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NCFA’s Campaign to Foster a Thriving Future through Adoption

While the culture and stigma surrounding adoption has improved dramatically over the past 40 years, the adoption community as a whole still faces many bumps in the road.

NCFA has worked tirelessly to untangle the complexities with adoption and lead the way in increasing public understanding of adoption and promote a positive image of adoption as a loving way to...

build nurturing,
permanent families.

 

NCFA employees on stage at a conference

Current Adoption Climate and Challenges

Since 2004 intercountry adoption has decreased
%

Despite the hundreds of thousands of children in U.S. foster care that are able to be adopted and the millions of children languishing in institutions worldwide, adoption rates decline.

Adoption Agencies and Professionals are Struggling

Frontline adoption professionals and child welfare workers are struggling with:

  • high caseloads
  • emotional impact of the work
  • compassion fatigue
  • employee burnout.

Rise of Baby Brokers

These operations are for-profit unlicensed, unregulated intermediaries between pregnant women considering adoption and families hoping to adopt.

Evidence of Impact

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ENLIGHTEN An Authoritative Voice for Waiting Families and Children

EMPOWER Collaborative Support for Frontline Workers 

ADVOCATE Creating Access to Policy Change

We believe that finding families for unparented children improves every measure of societal wellbeing and helps us make progress on every social welfare issue. Since 1980, we have pressed onward with resolve and purpose.

We have:

  • advised seven presidential administrations, hundreds of Members of Congress, and dozens of foreign governments on adoption policy.
  • driven enactment of landmark legislation like the Adoption Tax Credit and the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000.
  • reached tens of millions of Americans through a long-running PSA campaign featuring celebrities that ranged from Barbara Bush to Meryl Streep.
  • produced the largest studies by sample size on record of adoptive families (4,000 respondents), birth parents (1,400 respondents)

Our Vision

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As the nation’s only advocacy and resource organization committed to addressing the needs of every member of the adoption community, it is our responsibility to light the way for all children and all families within the adoption constellation.

We are ILLUMINATING PATHWAYS to address  the adoption community’s most urgent challenges and stand up for vulnerable children. With this campaign, NCFA identified areas of impact to advocate for change, empower with support, and enlighten through understanding.

ADVOCATE for Change

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Create an ethical and credible adoption system where more children can find and thrive in families.

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HOW: Draft and rally support for legislation that:

 

Prohibits unlicensed parties (“baby brokers”) from engaging in adoption matching and advertising services.

THEN: By putting “baby brokers” out of business, up to 200,000 expectant and prospective parents can feel confident and empowered to make sound decisions in their adoption journey.

Reduces timelines for children in foster care to achieve permanency.

THEN: Of the 109,000 foster children eligible and waiting to be adopted, fewer children will age out, spending less time in the system, and can begin healing in a permanent, loving family.

Decreases processing times and costs to adopt a child internationally.

THEN: Thousands of children worldwide won’t have to languish in institutions and will receive the love and care they deserve within the security of a permanent home.

EMPOWER with Support

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Ensure all those in the adoption constellation have access to the tools, resources, and support so that waiting and adopted children can experience the stability of a permanent home.

Individual lesson in center of early development of children. Professional female therapist communicate with child during extracurricular activities. Concept of support, studying, childhood, emotions

HOW: Be the expert provider of adoption education for:

Employer- and institution-based adoption education resources, to help more hopeful parents understand their adoption options.

THEN: By partnering with 50 new corporations over the next five years, up to 25,000 adults can feel equipped and confident to pursue an adoption journey.

Human service professionals, with new offerings for university social work students, medical professionals, and child welfare providers.

THEN: The 1,700 frontline professionals NCFA partners with in all 50 states feel empowered and prepared to adequately serve children, families, birth parents, and adult adoptees.

ENLIGHTEN through Understanding

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Promote an honest, fact-based, and positive, nonpolitical understanding and perception of adoption.

Hug for dad. A teen boy leans over to hug his father, who to be smiling at him.

HOW: Improve public awareness and disseminate data-backed knowledge to destigmatize adoption through:

 

Strategic research initiatives

THEN: Current and pressing challenges in adoption can be addressed with a knowledge, fact-based approach.

 

A robust communications and public relations strategy.

THEN: The public, media,
and policymakers can be better informed with the current and pressing challenges in adoption.

See how you can be a
BEACON OF LIGHT for adoption.

CONTACT:

Ryan Hanlon, MSW, Ph.D.,
President & CEO
rhanlon@adoptioncouncil.org
(703) 299-6633

Megan Judt
Director of Development
mjudt@adoptioncouncil.org
(703) 299-6633