Adoption Education and Recruitment

VA One Church, One Child offers a statewide program of outreach, adoption education, recruitment and support.  The foundation of this outreach is more than 300 churches across the commonwealth of Virginia who accept the One Church, One Child Challenge.  Recruitment includes general, targeted, and child-specific activities to educate citizens about the need for adoptive families—especially for waiting children--children in the public foster care system who are harder to place.  Through outreach to and within churches and community organizations, we raise adoption awareness and recruit families.  Staff and volunteers make presentations, distribute adoption literature, manage adoption displays, and share information about specific children who wait.  The organization asks pastors and One Church, One Child Coordinators at the local church to make presentations, to share information, and to encourage and support adoption.

 

Special Recruitment Activities

1. Virginia Heart Gallery—Virginia One Church, One Child coordinates the Virginia Heart Gallery.  The Heart Gallery is a photographic display of some of the children in the  Virginia foster care system waiting to be adopted. Since its opening in 2005, Virginia’s Heart Gallery has had many successes in raising awareness about adoption and in contributing to the placement of children including a sibling group of six!  This gallery, featuring professional photos, is available to churches and community groups for display.  Contact VA One Church, One Child to host the Heart Gallery.

2. Expos—These and other regional recruitment events introduce citizens to public and private agencies of a targeted area. The public is invited to meet and talk with social workers about foster care and adoption services.

3. Match Events—Prospective adoptive families and social workers are invited to participate in match receptions, match retreats, adoption parties, and similar exciting, fun-filled events that bring families, waiting children, and social workers together.  Contact us for information about our next match event.

4. Adopt US Kids Rapid  Responders—Virginia One Church, One Child serves as rapid responders for Virginia inquirers to www.adoptuskids.org.  Families get assistance in navigating the adoption process in Virginia.  Staff will  connect interested families to a local department of social services or to a licensed placing agency.

 

Adoptive Family Support & Training

We offer encouragement and support to families in the process of adopting.  We help families “hang in there” as they proceed to approval.   Peer support, coaching, and other parent group activities help sustain families prior to and after the placement of a child or sibling group.     

 

Family Assessment and Placement Services

Virginia One Church, One Child refers recruited families to licensed child placing agencies and local departments of  social services for family assessments, completion of the home study, child placement and post placement supervision services.