2008 NACAC Conference Report
Avril Suckow

I want to first thank State COAC for the wonderful opportunity I had to attend the 2008 North American NACAC Conference, held from July 30^th-August 3^rd  in Toronto, Canada.   Please forgive me that I did not get this article into the last COAC State Newsletter — I had a little visit from Ike, and it slowed me down a bit.  I am back up to speed, so you will be hearing from me more in the future!

As an attendee, I saw two major themes to the conference.  The first was to address the issue of disproportionality in the area of adoption. The second was the whole area of “First Nation” adoptions.  Both topics sought to find ways to resolve very difficult social situations in ways that would be in the best interest for the children involved.  These two concepts are current buzz words in the world of adoption.

Disproportionality in adoption refers to the unbalanced number of Black children who somehow get stuck in the limbo between social services and getting adopted.  A disproportionate number of these children age out while still in protective service care and never do get adopted.  Over the past year our state DPRS has been working with our adoption service providers throughout the state on addressing this issue in some very direct ways.  We will be giving updates on progress in this area as they occur.

First Nation Adoption refers to all the various Native American tribes, both in Canada and the United States, and how their basic right to manage their own children has been undermined and in many cases destroyed by a very painful and nasty history of systematic devaluing and destruction of First Nation peoples by the Canadian and United States governments.  I saw some very disturbing parallels between the historical devaluing of these peoples’ heritage and what has also been done to Black families in the United States.  At the time of the conference various Canadian provinces and the United States federal government were both working on legislation that would seriously begin to work towards correcting the damage that has been done to these people, and especially these children.  We will work to keep everyone posted on what this legislation will mean long-term as it relates to the adoption of First Nation/Native American children in the future.

The location of the conference proved to be interesting.  Ottawa, Ontario is just the other side of the river from Quebec.  Quite a bit of the conference was being translated into French as it was happening.  The group events were immediately translated on a large screen.  I was fortunate enough to go to sessions on various subjects.  Some of the topics were fundraising, understanding the impact of trauma on children’s developing brains, looking at adoption as a system and legislative advocacy, the NACAC Parent Group Assembly, and several discussions on the current developments in reactive attachment disorder.  I felt that I gained quite a bit of information and new perspectives by going to those sessions and this was a very important component of what I did at the conference.  What I really feel was something I could not have gained without actually getting to attend the conference was/is the opportunity to talk with others all over the North American continent who are at least as familiar with the whole field of adoption and foster care and its issues as me.  Going to the NACAC conference allowed me to network with many people and connect directly with many new “human resources,” and this will let me be more effective in helping families as they deal with their adoption issues in the future.

I highly recommend that any of you who are able, attend next year’s NACAC conference in Columbus, Ohio August 12^th-15^th. The experience will show you that you and your family are not alone on your adoption path, and that there are many people out there who are ready and willing to share their questions and knowledge with you.

Being young is no piece of cake these days. And it can be even tougher for youth who are "aging out" of foster care.  With no birth families to rely on, they often lack adult support in making grown-up plans and decisions in areas such as education, finances, health and housing.

To help these young Texans with their transition to adulthood, DFPS has launched www.texasyouthconnection.org, a one-stop online shop on topics such as school, health, employment and finances.

“We're always looking for new ways to help our youth,” said DFPS' Candice Holmes. “After discussions with foster youth, it was clear we needed an easy-to-read website specifically designed to help them cut through the bureaucracy.”

DFPS staff held several informal focus group sessions with foster youth over pizza and soft drinks. Together, they viewed similar websites from other states, as well as sites from the private sector aimed at youth. Agency staff listened to the kids' ideas and suggestions, then incorporated them into the website. Even the domain name was chosen by the focus group. [Youth's Transition]

What Does Love Mean?
This question was asked of children ages 4-8

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.” Rebecca ‑ age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy ‑ age 4

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy ‑ age 6

“Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” Bobby ‑ age 7

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” Noelle ‑ age 7