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Founded in 1980, the National Council For Adoption (NCFA) formerly the National Committee for Adoption, is a national, nonprofit advocacy and information group with a membership of 152 adoption agencies in 45 states and the District of Columbia and more than 2,000 individual members. It has more voluntary U.S. and international adoption agencies as members than any other national nonsectarian umbrella organization in the United States.
The association provides information and assistance on all areas related to adoption-from the adoption of healthy infants to children with SPECIAL NEEDS to INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION to MATERNITY HOMES to INFERTILITY.
The media uses the NCFA's information clearinghouse as a resource for information on a variety of topics, and NCFA draws on its staff and on members of the organization as well as federal and state agencies and members of Congress for data. Its members frequently are asked to speak on adoption issues on television and radio programs and are often interviewed by the print media.
The NCFA is frequently invited to provide information and testify before Congress and state legislatures on adoption-related issues.
The Adoption Factbook, the NCFA's 1989 compilation of statistics on all facets of adoption, was a comprehensive update and expansion of its 1985 edition. In 1999, the NCFA released a third edition. Factbook. In addition, the NCFA produces a monthly report for members entitled National Adoption Reports, which informs readers about the latest research on adoption as well as pending legislation related to adoption issues and discusses media reports on adoption and current issues and problems.
The NCFA performs the following services and activities:
- promotes adoption to the public as a positive option for individuals with crisis pregnancies
- protects children by encouraging that adoptions be facilitated by public or licensed nonprofit agencies
- promotes ethical practices in adoption through contacts with the media, legislators, policymakers, people in the human services field and the public
- supports confidentiality for members of the adoption triad and also supports the creation of state-level mutual-consent voluntary adoption registries
- operates a variety of informational services for individuals or organizations interested in INFANT ADOPTION, America's WAITING CHILDREN and INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION; provides information and recommends counseling resources for young, single or troubled parents
- tracks and offers information on current developments in court cases and legislative developments that affect adoption and adolescent pregnancy
- plans and offers public service television and radio advertisements, such as the NCFA's well-received "Adopted Kids Have Great Expectations" campaign
- promotes excellence in practice through appropriate standards and accreditation
- provides information and training needed to empower agencies and individuals to cope with changes in practice
- reviews existing research and performs and publishes new research
- responds, when necessary and appropriate, to events affecting adoption of infants; young, single or troubled parents; America's waiting children; and children from other countries
Membership availability, services, dues and benefits vary, depending on the member's status. For further information, contact
National Council For Adoption
1930 17th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20009-6207
(202) 328-1200
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©2000 by Christine Adamec and William Pierce, Ph.D. Reprinted from The Encyclopedia of Adoption, 2nd Edition (2nd Edition) with permission of Facts On File, Inc.
