In This Issue:

• Message from Rachel Pratt, CEO
• AEA Members Respond to Surveys!
• Other E-Mail Newsletters
• Help AdoptUsKids Find More Media Families Nationwide

Member News

• Two Heart Galleries Open in New York State
• Post Permanency Family Center at Adoptions Together

Message from Rachel Pratt, CEO

November is a month of thanks, the beginning of a season of holidays, and a time for the nation to reflect on adoption.  As we leave National Adoption Month, all of us carry in our hearts the children whose adoptions were finalized this month and those who still await permanent families.  May our children, families, and their stories inspire each of us every day in this tremendously challenging task of finding families for waiting children.

Happy holidays and best wishes.

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AEA Members Respond to Surveys!

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on AEA’s two recent surveys.  The results will assist us tremendously as we plan upcoming conferences.  Here is what you told us:

Conference Location
Of the 38 members who responded to the survey, many more members expressed that they could not attend a conference if it was held in Puerto Rico (30.6%) than if it was held in Seattle (5.7%).  The largest group said that their organizations would send between 2-5 staff, and that held true for both Seattle (48.6%) and Puerto Rico (38.9%).  Here is how the location affected the number of staff attending:

To summarize the narrative comments, there was support for both locations and a desire to attend, but also a concern about the cost of attending at either location.  Several members expressed enthusiasm about a Puerto Rico conference, but others shared that it would be difficult to travel out of the country or viewed as an extravagant by others.

I encourage you to weigh in on the location survey at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Qg7kvM0fBcfkZ5_2fNW8Y4Cw_3d_3d

Technology Survey
The preliminary results of this second survey are incredibly interesting.  However, only 19 members have responded, so please complete this survey if you aren’t among the 19.  Go to:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=8JujlebWgFTJ4KmILmpTxQ_3d_3d

With 19 responses, the “n” is very small and results are not fully reliable, so I will report this again next month after more of you complete the survey.  But so far…

Everyone Has a Web-Site.  94.4% of the members responding have a web-site with the remaining member sites under construction. 

AEA Members Use Technology to Find Families! 
Some pioneers are using blogs, listserves, or other on-line communication to educate and connect with families (33.3%).  The majority of members:

• List children on AdoptUsKids (86.7%)
• List children on your own web-sites (80.0%)

And, to a lesser extent you:

• Use video clips on your own web-site (60.0%)
• Create DVDs of children and/or families for viewing (56.3%)
• Use e-mail distribution lists to keep in touch with families (66.7%)
• Maintain databases of families and children that can be used for matching purposes (62.5%).

You Are Bringing New Technology to Your Organizations.   Your have purchased new computer hardware (70.6%), software (58.8%), and other electronic equipment (70.6%), made substantial changes to how your organization uses technology (58.8%), and created or substantially changed your organization’s web-site (76.5%).

Technology Skills and Comfort Level are not yet at 100%.  The largest group rated personal technology skills as Very Good (47.4%), with only 21.1% choosing Excellent.  38.9% of you rated as Very Good your own ability to incorporate new technology into your organizations.  36.8% of you rated your organization’s technology skills as only Fair, with 31.6% rating that same item as Excellent and 31.6% rating it as Very Good.  As for comfort, 63.2% of you are Very Comfortable learning new technology.  In contrast, only 38.9% of you are Very Comfortable learning about new technology developments, with 50% Moderately Comfortable with this more abstract learning.

You Want to Know More!  Most interesting by far were the narrative responses to the question “If attending a conference to learn more about technology, what would you be interested in learning?” 

• Better understanding of the value of technology and how it can help us better do the work that we do
• Design software
• Database development
• How to send out information on up-coming agency activities and receive confirmation back from the families
• More about web capabilities
• How to give more people access to our cable access tv and radio programs
• Developing logic models
• MySpace, UTube, pod-casting, web-casting
• How to use a tablet
• How to use the new search internet sites
• Blogs, listserves, or other on-line communication to educate and connect with families
• How youth could feature themselves creatively without a photo
• Lots…

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Other E-Mail Newsletters

There are a host of e-mail newsletters in our field.  To subscribe to some of the national adoption-related newsletters, follow the links below.

Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/mail.php

Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/Newsroom/NewsletterSubscribe.aspx

ABA Child Law Practice OnLine (fee charged for subscription, but you can join the listserv for free)
http://www.abanet.org/child/clp/subscribe.html

Children’s Rights
https://secure2.convio.net/cr/site/ConsProfileUser?JServSessionIdr009=s36etk7v19.app5a

National Foster Care Coalition (policy alerts)
http://nationalfostercare.org/policy/policyalerts.php

If you have other on-line newsletters that you like and want to share, please send the links to Rachel Pratt @ rpratt@adoptea.org

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Help AdoptUsKids Find More Media Families Nationwide

As you know, AdoptUsKids is dedicated to increasing the public awareness of children in foster care who are available for adoption.   Members of the Adoption Exchange Association are an important part of our national media outreach.  We receive many requests from radio, television and print reporters across the country. We have available spokesfamilies who are willing to participate in these interviews.  However, we still need more families!  If you are aware of any interested families who have experience with adoption and foster care, please ask them to contact Kate Kirkpatrick at kkirkpatrick@adoptuskids.org or (717) 545-5251. 

Please tell your families that they they are the best voices for adoption!  We also understand that each family has many commitments and therefore may need to decline an invitation to participate in an event or interview. By agreeing to be a spokesperson, it is not assumed that they will be available to participate at all times! Please contact Kate directly if you have questions.  Thanks so much!   

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Because all children need families, the Adoption Exchange Association serves its members by stimulating innovative solutions, eliminating barriers, advocating, educating, and sharing excellent practice.  Our central goal is to assist and encourage our members nationwide as they find adoptive families for all children and youth who wait in foster care.

MEMBER NEWS

Two Heart Galleries Open in New York State

To celebrate National Adoption Month, two Heart Galleries opened recently in New York State.  For the first time, there is a New York State Heart Gallery, featuring over 100 photos of children from every region of the state.  The exhibit is being held in Albany, in the Concourse that is part of the state office building complex.  A grand opening was held on November 5th and the exhibit will be in place through November 10th.  Adoption Specialists from across the state were present at the opening, as were several of the featured children and youth.  It was a very special celebration and hopefully this highly visible location will attract attention, help the general recruitment of foster and adoptive families, and find families for each of the featured children.

The Rochester and Western New York Heart Gallery opened on Friday, November 2 with a reception for 150 people, including some of the children whose photographs were featured.  The exhibit is on view the entire month of November at the Strong National Museum of Play, where the average monthly attendance is 6,000.  With the Thanksgiving holiday, even more families will view the display of 34 children and youth from western New York.  Twenty-five professional photographers volunteered their time and talent to portray the children in an engaging way.  The display was coordinated by AEA member Children Awaiting Parents (CAP), with a consortium of local agencies, the state, and Family Court.  CAP just celebrated its 35th anniversary of helping to find families for over 5000 children. 

You can view the Heart Gallery photos at the CAP website:  www.ChildrenAwaitingParents.org

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Post Permanency Family Center at Adoptions Together

Adoptions Together in Silver Spring, Maryland is pleased to announce the opening of the Post Permanency Family Center, a partnership between Adoptions Together and the DC Child and Family Services Agency. The Post Permanency Family Center was established to provide support, guidance, and information to the adoption/guardianship community in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Families who have come together through kinship care, guardianship and adoption need to be understood, encouraged, and supported to fulfill their roles as the single most therapeutic influence in the life of their child.

The Post-Permanency Family Center offers counseling and support to children and families before, during, and after their adoption or guardianship petitions have been finalized. The Center links families to supportive community resources, offers support groups for children and families, and provides training in permanency-related issues for parents and professionals.

Staff at the Post Permanency Family Center understands that adoption is a lifelong process. The need for ongoing mental health support and services does not end when the adoption is legalized. Developmental challenges that emerge prior to and during the foster care experience are bound to have an impact on a child's relationships throughout the adoption experience. These challenges have lifelong implications for the entire family. Post-adoption services are essential to helping children and families promote secure attachments a.nd build healthy relationships.

Post Permanency Family Center staff and network of service providers are family-centered, culturally sensitive, and competent in the issues of permanency. They recognize and respect the characteristics and skills that make families successful. Services offered include crisis intervention, family and individual counseling, support groups, parent training, professional training, case management, advocacy and referral to needed resources.  

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