The Central Directory of Resources

Vol. 11, No. 1• November 2006

The Central Directory of Resources: Where Foster and Adoptive Parents Find Answers

by Tamara Norris

Stand in the shoes of a parent fostering for the first time, and you will have lots of questions. What is my role in helping develop my foster child’s IEP at school? Does the child I’m fostering have a speech delay? That same parent will likely need answers for a different set of questions if he or she chooses to adopt. What financial changes can I expect when I adopt? Do other adoptive parents share my feelings?

Resource specialists at the Central Directory of Resources (CDR) help foster and adoptive parents find answers to such questions. A service of Family Support Network of North Carolina, the CDR provides information and referral for families with children who have special needs and their service providers. Through a toll-free phone number (800/852-0042), referrals are made to service agencies, parent programs, support groups, and disability organizations on a local, state, and national level. Some agency referral information is also available on the Internet at <www.fsnnc.org>.

Foster and adoptive parents can contact the CDR about a wide range of issues. For example, if a child placed in a foster home has a known medical or behavioral diagnosis, the foster parent often needs information about the condition and how best to manage it. Other times the foster parents may suspect a problem, but aren’t sure which service providers can evaluate their child. Foster parents can turn to the CDR when they need information about the service systems that their foster child may need: early intervention, health care, social services, mental health, schools and so on. Foster parents who adopt often have questions about post-adoption support and changes in finances and service delivery.

For all of these questions, the resource specialists can search the CDR database for issue-specific information (e.g., behavioral issues or respite care) or for disability-specific information (e.g., ADD) and referrals. Resource specialists also direct callers to reliable Internet sources of information and mail printed materials in response to caller requests. Printed information is provided on diseases, disabilities, chronic illnesses, and related issues. The CDR has a Spanish-speaking resource specialist and some printed information is available in Spanish. All services are offered free of charge.

A Part of Parents’ Support System
The CDR serves as part of the parents’ support system. Resource specialists can walk parents through what to expect and what is helpful to know, even if parents don’t yet know what questions to ask. The CDR can help save parents time in going from agency to agency — either on the phone or traveling from office to office — to find the services they need.

Resource specialists also refer callers to their local Family Support Network affiliates in North Carolina. The 18 Family Support Network Local Program Affiliates offer:

Parent-to-Parent Support, which matches trained support parents with parents in similar situations who would like to connect with someone about their child’s needs

Support and information for families with children who have special needs, as well as for families whose children have been born prematurely or are at risk for other reasons

Ongoing support and information to families as children grow

Support groups, training, and social activities for family members

Info, resources, and training for families and service providers

A family-centered perspective to collaboration between families and service providers

Resources for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Some national resources of general interest to foster and adoptive parents include:

Casey Family Programs. (www.casey.org)
Casey Family Programs’ mission is to provide and improve—and ultimately to prevent the need for—foster care. They develop tools, practices, and policies to nurture all youth in care and to help parents strengthen families at risk of needing foster care. Casey’s Media Center includes the newsletter “Fostering Families/Fostering Change.”

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (www.childwelfare.gov)
This useful site is home to the National Adoption Directory Search, which includes state-by-state contact information for a variety of adoption-related organizations and services including licensed public and private adoption agencies, support groups, state registries, and more.

North American Council on Adoptable Children. (www.nacac.org)
NACAC’s parent support services include leadership training, publications that provide resources and information to adoptive families, and phone consultation and materials to address parents’ questions about adoption subsidies for children who have special needs.

Tamara Norris, MSSW, MPA, is the Information and Referral Coordinator for the Family Support Network of North Carolina

Sheryl Ewing, Executive Director, Family Support Network of Southeastern NC, Inc. and former President of the North Carolina Foster and Adoptive Parent Association and Fern Gardner, CDR Resource Specialist contributed to this article.

Copyright � 2006 Jordan Institute for Families