Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC)

State adoptive families, Guardianship families, kinship families, families who have adopted children through any state foster care system, and resource (foster) families via some services, plus youth. NOTE: Struggling adoptive families or adoptees/fosterees of any kind within the state are not turned away.

For parents/caregivers of children ages: 0 - 17

ORPARC’s mission is to provide ongoing support, education, information, assistance, and referral services to the state’s adoptive, assisted guardianship, and kinship families and youth, and foster families via the library, web resources, and trainings.

Kendra Morris-Jacobson

• Agency/Affiliation: Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center
• Website: http://www.orparc.org/
• Email: kmorrisjacobson@nwresource.org
• Phone: (800) 764-8367

The goals of the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC) are:

• Enhance child and family functioning
• Reduce incidents of crisis and unnecessary out-of-home placements
• Provide access to a support network responsive to varying child and family needs

The essential components of the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC) include:

• Information, assistance and referral - Receive incoming phone calls, emails, or contacts regarding post-adoption/placement support resources:
• Foster- and adoption-competent counseling referral
• Community resources
• Respite or support resources
• Lending library materials on topics of concern
• Systems navigation
• Consultation, advocacy, support, and crisis intervention - Provide phone-based, email, and occasional in-person services:
• Crisis management
• Trauma-informed therapeutic listening
• Educational advocacy
• Problem-solving
• Clinical analysis of key issues
• Parent & professional education and trainings - Provide and partner with other agencies offering parent professional education opportunities focused on issues specific to adoptive/guardianship/foster/kinship families and children with special needs:
• Kinship care
• Adaptive parenting in response to trauma/neglect
• Impact of prenatal substance exposure
• Issues of attachment, grief, and loss
• Openness in adoption
• Connect families to systems of support - Identify and continually update existing resources and initiate new opportunities for adoptive/guardian parents to connect with:
• Peer support
• Community-based groups
• Respite care options
• Parent mentors
• Support group start up and consultation - Assist new groups across the region to become established through:
• Training
• Mentorship
• Ongoing first-year support
• Technical Assistance
• Library lending - Establish and maintain a dynamic resource collection to be accessible by State adoptive/guardianship/foster/kinship parents, foster parents, child welfare workers, and community partners supporting these families
• Books
• CDs/Audio and Digital materials
• Information packets
• DVDs/Videos
• Outreach to Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Staff - Identify and initiate opportunities for child welfare staff to receive advanced training on issues facing adoptive/guardianship/foster/kinship families and children
• Participation in collaboration with the Training in Adoption Competency (TAC) program at the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) – Collaborate to provide advanced certification and support emerging best practices in the areas of foster and adoption preparation, post permanency support, and foster care services for therapists

Parent/Caregiver Services

Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Parents and relatives who have adopted or are guardians of their children through the child welfare system, or foster parents utilizing the library, web resources, or training services

Recommended Intensity

Parents are assisted on an individual basis, according to need request, ranging from several minutes up to one hour or more for more intense calls and/or contacts.

Recommended Duration

There is no limit on duration. Families may contact the center until they feel they have received the needed assistance.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Virtual (Online, Smartphone, Zoom, Telephone, Video, etc.)

Homework

This program does not include a homework component.

Languages

Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center (ORPARC) has materials available in the following languages other than English:

• Chuukese
• Russian
• Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed in this page).

Some Tribal languages

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

• Office and lending library space
• Computer and internet access
• Approximately 5-6 permanent staff including director, office management, coordinator/librarian, and family support specialists plus interns

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Family Support Specialists typically have a Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, or Counseling with case management experience, knowledge of adoption/guardianship issues and processes, knowledge of child welfare services and protocols, and knowledge of clinical issues and mental health/social work practice. Family Support Specialists are also certified in Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSWi) and/or TAC, earn ongoing LGBTQ+ competency, complete Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) 101, Motivational Interviewing, and receive training in Neurofeedback, Collaborative Problem Solving, Bibliotherapy, Diversity, Race & Equity competency, and more. Staff fluent in Spanish or other local languages is beneficial.

Manual Information

There is not a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact

Training Type/Location:

Limited consultation via phone or some paid training possible

Number of days/hours:

Limited consultation via phone or virtual meeting

• There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center has been reviewed.

• Reams, R. (2021). Lifebooks in child welfare: Why isn’t a great idea used more often? Adoption Quarterly 15 September. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2021.1978024

• Reams, R. (2023). Reverse visitation between former foster parents and adopted children. Journal of Public Child Welfare 17(1), 167–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2021.1997875

• Reams, R. (2022). Transitioning children in foster care to adoptive homes. Child Welfare 98(5), 27–51. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362057253_Transitioning_Children_in_Foster_Care_to_Adoptive_Homes