Resources for Adoptive Families and More

Whether you are just beginning the adoption process or have already welcomed home your child through adoption, there are pre- and post-adoption support resources available to better equip you and your family. With more research and insight coming to light over the past several years, our understanding of the unique needs of children who have been impacted by adoption and/or foster care has grown significantly. Today, there is tangible, accessible help and support in the form of books, podcasts, conferences, and access to professionals who are specifically trained in serving children and families impacted by adoption and/or foster care. 

No matter where you are on the adoption journey, remember the journey doesn’t end the day a child is welcomed home. The truth is, the journey is just beginning. Children impacted by adoption or foster care have often experienced early attachment injuries related to loss, abuse, trauma, and/or neglect. Their needs can be unique and complex, and traditional, typical parenting may not serve them well. But there is hope and help in the form of practical teaching and resources to better equip parents, families, and caregivers meeting the everyday needs of children impacted by adoption and/or foster care.

Hope for the Journey Conference

Show Hope’s annual Hope for the Journey Conference aims to guide parents and everyday caregivers to a deeper understanding of their children’s needs. By introducing robust resources and sharing practical experiences of successes and failures of the day-to-day, we hope parents and caregivers will leave encouraged as they continue to care well for their children.

“It is our prayer that the Hope for the Journey Conference will serve as an encouragement for children and families,” Show Hope Co-founder Mary Beth Chapman shared. “As it has been for more than a decade, our vision will not waver in working to provide practical resources and teaching to better equip parents, care providers, and churches in their journeys to love and care well for the children entrusted to them.”

Additional Support

The adoption journey is not met to be traveled alone. We need community, help, and support—for others to come alongside us. That may be a professional, such as a counselor or therapist, who has received specialized training in how to best support children and families impacted by adoption or foster care. It could also be parents who have been on a similar road and now offer classes and community for others through Empowered to Connect Parent Training. Use the link above to find resources in your community or to learn more about upcoming training opportunities.

Further Recommendations

At Show Hope, we are committed to caring holistically for children impacted by adoption or foster care and the families who love and care for them. Our Founders, Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, are dedicated to the “long game”—to go deep with children and families both pre- and post-adoption. With that in mind, there are a number of different readings, DVD series, and other resources to help bring hope and healing.

Adoption Aid Grants

One of the primary barriers standing between waiting children and families is the cost associated with adoption. The cost of adoption can range between $25,000 and $50,000, and this is simply outside the reach of many families. Show Hope’s Adoption Aid grants help break down that cost and have been a part of helping more than 7,900 children come home to the love, security, and permanency of a family.

Medical Care Grants

Many children who have been orphaned live with medical needs, with limited access to adequate healthcare. And once home, rising medical costs and access to treatment can be overwhelming for families. With this in mind, Show Hope now offers Medical Care grants to families post-adoption to help break down these financial and medical barriers. Knowing financial resources are available to help offset expenses related to caring for a child’s complex needs, it is our prayer that a family will feel more confident in their ability to provide for a child after welcoming him or her home through adoption.

Pause Campaign

The truth is, you don’t have to wait until adulthood or parenthood to make a difference in the lives of waiting children. Through Show Hope’s Student Initiatives, thousands of college- and high school-aged students have been engaged, having their eyes opened to the realities and needs of children who have been orphaned. In fact, Show Hope’s Pause Campaign teaches, equips, and mobilizes today’s youth with insight and tools for caring well for children and families impacted by adoption and foster care—not just in the future but today.  

The adoption journey is not meant to be traveled alone. Depending on the situation or the season, it may be a resource like “The Connected Child” or the Hope for the Journey Conference. It might be a support group in your church community, studying together “Created to Connect.” Or it may be a time of counseling and therapies from a trusted, trained professional. Whatever the case may be, remember to reach for help. You are not alone. 

For additional adoption and foster care resources, we invite you to explore our work in Pre+Post Adoption Support.