free to be placed… [read more]

Attaining legal permanence is not always about finding a new family. In some instances, it is about legally re-defining roles of existing family members or establishing legal relationships with other adults who have a family-like relationship with children through guardianship. Although different from adoption, the adjustment to these newly defined responsibilities can be just as… [read more]

Guide To Kinship Legal Guardianship Support Services Publication of New Jersey Department of Children and Families Office of Adoption Operations Kinship Legal Guardianship Subsidy Program