Two upcoming webinars for support group leaders

Advocates for Families First is offering a series of free webinars designed for leaders of support groups and organizations that work with kinship, foster, and adoptive families. The fourth session will be Effective Legislative Advocacy Strategies May 29 at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST; 11 a.m. MST; 12 p.m. CST).

In this session, participants will be introduced to the successful Florida advocacy effort to create a more supportive and normative growing up experience for children and youth in foster care through passage of the “normalcy bill,” which allows for foster and kin caregivers to make prudent parental decisions about activities that their foster and kin children participate in, without having to seek the approval of the child welfare agency. Presenters will share:

Free webinar for support group leaders

As part of an effort to build a strong support and advocacy community for foster, adoptive and kinship families, Advocates for Families First is offering a series of free webinars for leaders of organizations that serve this community.

The first webinar — Starting and Enhancing Support Groups for Adoptive, Foster, and Kinship Families — will be held on February 24 at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST, 12 p.m. MST, and 1 p.m. CST). The session is designed for those who are new to support group leadership as well as those seeking to infuse their group with new energy or hoping to take the next step in group development.

Taxes and foster/adoptive parenting

Josh Kroll, with the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC), recently shared this post with NFPA on Facebook:

I have had a few questions recently about taxes and foster/adoptive parenting.

1. Claiming children as dependents - foster parents as well as adoptive parents may be able to claim children as dependents. To claim the children you must meet all five tests - age, relationship (foster and adoptive parents are just fine), residency, support and joint filing tests.

The two big issues are support and residency. In 2005 the support test changed to the child can't provide more than half of their own support--foster care payments are not support provided by the child (and subsidy should be treated the same way). Residency is the other big issue, you have to have the child with you more than half the year (if the child was born or died during the year, then more than half of the year that they are alive).

2013 NFPA Conference -- Day 2

We're here for Day 2 of the 43rd Annual Education Conference in Long Beach!

Yesterday's meetings were productive. Special guest Joe Kroll, of the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC), joined us to discuss a possible collaboration among NFPA, NACAC and Generations United. We're excited about the possibility of working with these great partners!

NFPA secretary Heather Hosmer, NFPA president Irene Clements and NACAC executive director Joe Kroll

On our agenda for today:

Council of State Affiliates Meeting
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Registration
2 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Exhibit Setup
3 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Get ready to have a "beachy" time tomorrow!

NACAC to host webinars on adoption assistance

The North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) will host two free webinars on adoption assistance on January 31 and February 7. See details below:

Adoption Assistance Benefits and Eligibility
January 31, 2012
2:30 p.m. CST

Josh Kroll will present information about adoption assistance benefits, including which children are eligible and the benefits available. The session will be of use to prospective adopters as well as parents who are seeking to make a change in the child's benefits due to changes in the child's needs or family's circumstances.

Register here for Adoption Assistance Benefits and Eligibility.


Adoption Assistance Advocacy
February 7, 2012
2:30 p.m. CST

With state and provincial budgets continuing to be tight, adoptive parents, adoption professionals, and other child advocates will need to be vigilant in case legislators seek to balance budgets by reducing adoption assistance benefits. In this session, Adoption Subsidy Resource Center project coordinator Josh Kroll will explore advocacy strategies to maintain and enhance adoption subsidy programs.

Register here for Adoption Assistance Advocacy.

Source: NACAC