Children coming from situations of trauma, abuse, or neglect often experience the loss of their "voice" – their ability to voice their needs in a healthy way and trust that they will be met. Interventions for children from the "hard places" must include restoring voice, which in turn encourages trust, healing, and attachment. In the July 2013 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross explore what the loss of voice means for children, and how appropriate interventions and therapies can allow them  to give voice to their needs and experience healing within a safe, nurturing family. The article includes a brief list of recommended skills and strategies for parents and caregivers.

Prospective adoptive parents are not the only ones who need to educate and prepare themselves prior to an adoption – any children already in the home must have the opportunity to learn more about what it might be like to add a child to the family through adoption. In the June 2013 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Laura Beauvais-Godwin addresses common questions adoptive parents have about these important discussions, providing general guidelines and suggestions for those considering adoption as a way of adding to their families.

In honor of National Foster Care Month, NCFA’s May issue of the Adoption Advocate by NCFA legal fellow Jamel Rowe, highlights the benefits of kin adoption and examines some of the common issues faced by relative caregivers in order to promote greater understanding of this increasingly common option for permanency.

In NCFA’s April 2013 issue of the Adoption Advocate, Kris Faasse, MSW offers insights and recommendations to help practitioners better support expectant parents considering adoption. Faasse discusses the factors that can influence how an individual deals with loss, the importance of considering parenting, the many ways in which grief can manifest itself, the process of reconciling a loss, and what prospective adoptive parents need to know about birthparent grief and loss.

NCFA’s March 2013 issue of the Adoption Advocate, Dr. Christopher Balding utilizes the 2006-2008 National Survey on Family Growth, the USAID/UNICEF Demographic and Health Surveys, and UN and U.S. Census Bureau data to outline some of the serious and often life-threatening dangers faced by orphaned and vulnerable children.

NCFA’s February 2013 issue of the Adoption Advocate, written by Michael Yates and Kristi Kulesz, provides an outline for the kind of consistent and high-quality post-adoption services that children and families need to thrive.

In the January 2013 issue of Adoption Advocate, NCFA lays out its policy priorities for the coming year, and provide a review of recent and current adoption- and foster care-related legislation.

NCFA’s December 2012 issue of the Adoption Advocate, “Preparing Older Children for Adoption” by Rhonda Jarema of Nightlight, gives insight to the perspective of older adopted children and suggestions for prospective adoptive parents. It is helpful to prepare for and minimize the changes wrought by adoption as much as possible. Significant changes should be made as gradually as possible.

National Council For Adoption (NCFA) is privileged to work with many organizations and programs that advocate on behalf of children, birthparents, and adoptive families. In honor of National Adoption Month, we have taken the opportunity to highlight just a few of the many important programs serving youth in foster care, orphaned and vulnerable children, expectant parents considering adoption, and adoptive families.

The October 2012 issue of NCFA’s Adoption Advocate focuses on the needs and rights of parents considering adoption while they are in the hospital for the birth of their child. Parents deserve to be treated with respect and understanding during this pivotal time, and hospital staff should be made aware of the emotional and legal implications of adoption for those considering and impacted by it.