At DePaul, we believe hope and belonging is for all of us. Since 2000, our Adoption program has worked to make this vision a reality by helping children in foster care find permanent, forever families. We provide both children and their adoptive families with the therapeutic services and support they need to ensure successful adoptive placements. Yet DePaul’s assistance doesn’t stop there; to preserve permanency among adoptive families, we offer a full range of post-adoption support services after the goal of adoption has been achieved. These services are provided at no cost to families and are funded by grants from the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Here are some of the services DePaul provides to families following an adoption:
- Case manager: Assigned case managers who understand the challenges affecting adoptive families provide support, advocacy, and referrals to needed community resources.
- Outpatient therapy: To facilitate healing, this counseling service offers assessments and personalized support for both individuals and/or families.
- Parent education/family engagement specialists: Our trained specialists provide support and education to parents/families to help strengthen and preserve the adoptive placement.
- Support groups: Groups for both young people and adoptive parents provide education, support, and opportunities to network with other adoptive families.
- Social events: Events are held periodically for adoptive families, including parents’ night out and day activities for young people with trained staff providing supervision.
- Intensive in-home support services: Mental health services delivered in the home assist with parenting strategies for young people affected by trauma, encouraging attachment, and addressing adoption-related challenges.
- Crisis support: When unexpected issues arise, DePaul is there to provide crisis management and intervention through our 24-hour on-call service.
- Telepsychiatry: In collaboration with Centra Health, this unique service offers expedited access to psychiatric services via video conferencing. (Psychiatric assessments and treatment via telepsychiatry are billed to the child’s insurance.)
DePaul’s post-adoption support services are available in the following DePaul offices: Abingdon, Cedar Bluff, Christiansburg, Danville, Forest, and Roanoke. For more information on these and our other adoption services, please contact your nearest DePaul office to speak with one of our adoption specialists.
Related: Read Frequently Asked Questions
Related: Read Become An Adoptive Parent