B3 – Meeting the Complex Mental Health Needs of Children Moving to Permanency by Enhancing Adoption Competency for Child Welfare and Mental Health Professionals    

Children and youth in foster care, adoption, and guardianship often have diverse unmet mental health needs. Parents who adopt cite finding competent mental health services as one of their greatest obstacles. Child welfare and mental health professionals serving these families often have limited understanding of the complex issues around adoption—including trauma, grief, loss, and identity—that contribute to common mental health problems and challenges for families. This presentation will include discussion about the need for adoption competency training for child welfare and mental health professionals, and present an overview and evaluation findings from two trainings available nationally: NTI Trainings and Training for Adoption Competency (TAC).

Presenters: Dawn Wilson, Center for Adoption Support & Education, Burtonsville, MD; Bonni Goodwin, The Center for Child Welfare Training & Simulation, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK