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Classroom Training

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): When Good Parenting Doesn't Work

Wednesday

June 10, 2015

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Longmont, CO

Click here for more info.

Sensory Processing Disorder

Friday

June 17, 2015

5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Aurora, CO

Click here for more info.

Rest and Respite for

Caregivers and Families

Friday

June 19, 2015

10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Aurora, CO

Click here for more info.

Creative Family Trees

Friday

June 19, 2015

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Koelbel Library

5955 S Holly St

Centennial, CO 80121

Click here for more info.

Medical Aspects of Child Abuse & Neglect: When a Medical Examination Is Needed

Thursday

June 25, 2015

9:00 a.m. - noon

Mile High United Way

711 Park Avenue West

Denver, CO 80205

Click here for more info.

Working with Families of Origin

Friday

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

June 26, 2015

Canon City

Click here for more info.

Parenting Children with Challenging Behaviors

Friday & Saturday

June 26 & 27, 2015

Rifle, CO

Click here for more info.

Caring for Children Who Have Been Abused

Friday & Saturday

June 26 & 27, 2015

Grand Junction, CO

Click here for more info.

Responding to Adoption Questions

Friday

July 3, 2015

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Koelbel Library

5955 S Holly St

Centennial, CO 80121

Click here for more info.

Raising Assertive Kids: Teaching Confidence, Safety, & Communication

Saturday

August 15, 2015

9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Koelbel Library

5955 S Holly St

Centennial, CO 80121

Click here for more info.

Family Wellness Event

Saturday

October 3, 2015

9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Timberline Church

2908 South Timberline Road

Fort Collins, CO

Click here for more info.

Webinars

Peers as Crisis Service Providers

Wednesday

June 10, 2015

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Click here for more info.

Organizational Approaches to Effective Trauma-Informed Services

Friday

June 12, 2015

Noon - 1:00

Click here for more info.

Emotional Regulation and Relaxation Techniques for Parent & Child

Thursday

June 18, 2015

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Click here for more info.

Conferences

46th Annual Autism Society National Conference

July 8 - 11, 2015

Denver, CO

Click here for more info.

2015 NACAC Conference:

Changing the Picture of Foster Care & Adoption

July 30 - August 1, 2015

Long Beach, CA

Click here for more info.

Together We Can

October 13-15, 2015

Cajundome

Lafayette, LA

Click here for more info.

Webcasts

These webinars have been recorded and are available 24X7

Supporting Youth in Transition: The Importance of Case Worker Visits

Click here to for more info.

Adoption Tax Credit: A Guide for State Advocates

Click here for more info.

Child Welfare and the Affordable Care Act

Click here for more info.

Improving the Economic Security of Children in Foster Care & Young People Who Are Transitioning out of Care

Click here to download.

Privatization of Child Welfare Services: A Guide for State Advocates

Click here to download.

Collaborating with Kinship Caregivers Curriculum and TA

Click here to download.

Finding What Works: Helping Young Adults Transition into Adulthood

Click here to download.

The Uninterrupted Scholars Act: How Do Recent Changes to FERPA Help Child Welfare Agencies Get Access to School Records?

Click here to download.

The 50 State Chartbook on Foster Care: A Web-Based Data Resource for Child Welfare Professionals

Click here to download.

Improving the Economic Security of Children in Foster Care and Young People Who Are Transitioning from Foster Care

Click here to download.

FREE Online Courses

The Amazing Human Brain and Human Development

Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma

The Cost of Caring: Secondary Traumatic Stress and the Impact of Working with High-Risk Children and Families

Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children

FREE AFP Online Classes

These classes are available free to families who have adopted internationally or privately. To get your online training code and instructions for accessing your free training class, contact Michelle Betsch at [email protected] or

303-829-4296.

Conspicuous Families

Discipline and the Adopted Child: Ain't Misbehavin'

Finding the Missing Pieces

Let's Talk Adoption

The Journey Of Attachment

Tough Starts: Brain Development Matters

Tough Starts: Family Matters

Tough Starts: Parenting Matters

Tough Starts: Treatment Matters

Sensory Friendly Films

AMC Theatres (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis with the "Sensory Friendly Films" program.

June 27
Inside Out

July 18
Minions

Sept 26
Hotel Transylvania

Oct 17
The Jungle Book

Nov 14
The Peanuts Movie

Dec 5
The Good Dinosaur

Click here for more info.

Twitter @Adopt_Colorado

Check us out at http://www.twitter.com/Adopt_Colorado and follow us! You'll get up to the minute news on classes, resources, and adoption issues.

I'm a planner, and quite honestly, a controller. I plan vacations, work priorities, household events, and then I control the variables to make sure my plans come off...well, as planned. So when something happens that I cannot control (my 21-year old daughter needing to move back home immediately) or plan for, and that adversely affects my plans (company arriving in 6 days followed by more company the following week), it leaves me a little discombobulated.

Imagine how a child feels when he or she is taken from the only family he or she has ever known. No plan. No control. And no one he or she trusts to help him or her make sense of it. At least I understood why my daughter had to move back home. And I actually had a choice in whether or not she moved back. Children sent to foster care have no choice. And as much as we adoptive parents want to think that the children we adopted from foster care wanted us to adopt them, the reality was, it probably wasn't their plan or their choice, and they obviously had no control over the situation.

Why am I making this analogy? Because if I, as an experienced, mature, well-educated adult, became discombobulated over my daughter moving back in...understand that your adopted children have every right to be discombobulated over all the things that have happened to them. Give them a little slack. Or at least a little understanding.

Wishing you a well-planned summer!

K. Colleen Tarket, COCAF Board of Directors

[email protected]

Question of the Month

Multi-ethnic arms outstretched to ask questions.

This will be a new monthly article answering a question that COCAF has received that we think many of you would like to know the answer to. If you have a question you'd like answered, please send your question to [email protected]. All questions will be answered anonymously.

Question of the month: How can I find a county's adoption assistance (subsidy) policy?

Answer: The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) has many of the counties' policies on their website, and COCAF has a link to that page on our website. Click here to go to the CDHS page. If your county isn't included on the CDHS website, let us know, and we'll try to get it for you.

NACAC Conference
From the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)

The NACAC conference will be held in Long Beach, California, from July 29 to August 1. Dan Siegel, M.D., will present a preconference session, "Mindsight and Healing Trauma," and offer the opening keynote session.

Registration is now open, and early bird registration rates are available through June 26. Click here to learn more.

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, and discounted rooms are available for $159 per night plus tax. Make your reservations early because the discounted rate applies only until the NACAC room block fills or July 7, whichever is earlier. Click here to make reservations.

Food Insecurity

From the Children's Bureau Express

For those who adopted children who came from less than perfect circumstances, you may have noticed your children hording food. While you may have had classes that explained this behavior, a new study shows the effect of food insecurity may follow these children throughout their life. To read the article Linking Childhood Adversity and Food Insecurity from the Children's Bureau Express, click here.

Colorado Outward Bound Opportunity

Parent Teen Colorado Outward Bound School Trust Building Weekend

July 24-26, 2015 and September 4-6, 2015

Colorado Post Adoption Resource Center (COPARC) is again sponsoring an Outward Bound weekend for adopted teens. The event allows an adopted family pair of one teen (ages 13-18) and one parent to build trust in a wilderness setting. Priority will be given to families who adopted through the child welfare/foster care system.

The event will take place at Outward Bound's Leadville Campus in the Rocky Mountains.

If interested, contact Tara Skubella at [email protected] or 970.250.0034 for more information. Please note that any teen who was in residential treatment in the past year will not qualify.

All application paperwork deadline: June 19th for the July 24-26th session and July 7th for the September 4-6th session.

Gay Couples and Adoption
From The Atlantic, by Andrew Giambrone

As many states move forward with marriage equality, many gay couples are still experiencing discriminatory regulations regarding adoption. Click here to read more in an article by Andrew Giambrone from The Atlantic.

Importance of Home Permanency
From the Chronicles of Social Change by Jonathan Dean Permanency

Permanency or the lack of it shapes a child's future. Read more here.

Camp Teen Fundango

EDUCO ADVENTURE WEEKEND FOR ADOPTIVE, FOSTER & KINSHIP TEENS

Monday, June 29 - Wednesday, July 1, 2015

AGES 10-16

Registration fee $30.00

Teens are invited on an adventure weekend that challenges them to step outside of their comfort zone, connect with new and unexpected friends, and to discover their sense of self and leadership. The weekend is full with fun activities including rock climbing, mountain boarding, and hiking!

For more information, click here. For registration information, please call 970-223-1230 or email [email protected].

Camp Fundango

Camp Fundango is a family weekend for adoptive, foster, and kinship families, taking place on August 28 - 30, 2015, at Camp Timberline in Estes Park. Cost is $30 a camper for the weekend. Space is limited to the first 80 campers.

Camp activities will include zip lines, climbing wall, low and high ropes course, giant swings, basketball, soccer, disc golf, football, hiking, and fishing.

For more information, click here or contact Erica Wharton at 970-223-1230 or by email at [email protected].

Events

Open Arms Awareness Day

Saturday, June 6, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Loveland Public Library, Gertrude Scott Room,

330 N Adams Ave, Loveland, CO

Learn what it takes to become a foster parent. Larimer County Department of Human Services, the Matthews House, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and current foster parents will be available to talk to attendees.

Blue Jean Bash

Saturday, September 26, 2015

The EXDO Event Center

Supporting Clothes To Kids of Denver and their mission to provide free school clothing to students in need. Click here for more information.

C.A.S.E. Webinar Series

This webinar is being offered by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E). Click here to read more information about this webinar.

Relating to Relatives: Adoption & Extended Family

Thursday

June 18, 2015

11:00 a.m.

Support Groups

Sometimes our children provide us with challenges that we're just not quite ready to handle. And sometimes support groups can help us find the answers we need, or at least make us feel okay about the unique challenges we're facing. Here are some support groups that might be helpful.

Adoptive Parents Support Group

Last Sunday of every month from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Discovery Church, 2605 W 144th Ave, Broomfield, CO 80023

Meets the last Sunday of every month from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

For more information, email [email protected] or [email protected].

Online Support Group for Adoptive, Foster, & Kinship Parents

Second Tuesday of the Month

Morning session 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Evening session 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Session includes a short presentation followed by a discussion.

Email Deb Felio at

[email protected]

for the toll-free number and access code.

Adoptive Parents Support Group

1st Tuesday of the month

February 3 - May 5, 2015

5:30pm-7:00pm

Supervised activities and group therapy for children

Lakewood Nazarene Church

Lakewood, CO

RSVP to Family Support Specialist, Mindi Bekler, 720-251-5876

Teen & Tween Adoption Support for Parents

Potluck

2nd & 4th Monday of each month

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Resilience Center

1298 Peoria St

Aurora, CO 80011

Click here for more info.

Young Adult Mental Illness Support Group

For ages 18-28

1st & 3rd Thursday of every month

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

1st week Classroom F-G

3rd week Classroom E

St Anthony Hospital

11600 W 2nd Dr

Lakewood, CO 80228

Contact Courtney at 720-369-2629 for more information.

Welcome Child Adoption/Foster Care Support Group

Second Sunday of the month

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Timberline Church, Room 214

2908 S. Timberline Road

Fort Collins, CO 80525

For more information contact Michele Sanner by email at mlsanner@gmail.com or by phone at (970) 481-5749.

Xpress Yourself Art & Play Therapy

Support groups for internationally adopted children & adolescents

CCAI

6920 S. Holly Circle

Centennial, CO 80112

Call 303-850-9998, ext 22

Called to Adopt Support Group

4th Saturday of the month, 6:00 p.m.,
Christ Community Church, Greeley, CO

Click here for more info.

The Men's Group for Adoptive Dads

Thursdays, 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.

Zoe's, 715 10th St, Greeley, CO 80631

For more information, contact Tim Paxton at 970-691-5737 or by email at [email protected].

Sensory Processing Disorder Parent Support Group

Facilitators: Sarah Ahn and Jenny Burnsed, LPC

Last Monday of every month 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Bixby School, 3750 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder

There is no fee associated with this group, though donations are gratefully accepted. Please contact Sarah at [email protected] for questions.

Therapeutic Post-Adoption Support Group

2nd Thursday of the month, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Windsor Timberline Church

360 E Crossroads Blvd, Windsor, CO

Click here for more information.

Aurora Mental Health

Adoption Support Group

2nd & 4th Mondays of the month

Aurora Mental Health

11059 E Bethany Drive, Aurora, CO 80014

Click here for more information.

The Be The Change Challenge

(For parents of challenging children)

2nd Tuesday of each month, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

ACL Boulder, 5744 North 71st Street, Longmont, Colorado 80503

Call 630-841-0458

Click here for more info.

EMPOWER Colorado Adams County Rainbow Center

3rd Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

2140 E 88th Ave, Thornton, CO 80229

Contact: KimNichelle Rivera 303-226-5536

EMPOWER Littleton/Aurora/Englewood

1st & 3rd Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network

155 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, CO 80112

Contact Carol Villa at 303-790-1055 for more information or email [email protected]

NAMI Connections Recovery Support Group for Adults

Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

ADMHN Building, 3rd floor

5500 S. Sycamore St, Littleton, CO 80120

Contact: Carol

303-790-1055

NAMI Family Support Group Teleconference

2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month

Contact: [email protected]

Louisville Parent Support Group

Second Tuesday of the month 7:00 - 8:30

Art Underground

901 Front Street, Louisville, CO 80027

$25 per session; reservations required.

Call 720-352-1743.

Adult Adoptee Group

Thursdays 6:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

7950 S Lincoln St, Ste 111-E, Littleton, CO 80122

Call 303-522-3184 to register. $20 per session.

COCAF strives to provide Colorado's adoptive families with the information and resources they need to keep their families healthy and happy. If you have ideas for topics you think we should cover, please let us know. And if you find a good resource -- definitely let us know. Please forward your ideas or information to me at [email protected]. Materials received by the 20th of a month will be considered for inclusion in the next month's newsletter.

Wishing all families peace, serenity, and a good sense of humor,

Colleen Tarket, COCAF Board Member (and newsletter put-ter-together-er)

COCAF does not recommend or endorse any specific book, website, survey, study, or provider of services. The purpose of the COCAF e-newsletter is to provide families with potential resources. All information contained in this newsletter is for general informational purposes only and as is without warranty expressed or implied, and shall not constitute legal, medical, psychiatric, educational, or parenting advice. COCAF is not be liable for any damages arising from using the information in this newsletter, including direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and/or consequential damages.

No information on this site should be considered legal advice. Laws vary by state, so you are urged to research the specific laws, and your rights, within your state. If you have specific questions regarding your rights, or the laws in your state, please contact an attorney.

Use this area to provide your subscribers information about your organization.

We believe that all children have the right to a permanent loving family. We are dedicated to improving services for every pre- and post-adoptive family and to increasing the knowledge and accountability of public systems. We are committed to advocacy in state and local service planning and delivery, in support of all pre and post adoptive families.

Sincerely,

Deborah Cave, Executive Director