Toll Free Number and Regional Offices— Don’t know where to start? Start with us. We have Adoption and Family Support Specialists on staff in all our regional offices. Call 1-866-478-7307 to get started.
Ongoing Classes— From our course on Building Families through Adoption to information about talking to children about adoption to resources for choosing therapeutic and residential resources, we have classroom, web classes, teleconference training and self study materials of interest to families.
Lending Library— We have tons of resources about helping your family adjust to adoption, trans-racial adoption, talking to youth about adoption, parenting special needs children, parenting traumatized children, and more.
Support Groups—Call your regional office to determine what support groups are available in your community.
Anchorage Therapeutic Resource Guide to Services
Mat Su Therapeutic Resource Guide to Services
When you become an adoptive family, you may need to build up your support system even more. Dave Thomas Foundation put together a booklet called Strengthen Your Forever Family: A Step by Step Guide to Post Adoption to help families reconsider and build the supports around their families.
Finding and Using Post Adoption Services is another reference of what might be helpful after adoption.
Maybe you want to start your own support group. Where to begin? Check out this guide called Starting and Nurturing Adoptive Parent Groups: A Guide for Leaders.
Safety Planning Tool (Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center) Though produced in Oregon, lots of good information and a step-by-step process to make a plan to help you in a crisis.
Alaska 211 What’s available in your part of the state? This web-based and phone-based service is your place to start to find out resources of interest to your family.
Impact of Adoption on Adoptive Parents Child Welfare Information Gateway August 2015
There are lots of Facebook pages and groups that offer support to families. Check out the three Alaska Facebook Pages that get you in contact with other adoptive parents in our state.
Alaska Adoptive and Foster Moms is a closed group open to families in Alaska.
Interior Alaska Foster Care Families is a great resource for support from both foster and adoptive families in the Interior of Alaska, though they are open to families from around the state.
Southeast Alaska Foster Care Families Another regional group focusing on supporting foster and adoptive families in the Southeast panhandle of Alaska.
ACRF Teleconference Training: Planning Ahead for When the Adoption Subsidy Ends at 18 but the Needs Don't Presented by Brenda Ursel, ACRF
ACRF Teleconference Training: The Legal Details of Finalization: What Families Need to Know Before and After Finalization of an Adoption Presented by Stefan Otterson and Tiffany Brookwell of the Otterson Law Office.
The Anchorage Guide to Programs and Supportive Services can help find therapeutic resources in the Anchorage area for adoptive families or check out Mat Su Therapeutic Guide for information about the Mat Su Valley.
Want
to talk to an Adoption Support Specialist about specific resources or
situations? Call our toll free line at 1-866-478-7307 or email
adoptionsupport@nwresource.org
Adoption Bibliography of selected adoption resources
Searching for Birth RelativesEn Espanol Child Welfare Information Gateway, August 2015
Openness in Adoption Building Relationship Between Adoptive and Birth Families Child Welfare Information Gateway January 2013
Helping Your Foster Child Transition to Your Adopted Child Child Welfare Information Gateway February 2012
Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons En Espanol Child Welfare Information Gateway November 2013
Access to Adoption Records (Information about all States) Current through June 2015
11 Tips To Help You Talk to Your Kids About Adoption From Adoption Mosaic
Children and Adoption: The School Age Years (6-11) C.A.S.E. Fact Sheet Series
Parenting Your Adopted Teenager August 2015 CHild Welfare Information Network
Parenting Your Adopted School-Age Child January 2015 CHild Welfare Information Network
AdoptUSKids- Post Adoption Resources Find information on the Adoption Tax Credit, Adoption Subsidies. and Respite Care on the AdoptUSKids web page.
The North American Council on Adoptable Children has great information on the Adoption Tax Credit. It is a one time tax credit given to families adopting children with special needs (most adoptions from foster care qualify) but the qualifications and benefits varies from year to year.
CASE Adoption Supports (Center for Adoption Support and Eduction) Provides information, publications and webinars with an adoption focus.
Adoption Learning Partners Lots of webinars and information to help families on the adoption journey.
National Council for Adoption publishes the Adoption Advocate which has a more clinical look at adoption issues but still an interesting resource on pre- and post- adoption issues. It also lists resources and hosts webinars on a variety of topics.
Adoptive Families is a community and resource place for families who have adopted.
Residential Care for Children and Youth in Alaska— List of facilities State of Alaska Division of Behavioral Health
Residential Programs for Struggling Adolescents
Sending Your Child to An RTF Placement: 9 Questions to Ask Article By Tamara Hill
Selecting a Residential Treatment Center for Your Child Article by Peg Nichols, CHADD
Alaska Transition Handbook Pathway to Adulthood & Employment Governor’s Council On Disabilities & Special Education
Guardianship and Conservatorship in Alaska KTOO Public Media Production Video giving a general overview of the role and resposibilities for guardians and conservators of adults.
ASAGA Training Videos on Guardianship and Advocacy A wealth of information and support for families seeking or maintaining guardianship over vulnerable adults. Check out their training series on their Educational Resource Page including a good over view called Introduction to Adult Guardianship and The Basics of Petitioning.
Helping Foster and Adoptive Families Cope with TraumaGuide from the American Academy of Pediatrics
Selecting and Working with a Therapist Skilled inAdoption Child Welfare Information Gateway Article
A Need to Know: Enhancing Adoption Competence Among Mental Health Professionals Good article on what adoption competency means and how to enhance capacity amongst mental health providers to work with families.
C.A.S.E. (Center for Adoption Support and Education) Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) Through classroom and remote instruction, as well as clinical case consultation, TAC students master 12 domains that are critical to adoption-competent mental health services.
Adoption Competency Curriculum Developed by the National Resource Center for Adoption and focuses on the core issues of adoption.
Adoption Competency in Clinical Social Work Social Work Today, December 2013. A good overview of what is considered to be “adoption competent” when working with families.
Adoption and Foster Family Therapy Post Graduate Certificate Program A series of advanced, evidence-based courses on specialized theories and practices for treating adopted and foster children and their families. Relevant for those mental health professionals working with children and families impacted by adoption, foster care, and relative care, and by child abuse, trauma, and neglect.