La Familia, Inc - 2002 Annual Report

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La Familia 2002 Annual Report

Text Box: and participating in training and support programs because current materials are limited in scope and available only onsite. This package will be available to anyone with internet access. Post placement services for adopting parents and their children will be designed to help parents with challenges and to enhance their ability to normalize and encourage cultural identity development while building a strong, stable family environment. La Familia will develop a full range of products and a plan for dissemination. In 2002, we researched and wrote the first 5 modules of the curriculum, interviewed and videotaped families and worked closely with NG Films to create the interactive CD-ROM. A website will be developed and testing will begin in 2003.

In September 2001, the Federal Children’s Bureau awarded La Familia $1,000,000. The Children’s Bureau is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services and will support this project by providing $250,000.00 a year for four years. The Tapestries project is focused on developing, implementing and evaluating an interactive multimedia training and support program for transracially adopted children and their families. The secondary goals will be to provide high quality comprehensive continuing education and support for these families and to impact transracial adoptions in the child welfare system. In addition to resource lists, papers and articles, a CD-ROM and a website will be developed. Historically, families in rural or outlying areas have had difficulty accessing services

Text Box: Megan Walsh, LMSW Director of Adoptions

Text Box: assistance in addition to personal labor support, advocacy and mediation services are provided to each woman in this program. Twelve women chose to create an adoption plan for

Text Box: their child and were assisted in the adoption process by La Familia, Inc. staff. Relinquishment counseling and assistance with the court process were provided to women who created adoption plans through La Familia in 2002.

Text Box: Pregnancy options counseling was provided to 28 women and supportive counseling services were provided to 4 biological fathers and 1 grandmother. Women who participate in this program are provided with long term, individualized counseling to explore available alternatives. Resource development, financial assistance, legal referrals, medical and educational

Text Box: La Familia’s Infant Adoption program has served 35 new prospective adoptive families in 2002, in addition to providing continuing services to 27 previously waiting families. 16 children were placed in permanent adoptive homes approved by La Familia, Inc. 14 step-parent adoptions and 5 grandparent adoptions were also facilitated by the program. Each family is provided with orientation, adoption preparation, opportunities for interaction with other adoptive families and personal, individualized support and encouragement throughout the entire

Text Box: adoption process. The adoption staff is attempting to implement and maintain a mentoring program for new families and support the currently running “waiting families” group. Four staff members were able to attend the North American Council on Adoptable Children National conference in Chicago and brought home some great ideas for increasing the quality of our services. Five children were placed with adoptive families that utilized La Familia’s international adoption services.. La Familia provides preplacement studies, adoption preparation, assistance with

Text Box: dossier preparation, referral to International agencies, post placement and post decree services for families involved in International Adoption. In 2002, the children who joined La Familia families came from China. In addition, La Familia is now a provider of local services for HOLT International in Oregon. We are hopeful that this alliance will help more families and children come together through international adoption.

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