New, Improved E-tool for Adoptive Families and Professionals Unveiled by the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy April 29

April 30, 2008

Executive Director of NCALP, Denise St. Clair

The National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School (NCALP) unveiled its new Adoption and Child Welfare LawSite (www.adoptionchildwelfarelaw.org) at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

The LawSite is a free, online service for both adoptive families and professionals. It is also the nation’s only comprehensive searchable site for statutes, regulations, key cases and leading articles about adoption and child welfare law from all 50 states, all available at no charge to the user.

With the generous support of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, NCALP has been able to update, revamp and expand its original Adoption LawSite with new content devoted to child welfare issues.

Faculty Director of NCALP, Professor Angela Upchurch

“We are very excited to unveil our new site,” said Denise St. Clair, executive director of NCALP. “The new site offers new search functionality and landing pages specifically tailored to family members, legal professionals and child welfare practitioners. Since the LawSite is used by nonlegal professionals, including parents and child-welfare advocates, we provide plain English summaries of the many legal statutes, regulations and cases.”

The site is not intended to replace professional legal advice, but it equips parents with needed information about adoption.

“The LawSite was a useful tool for me and my family as we searched for information regarding cases similar to those of our daughter,” said Nadine Palmer, of Powell, Ohio, an adoptive parent who used the site to help her understand more aspects of the law when she adopted one of her three adopted children. “I think the new features of the improved site will only make it better, and I encourage all prospective adoptive parents to use the LawSite as one of their adoption resources. It is also a neat place to refer to for changes in the law and new adoption policies, even after you've completed the adoption process.”

Since its original inception in 2003, more than five million people have used the site. Other useful features on the LawSite include:

Administrator for Justice Services at the Ohio Dept of Job and Family Services, Kristin Gilbert

a “frequently asked questions” section devoted to issues that often confront families and professionals;
new child protection and permanency content, focusing on issues such as child maltreatment investigation, alternative child placements, and termination of parental rights;
a special section focused on Ohio adoption and child welfare law, policy and resources; and
an adoption subsidy component to aid adoptive parents in identifying sources of and applying for financial assistance for the adoption of children with special needs.

Public Affairs Manager at Abbott Nutrition, Sharron Kornegay

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and May is National Foster Care Month. These months highlight both the need for individuals and communities to support children and families, and the tremendous work that is being done in these areas.

According to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, there are 114,000 children in the foster care system nationwide waiting for adoption. For professionals in the field, the LawSite provides a wealth of information to assist their work. Deputy Chief Legal Counsel Kathryn Phipps Congrove wrestles with child permanency issues every day at Franklin County Children Services (Ohio) and finds “the LawSite to be a wonderful resource for practitioners. NCALP’s LawSite is not only a boon for us locally but also for people working in the field nationwide.”