Work In Action

VFA is part of the Adoption Tax Credit Working Group, which advocates to save and improve the adoption tax credit by making it refundable.

VFA educates the public through amplifying the lived experiences of foster families in the 2020 Adoptive Family Portrait Project booklet! This year’s theme is: A Year of Unprecedented Challenges - Adoptive Families Demonstrating Resilience.

Hosted a policy call exploring the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on foster care and adoption. VFA was grateful to have two speakers, Alicia Groh, an independent consultant for the Children Bureau Capacity Center for States, and Andrea Glass, the Director of Wendy's Wonderful Kids.

Voice for Adoption joined many children’s groups and advocates in August 2020 to file an amicus brief supporting the City of Philadelphia in upholding their non-discrimination requirements in child placements.

Wrote a Call to Action letter to congress that focuses on ways federal funding changes can support families to keep children safe from child abuse and neglect, strengthen response and intervention systems to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and address the needs of older youth already in, or transitioning out of, the foster care system.

Submitted comments to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, Health and Human Services Grants Regulation, on the HHS notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would repeal anti-discrimination provisions as implemented during the Obama Administration before the due date of Thursday, December 19.

VFA is focusing advocacy efforts on appropriations to maintain the Adoption-Kinship Incentive fund at $75 million to cover the anticipated incentives and Adoption Opportunities increased by $3 million to $42 million.

Family Equality Council and VFA have drafted a sign-on letter against discrimination in foster care and adoption. A total of 87 members of the US House of Representatives have signed on.

VFA and other national organizations participated in a national press call to discuss the waivers requested from HHS by states to grant a nondiscrimination exemption that would permit foster-care organizations to continue receiving taxpayer dollars despite placing children in homes only of certain faiths.

VFA, in partnership with CWLA, was successful in getting Congress to appropriate Adoption Incentives at $75 million, marking the beginning of catching up on funds owed to the states.

Worked towards the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 that would open up federal foster care dollars to be used to prevent foster care altogether.