Resource Library

Defines the core issues in adoption and how they can affect children. Explores briefly ways professionals can support children to address these issues.

Provides insight from 46 states and three territories on the landscape of post-adoption and guardianship support around the country. This resource provides broad takeaways from the post-adoption and guardianship survey results and includes opportunities for improvement.

This slide deck is from the October 2024 Center Chat. The presenters provided a brief overview of the importance of tracking data on children and youth who re-enter foster care following a legally finalized adoption or guardianship, as well as common challenges to tracking such information.  The presenter used data from the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting and Analysis System (AFCARS) to demonstrate several approaches for generating calculations and how to choose an appropriate approach. To review the slide deck notes, click on the notes icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Describes the post-permanency program the Post-Adoption Center hopes all sites will implement to support adoptive and guardianship families who have more serious needs. The manual shares information about why these family’s need additional support and how the post-permanency program model integrates into a site’s full range of post-permanency support services.  It highlights key aspects of an effective program, describes how the model serves as a one-stop shop for coordinated services for families with intensive needs and details each program component with site examples to illustrate them in action. The manual helps states, tribal nations, and territories understand the Post-Adoption Center’s [...]

The Post-Permanency Program Catalog is a tool for identifying evidence-based or evidence-informed programs and promising practices that can be used to address post-permanency needs of children who were in foster care. The Catalog contains over 100 programs and interventions that are being used  or could be adapted to work with children and families who have obtained permanence through adoption or guardianship. The Catalog itself is not an evidence-based review system, database, clearinghouse, or registry (i.e., an organized structure or system that reviews the research on interventions, evaluates the outcomes, and confirms the evidence base). Further, the inclusion of an intervention [...]

Discusses the importance of investing in post-permanency services. This article highlights how post-permanency services can help to ensure child well-being and permanency.  It outlines research on the challenges faced by adoptive and guardianship families, how services can improve well-being and stability, how post-permanency programs help support recruitment efforts and how adoption and guardianship stability can save government funds. Introduction to the Resource Watch the video below for an overview of the resource or click on the button to access the article directly.    

Presents findings on the rate of guardianship and adoption dissolution using a complete entry cohort from a large state foster care system and the associations between child characteristics and risk factors with dissolution.

Summarizes research that identifies key child, parent, and system factors that increase the likelihood of adoption disruption and dissolution, as well as implications for adoption practice, including a section on pre- and post-adoption support services and another on crisis management.

Provides caseworkers with information and resources about the importance of preparing adoptive parents. Is also relevant for preparing guardians.

Provides information about key emotions and challenge facing children and youth in adoption and offers tips for preparing them for permanency.