How to Advocate For Support

Gain tools and understanding to become effective advocates, whether you are working on personal needs (case advocacy) or larger issues (class advocacy). Advocates need to develop consensus, value the principle of WII-FM (what’s in it for me), craft a coherent and achievable message, gather meaningful data, and develop an advocacy agenda that can succeed. Presenters… Read more

You can use the outline below to help you craft an advocacy plan. Additional information about advocacy planning and strategies is available in the Advocacy section of our website. Step 1: Identify and understand your topic What does the problem look like? What is your topic?   Whom does this topic affect?   What’s the… Read more

The following are some recommendations for making your visits with legislators as productive as possible: State your purpose.  Make it clear who you are, where you are from, and why you have asked for this meeting. Be prepared with your information and handouts. Decide ahead of time who will introduce the group and the order… Read more

by Janet Jerve, NACAC writer/editor Before you start interviewing people or gathering personal stories to help you with your advocacy efforts, you need to first answer the what, when, where, why, how and who questions regarding your advocacy work. You should first be able to answer these questions and explain your mission to prospective speakers… Read more

Why? Legislators are rarely specialists on child welfare issues. They are generalists on a huge variety of topics—the environment, education, taxes, transportation, and many more issue areas. To influence the political process, parents must educate their elected officials on foster care and adoption. In Minnesota, we used the foster doll project to educate our legislators… Read more

NACAC has held several online trainings, which are listed below, that can help advocates work to achieve post-adoption and other support services in their communities. And attending the NACAC conference is a great way to learn about post-adoption service models and advocacy strategies… Read more

The following articles and research briefs can be very valuable in your advocacy efforts. Read them carefully and look for quotes and other information that can support your cause. If the item is available on line, we have included the link below. Background on Post-Adoption Services Adoption Support & Preservation Services: A Public Interest, The… Read more

Below you will find a number of quotes and stories that are designed to demonstrate the importance and efficacy of post-permanency support. Use these and your own quotes and stories to bolster your advocacy message. Quotes When looking for quotes, seek those that are focused on the child’s need and demonstrate an outcome (adoption or… Read more

The following are key talking points that can help in your post-permanency support program advocacy efforts. If the point is based on research, we have included the citation below. If the talking point is in quotation marks, it is a direct quote from the cited source. Feel free to use these talking points or your… Read more

In recent years, adoptions from foster care have increased significantly. Unfortunately, supportive services for families raising children with special needs have not kept pace. In some areas, post-permanency supports have even been cut or threatened with elimination. Part I of this page describes how advocates can respond to proposed reductions in services. Part II outlines… Read more

Many parent groups are organizing their efforts to help guide social service administrators and policy makers to be more responsive to the needs of foster and adoptive families. Parents want to make sure that the needs of foster and adopted children will be a priority and that services for their families will receive necessary funding… Read more