Helping Services
Helping services for foster/adoptive families reach far beyond those available from or even known to agencies and local social services districts. Child welfare caseworkers may be unaware of services available from other NYS agencies and non-profit organizations. Parents can help themselves, and support group leaders can help their members, by becoming “service detectives” to uncover resources to help children in their care. Services do exist in everyone’s community and caregivers can find them, but they have to be willing to play an active role in identifying their own needs, and locating services to meet them.
In this section you will find information about training opportunities for NYS parents and professionals, advocacy with health care providers, youth development & education resources, useful websites for getting help online, and searching for birth relatives.
Additional resources:
- Bridges to Health: NYS Home and Community Based Services Waiver Program
- NYC Family Assessment Program – Joint project of ACS and Probation to assist families with adolescents considering court intervention
- NYS OCFS Directory of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, includes crisis intervention services
- Special Education Parent Training and Resource Centers (pdf)
- Becoming a Service Detective: Locating Helping Resources (pdf)
- Educating Others About Adoption and Foster Care: Tools for Families (pdf)
- Girdles, Laxitives and Respite: Rethinking and Re-evaluating the Use of Respite
