Family Focus Adoption Services

FAMILY FOCUS ADOPTION SERVICES ("FAMILY FOCUS") WAS FOUNDED IN 1987 BY A GROUP OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ADOPTIVE PARENTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND OTHER ADOPTION ADVOCATES, OUT OF THE BELEF THAT EVERY CHILD WHO NEEDS A PERMANENT ADOPTIVE FAMILY, AND EVERY FAMILY LOOKING TO ADOPT, DESERVES TIMELY, COMPREHENSIVE ADOPTION SERVICES. THIS NOT-FOR-PROFIT AGENCY, WHICH IS FULLY CERIFIED BY NEW YORK STATE, DEFINES ITSELF AS HIGH ENERGY LEVEL MULTI-SERVICE NON-TRADITIONAL ADOPTION AGENCY.FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES, FAMILY FOCUS IS CLASSIFIED AS A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION AND IS EXEMPT UNDER SECTION 402 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE AND A SIMILAR PROVISION OF THE NEW YORK STATE INCOME TAX LAWS.

AGENCY PROGRAM INCLUDE:DIRECT PLACEMENT PROGRAM - OFFERING COUNSELING AND ADOPTION INFORMATION TO PREGNANT WOMEN OR NEW MOTHERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. SHOULD THE PARENTS DECIDE TO PLACE THEIR BABY FOR ADOPTION THROUGH FAMILY FOCUS, THE AGANCY PROVIDES THE ACTUAL PLACEMENT PROCESS AND FOLLOW UP SERVICES, WITH PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY TO THE SURRENDER DYNAMICS. FAMILY SERVICES PROGRAM - OFFERING LOCAL FAMILY EVALUATIONS AND POST-PLACEMENT REPORTS FOR FAMILIES ADOPTING INTERNATIONALLY OR INTERSTATE. FAMILY FOCUS IS HAGUE ACCREDITED, AND ABLE TO HELP FAMILIES ADOPTING FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.CHILD WELFARE TRAINING PROGRAM - OFFERING THE WIDELY-KNOW AND WELL-RESPECTED TRAINING SERVICES OF SENIOR AGENCY STAFF, AS REQUESTED, TO SOCIAL WORK AGENCIES AND FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. FAMILY FOCUS IS REGULARLY ASKED TO PRESENT OUR FORWARD-LOOKING NON-BUREAUCRATIC ADOPTION PHILOSOPHIES AND PRACTICES AT MAJOR CONFERENCES IN BOTH COUNTRIES. WE HAVE ALSO PROVIDED A WEBINAR FOR THE NATIONAL OLDER CHILD ADOPTION EFFORT OF THE DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION, KNOW AS WENDY'S WONDERFUL KIDS, AND HAVE DONE MULTI-DAY TRAINING IN NEW YORK, LOUISIANA, AND MASSACHUSETTS, AS PART OF THE CERTIFICATION ON ADOPTION COMPETENCE GIVEN BY THE NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER ON PERMANENCY AND FAMILY CONNECTIONS, HOUSED AT THE HUNTER COLLEGE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK. FAMILY FOCUS PROVIDES TRAINING ON MORE THAN TWENTY DIFFERENT TOPICS DEALING WITH CONTEMPORARY ADOPTION ISSUES AND REALTIES, AND IS NOW DEVELOPING ITS OWN FOURTEEN-WEEK CERTIFICATION TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ADOPTIVE AND POTENTIAL ADOPTIVE FAMILIES.WAITING CHILD PROGRAM - WORKING TO RECRUIT POTENTIAL ADOPTIVE FAMILIES FOR THE CHILDREN IN GREATEST NEED, THE OLDER FOSTER CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO LANGUISH FOR FAR TOO MANY YEARS IN LOCAL FOSTER CARE, AND THEN EFFECTUATING SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS FOR A LIFETIME, THIS PROGRAM IS THE HEART OF FAMILY FOCUS, AND REPRESENTS THE AGENCY'S MISSION. AT A TIME WHEN MOST OF SOCIETY STILL DISREGARDS THE NECESSITY FOR THESE YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE PERMANENT FAMILIES BEFORE THEY AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE, AT EIGHTEEN OR TWENTY-ONE, FAMILY FOCUS HAS DEVELOPED TECHNIQUES THAT HELP CHILDREN AND FAMILIES LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER, AND THEN CHOOSE TO BE A PERMANENT FAMILY. THE AGENCY'S SUCCESS RATE WITH THE ADOPTINS OF CHILDREN UP TO AGE TWENTY IS NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT, COMPARED WITH A NATIONAL AVERAGE OF SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT. MOST CHILDREN PLACED ARE FROM NEW YORK STATE COUNTIES, BUT, TO MEET CURRENT NEEDS, THE AGENCY HAS DEVELOPED AN INTERNET ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE ADOPTING CHILDREN FROM MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. AS PART OF ITS OLDER CHILD ADOPTION WORK, FAMILY FOCUS HAS ALSO DEVELOPED SPECIAL WAYS OF RECOGNIZING THE FAMILY'S COMMITMENT, AND THERE ARE NOW AGENCIES ALL OVER THE UNITED STATESWHO HAVE BEGUN TO USE THESE TECHNIQUES. RAD! - THE "RELATIONSHIPS ARE DECISIONS" PROGRAM IS A LONG TERM PILOT PROGRAM. IT WAS CREATED FOR THE MOST DIFFICULT CHILDREN IN THE SYSTEM TO KEEP IN ADOPTIVE HOMES. EACH CHILD IS ASSIGNED ONE WORKER AND EACH WORKER HAS ONLY ONE CHILD. THE WORKER, FUTURE WORKERS, THEY ARE CALLED, TEACHES THE CHILDREN THE FAMILIAL AND COMMUNITY CONCEPTS THAT THEY WILL NEED IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN FAMILIES. THEY MEET TWISE A MONTH FOR ABOUT A YEAR. AT THE END OF THE YEAR THE CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED TO PRE-ADOPTIVE HOMES, WHERE THEY VISIT FOR ANOTHER YEAR, WHILE STILL MEETING TWICE A MONTH WITH THEIR FUTURE WORKER. DURING THE THIRD YEAR THE CHILDREN MOVE IN WITH THE FAMILY, STILL SEEING THAT SAME FUTURE WORKER, AND MOVE THROUGH A SERIES OF GRADATED STEPS TO ADOPTION FINALIZATION.