The Support Highway
While this is the newest area of service for ARW, it is also the fastest growing. Changes in adoption laws in recent years have resulted in many more children being adopted out of the public child welfare system. In Wisconsin today, there are more children who have been adopted out of foster care than there are children in foster care, and international adoptions have brought thousands of children to our state who sometimes also need help. It’s hardly surprising then that requests for post adoption advice, support and training have quintupled in the last three years.
Support Highway programs include:
- Home to StayTM, a program where ARW adoption specialists visit families who have just finalized their adoptions, to connect them to post-adoption services. This program is supported by the Jockey Being FamilyTM program of Jockey International, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jockey volunteers create a customized backpack for each child in the family;
- Great Families, a program which helps adoptive parents strengthen their marriage and teach their children through the power of forgiveness how to move beyond the hurts inflicted upon them;
- Training and education for parents on a wide variety of topics relevant to adoptive and foster families, ranging from one day seminars to two hour workshops to six week series;
- Training for the professionals who work with foster and adoptive parents on trends in child welfare, emerging issues, and so on.
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