Supporting Georgia's adoptive and foster parents and their families

Welcome to our web site! We hope our site will allow everyone to stay in close contact with the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia, and it will also allow the Association to stay closer to Georgia's approximately 4,000 foster and adoptive parents. We encourage you to explore our information and join us!

Atlanta Regional Conference

May 18-19, 2012
Holiday Inn
450 Capitol Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
$50.00 registration fee
Friday, May 18 3pm-6pm
Saturday, May 19 9am-4pm
Opportunity for up to 10 hours of training
CPR is available for an additional $40.00
Daycare is available. $10 paid in advance. Please call our office for additional details...404-525-1095.

Conference Details and Registration Form (PDF)

There is a training class available on Friday from 3-430pm that was not listed on the registration form.

*IMPORTANT UPDATE 3-26-12*

Legislative updates can be read about in our Legislative Lingo section

Jekyll Island Reunion Conference

-A Family Affair-
April 20-22, 2012
Contact Villas by the Sea for Reservations
(912) 635-2521
Make sure that you mention AFPAG for discounted rates.
$99-efficiency
$119-1 bedroom
$139-2 bedroom
$139-3 bedroom (limited availability)
This training event promises to be enriching, family-centered, and loads of fun for all!!!

$50.00 registration fee

Laminated picture ids will be available for foster parents in Jekyll Island for $5. The I.D. badges will include your name and county. They will be available the entire conference.
Childcare will be available at the conference for $10 per child. There are a limited number of spaces.
We will be selling AFPAG T-shirts at the conference for $10 for SM,MED, LG, and X-LG. 2X-4X will be $12.
There will be a silent auction for a variety of items.
Vendors will be present at the conference including Mary Kay and author and national foster/adoptive trainer, Betty Hastings.
We will also be selling the following books:
"Toolbox for Foster Parents"-$20

"From Trial to Triumph"-$15

"From Victim to Victory"-$20.

The last two can be purchased together for a discounted price of $30.
There is a $5 charge to come on the island per day. If you do not leave the island, you only pay once.

We will be raffling a 50" tv at dinner Saturday night. Tickets are only $2 or 6 for $10!!!!!!

Free babysitting on Sunday!!!
Program for teens on Saturday!!!!!

Download/Print Registration Form

Mail your completed form to:

AFPAG
250 Georgia Ave
Ste 305
Atlanta, GA 30312

From the National Voice of Foster Parents

NFPA's committees are working hard to bring issues and ideas to the forefront. Below is a summary of issues being tackled by the Public Policy committee, chaired by David Sharp (Alabama).

Foster Parent Board Rates: Some states are looking into the rates on their own but it can be costly unless partnering with a national law firm that is looking for the positive publicity.
Foster Parent's Right to be Noticed and Heard: Would like to develop a national standard for foster parent rights.
Adoption Subsidy: Making the adoption subsidy more widely known among foster parents who are looking to adopt.
Movement of Children in Foster Care: Creating a standard for placements and transitions.
Foster Parent Privacy of Information: Foster parent information is sometimes not protected as well as it should be; foster parents' records should be guarded in the same manner as foster children's records.

2012 NFPA Education Conference

The 42nd NFPA Education Conference will be held June 15-18, 2012 at the Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort in Oak Brook, Illinois (Chicago area).

THANK YOU!!!
AFPAG would like to extend a special thank you to all foster and adoptive parents that supported us in 2011. What a busy and productive year we had! AFPAG conducted four successful regional conferences and numerous mini-conferences throughout the state. Our advocacy team advocated for a record number of foster parents. Our staff traveled as far North as Towns county and as far South as Mitchell county working for the foster and adoptive parents of Georgia. We appreciate your support and for your allowing the AFPAG staff to serve those who provide care to Georgia's children.

Thanks to all who attended our mini-conferences in October, November, and December.
The mini-conferences last from six to eight hours and are a part of AFPAG's partnership parenting initiative. The training is very interactive and highly informative.

AFPAG recently held four very successful mini-conferences in Spalding, Fulton, Sumter, and Chatham counties. There was some dynamic training given by AFPAG staff and Juvenile Court Judge Britt Hammond. Thanks to the many foster parents who came to gain knowledge regarding the care of our children.

If you are interested in having a mini-conference in your area, please contact Jane Leonard, President, AFPAG by email or telephone.

There is training available on the following dates:
May 12, 2012 in Wrens, GA (Jefferson County) at Wrens United Methodist Church
June 23, 2012 in Gainesville, GA (Hall County) location TBD
June 30, 2012 in Polk County-location TBD

More dates coming soon!!!!
Please call our office at 404-525-1095 for additional information.

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If there is anyone wishing to schedule classes for your staff or foster parents please contact Jane Leonard, President of AFPAG, by email or phone.

UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS NEAR YOU

View Training Schedule

AFPAG AND SUPREME COURT COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN (J4C) EXPAND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES ON JUVENILE COURT TOPICS

Due to the vast number of requests and inquiries, the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia (AFPAG) in partnership with the Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children (J4C) announces a unique training on issues surrounding foster parents and the courts. Juvenile Court Judge Britt Hammond and many of our local judges have agreed to meet foster parents “ Face to Face, Heart to Heart.” The seven-hour training has been designed specifically for education on the juvenile court system that will help foster parents become better advocates for the children in care. Classes such as “Right to be Heard,” “Tips for Testifying,” “Understanding the Court Proceedings Involved in your Foster Care Case” and “What is CASA?” are offered. Seven hours of training credit will be awarded for attendance.

For questions or to RSVP for these trainings, please contact Jane Leonard, grannyjleonard@bellsouth.net

Youth Scholarship Information

NFPA Scholarships

The National Foster Parent Association offers scholarships for foster youth, adopted youth, or biological youth of currently licensed foster parents, who wish to further their education beyond high school, including college or university studies, vocational/technical school,or junior college.

Please check the NFPA website, http://www.nfpaonline.org, under resources for additional information.

If you have any questions, please contact Gwen Bethea-Davis, AFPAG administrative assistant, at

gbetheadavis@yahoo.com.

Jane Leonard, President, can be reached by email at grannyjleonard@bellsouth.net.

Our mailing address is:
250 Georgia Avenue, suite 305
Atlanta, GA 30312

Our Mission
To support Foster and Adoptive parents in Georgia by:

Providing information about child welfare issues that impact them

Helping provide training to become the best Foster/Adoptive Parents they can be

Helping find solutions to the many challenges and problems that face Foster/Adoptive Parents as they help care for Georgia's abused and neglected children

Advocating about foster care and adoption issues and to provide even greater support for Georgia's Foster and Adoptive Parents

Contact Information: If you would like more information regarding the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia, please email us at afpag.atlanta@bellsouth.net

Comments? Questions? Please Complete Our Feedback Form and We Will Contact You As Soon As Possible!

Thanks For Visiting Our Site!

Thanks to the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic at Emory University and the Freddie Mac Foundation for helping us with a grant to create this website.

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