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EMPOWER
Our Families
Research for Practice Advocacy for Change Success for Families
A New Organization and a New Focus: Enabling Children and Families to Succeed
This column first appeared in The Huffington Post soon after NCAP’s founding in 2015. It seems appropriate to republish it here as the first commentary in our new blog. Please check back often for more information and insights from NCAP team members.
By Adam Pertman, NCAP President
Finding safe, permanent homes for children in foster care -- usually through adoption when they cannot return to their families of origin -- has become a federal mandate and a national priority during the past few decades. That's obviously a very good thing, but there's a too-little-discussed downside to this positive trend: Far too little attention is being paid to serving children after placement to ensure that they can grow up successfully in their new families and so that their parents can successfully raise them to adulthood..... more here.
NCAP’s mission is to transform the paradigm in child welfare policy and practice from “child placement” to “family success". NCAP’s multidisciplinary team advances this fundamental change by providing research and expertise that enables public and private agencies, organizational leaders, advocacy groups and other professionals to empower, strengthen and support all families.
Adoption Institute Research Archive
For almost two decades before its closure in 2018, the work of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (later renamed the Donaldson Adoption Institute) contributed significantly to improving awareness, policy, law, practice and education relating to adoption, foster care and child welfare more generally. Most of the Institute’s research, publications and advocacy were conducted by professionals who are now with NCAP. This body of work continues to be highly relevant, so we’re providing much of it here for free reading and downloading. Stay tuned for research from NCAP’s own Senior Fellows.
ADVOCACY FOR CHANGE
NCAP is a change agent dedicated to its mission and vision of redesigning child welfare to a “family success” model. We strive for social change, justice and equity for children and families through better education, research, policy, collaboration and practice implementation.
SUCCESS FOR FAMILIES
Children grow best in families. Within their families of origin whenever possible and in new ones when it’s necessary. However we define them, families thrive in healthy communities. We are all part of the solution.