Vol. 11, No. 1• November 2006

Update from the NC Foster and Adoptive Parent Association

by Stacey Darbee, NCFAPA President

2007 Institute
I can hardly believe it’s that time again. Time to begin planning to attend the 2007 NCFAPA Training Institute! Our theme this year is “Honoring Connections: The Key to Hidden Treasures.”

The institute will be held again at the Sheraton Imperial in Durham, April 20-22, 2007. Due to the record attendance last year, we are holding 200 guest rooms at the rate of $76 per night. We are also offering a great new reservation option: log on to <www.NCFAPA.org> and you will be pointed to a Sheraton site set up specifically for the Honoring Connections institute.

Please reserve your room now—without a doubt, they will sell out!

Web News
We are reconstructing our web site so please visit often for updates. We will also post institute information as soon as it’s available. We hope to have online registration available in January 2007. Watch for it! We have great plans for this site, but we also want to hear from you. What you would like to see on this web site? What would be helpful to you?

Advocacy
NCFAPA continues to collaborate with many other state agencies and associations in legislative efforts. Be on the lookout for future news regarding our next foster care/adoption awareness effort presented to the legislature in Raleigh. If you have knowledge of or a passion for advocacy on behalf of children, please contact the NCFAPA office.

Training
At the end of June 2006 NCFAPA sponsored a leadership forum in Black Mountain. Fifty-three association members participated in an excellent weekend of learning, with lots of fun thrown in!

NCFAPA is expanding our efforts by recruiting foster, adoptive, and kinship parent liaisons in each county. Those already on board participated in the leadership forum, along with all of the board members. The liaisons will act as communication agents between NCFAPA and county departments, agencies, associations, and support groups. They will also be invaluable as we plan and implement regional events in the state. If you’d like to learn more about this program, please contact our office via phone or e-mail.

On October 14, 2006 NCFAPA continued its leadership training by offering a free day of “Starting and Sustaining Local Support Groups and Associations.” This event will be led by a trainer from the North American Council on Adoptable Children and will take place at the Village Inn in Clemmons.

We know it can be hard to maintain small groups. Please know that NCFAPA can offer encouragement, support, and technical assistance to help your group establish a solid foundation. We are very excited to be able to share this opportunity with parents!

Important New Law
On July 3, 2006 President Bush signed the “Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006.” This new law makes changes to home study and other requirements to facilitate interstate placement of children in foster or adoptive homes.

Although most of this legislation pertains to changes in interstate placement procedures and will affect a small number of people, there is one piece that pertains to all foster parents. Section 475(5)(G) of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 675(5)(G)] now states “the foster parents (if any) of a child and any pre-adoptive parent or relative providing care for the child are provided with notice of, and a right to be heard in, any proceeding to be held with respect to the child.” This bill went into effect October 1, 2006.

This section of the bill requires the following changes: to be eligible for Court Improvement Program funding, states must institute a statewide rule requiring state courts to ensure notice to “any proceeding” (no longer subjective) regarding a child to that child’s foster parents, pre-adoptive parents, and relative caregivers. The other change is that instead of an opportunity to be heard, it now states that foster, pre-adoptive and relative caregivers have a right to be heard. This law does not make foster parents a “party” in court, nor does it give them “standing” in court, but it does mandate that if you choose, your voice and your important, vital knowledge of the child will now be heard by the judge.

The NCFAPA made several attempts to learn how our state will implement this new law, but the process is not yet clear. Tune in to <www.NCFAPA.org> for updates.

Nov. Is Adoption Awareness Month
Right now North Carolina has well over 1,500 children in foster care who are legally free for adoption. As of 2005 there were in excess of 114,000 children waiting nationwide.

If you are an adoptive parent you know what an impact adoption has on children’s lives. Please make a special effort this month to speak up to neighbors, friends, co-workers, and your faith community about all of these children in need of a special, loving family to call home. Remember—kids can’t wait!

Copyright � 2006 Jordan Institute for Families