Fostering Connections Resource Center
About the Fostering Connections Resource Center

Network Partners

Children's Defense FundChildren's Defense Fund logo

Lead Partner: Kinship/Guardianship Network. The Children's Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. The Children's Defense Fund works with grandparents and other relative caregivers, young leaders, other advocates for children and families, the faith community, service providers and policymakers across the country to help accomplish its mission for all children in America. For more information on the Children’s Defense Fund, please visit www.childrensdefense.org.

Legal Center for Foster Care and EducationLegal Center FCE Logo

Lead Partner: Education. The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education (Legal Center FCE) is a collaboration between Casey Family Programs and the ABA’s Center on Children and the Law, in conjunction with the Education Law Center-PA and the Juvenile Law Center.  The Legal Center FCE serves as a national technical assistance resource and information clearinghouse on legal and policy matters affecting the education of children in the foster care system. The Legal Center FCE provides expertise to states and constituents, facilitates networking to advance promising practices and reforms, and provides technical assistance and training to respond to the ever-growing demands for legal support and guidance.  The Legal Center FCE focuses on supporting direct education advocacy efforts for children in foster care, as well as promoting federal, state and local laws and policies that address the education needs of this population. The Legal Center builds on the ever-increasing momentum behind meeting the education needs of children in foster care; an issue that can help establish safety, permanency and well being for children involved with the child welfare system. To learn more about the Legal Center FCE and see all of the materials and resources, please visit www.abanet.org/child/education. To stay abreast of information on improving educational opportunities and outcomes for youth in foster care, you can join the Legal Center's listserv by signing up here. 

North American Council on Adoptable Children North American Council on Adoptable Children logo

Lead Partner: Adoption Network. Since its founding in 1974 by adoptive parents, the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) has been dedicated to the mission that every child deserves a permanent family. Through advocacy, education, support, and parent leadership capacity building, NACAC promotes and supports permanence for children and youth in foster care in the U.S. and Canada. For more information on the NACAC, please visit www.NACAC.org.

National Academy for State Health Policy

Lead Partner: Health Network. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is an independent academy of state health policy makers working together to identify emerging issues, develop policy solutions, and improve state health policy and practice. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to helping states achieve excellence in health policy and practice, NASHP provides a forum on critical health issues across branches and agencies of state government. For more information about NASHP, please visit www.nashp.org.

National Foster Care CoalitionNational Foster Care Coalition logo

Lead Partner: Older Youth Network. The National Foster Care Coalition (NFCC) is a broadly based national, nonpartisan partnership of organizations, foundations, associations and individuals dedicated to improving the lives of the more than half a million children currently in the foster care system and the millions more who have been, or will be, involved in the foster care system. The power of NFCC's constituency is unmatched.  Its member organizations represent current and former foster youth, birth, foster and adoptive parents, and child welfare professionals at the local, state and federal levels. As a result, NFCC's ability to represent the individuals touched by foster care, working within the foster care system, and who care about children in foster care is unparalleled.  Established in 1998, NFCC's mission is to build and sustain political and public will to improve the foster care system and the lives of the children and youth in its care.  Unlike other child welfare organizations, NFCC focuses exclusively on foster care, and its engagement on other issues impacting children, youth and families is through the lens of this issue. For more information on the National Foster Care Coalition, please visit www.nationalfostercare.org.

National Indian Child Welfare AssociationNICWA logo

Lead Partner: Tribal Network. The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Indian children and their families. NICWA accomplishes this goal by offering training and technical assistance related to Indian child welfare services; making available information regarding the needs and problems of Indian children; helping to improve community-based services; and working to promote improved public policies for Indian children. For additional information about this report or other NICWA projects, please contact: www.nicwa.org