Leading Foster Care Organizations
There are a number of foster care agencies and nonprofits doing their best to help American children who've lost their parents, either temporarily or permanently. Here are some organizations anyone with an interest in foster care should know about.
National Foster Care Coalition (NFCC), 605 North Caroline Ave., SE, Unit #2, Washington, DC, 20003, (202) 280-2039, www.nationalfostercare.org. The NFCC is a national, nonpartisan partnership of individuals, organizations, foundations, and associations dedicated to improving the lives of former, current, and future foster children. The NFCC has a half dozen signature initiatives including National Foster Care Month, Emerging Youth Leaders, Voices for Reform, Training and Technical Assistance, Publications, and Information Clearinghouse.
Adoption Alliance, 2121 S. Oneida St., Suite 420, Denver, CO, 80224-2575, (303) 584-9900, www.adoptall.org. The purpose of this nonprofit, licensed, nationally accredited, agency it to serve needy children throughout the world by advocating for a child's right to a loving family. The organization places children domestically through its Designated Infant, Waiting Child and Kinship adoption programs.
National Foster Parent Association (NFPA), 1102 Prairie Ridge Trail, Pflugerville, TX, 78660, (800) 557-5238, www.nfpainc.org. The NFPA is a nonprofit volunteer organization established in 1972 to help meet the needs of foster families in the United States. Since then, NFPA has grown from the original group of 926 foster parents and 269 social workers and other professionals to an organization that represents thousands of foster families nationwide.
Professional Association of Treatment Homes (PATH), 2324 University Avenue West, Suite 120, St. Paul, MN, 55114, (877) 264-7284, www.pathinc.org. PATH is a private, nonprofit organization that provides culturally sensitive services to children and families in need of foster care, adoption, and other family services. The organization also helped pioneer "treatment foster care," a program designed to meet the needs of foster care children with special needs.
Foster Family-Based Treatment Association (FFTA), 1415 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck, NJ, 07666, (800) 414-3382, www.ffta.org. Also a leader in treatment foster care, FFTA is composed of agencies throughout North America that operate treatment foster care programs. Organizations that are not direct service providers, but have an interest in the field, hold affiliate membership status. FFTA is assisted by recognized researchers and policymakers in the fields of child welfare and mental health.
North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC), 970 Raymond Avenue, Suite 106, St. Paul, MN, 55114, (651) 644-3606, www.nacac.org. NACAC that helps to provide permanent families for children in the United States and Canada who have been in care — especially those in foster care and those with special needs. In addition to adoption support, NACAC attempts to create and enhance parent groups in the U.S. and Canada, with a focus on supporting groups in urban areas.
Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), 1726 M Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC, 20036, (202) 688-4200, www.cwla.org. This association of more than 900 public and private nonprofit agencies assists more than 3.5 million abused and neglected children and their families each year with a range of services. Along with foster care and adoption, those services include child mental health, family preservation, and juvenile justice.
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA), 525 Metro Place North, Suite 220, Dublin, OH, 43017, (800) 275-3832, www.davethomasfoundation.org. The namesake of deceased Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, the purpose of DTFA is to dramatically increase the number of children adopted from the foster care system. It has a number of program to help achieve that goal such as Wendy's Wonderful Kids and Adoption-Friendly Workplace.
