National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital Receives Congressional Angel in Adoption Award

September 9, 2008

The National Center for Adoption Law & Policy (NCALP) at Capital University Law School has been named a 2008 Angel in Adoption™ for its outstanding advocacy on behalf of children who are involved in our nation’s child welfare systems and the assistance it provides professionals who serve these children. NCALP will be honored, along with more than 180 Angels, at an awards ceremony and gala event in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16.

The Angels in Adoption™ program, organized by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), is a public awareness program that gives all members of the U.S. Congress the opportunity to honor the good work of their constituents who are improving the lives of children in need of permanent homes. Last year, more than 190 Members of Congress participated, making it the year’s single most significant Congressional event pertaining to child welfare in the United States. 

Ohio Congresswoman Deborah Pryce, a 1976 graduate of Capital University Law School, nominated NCALP for this honor, stating, “We are fortunate to have the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy in my home town of Columbus, Ohio. The Center is an excellent resource for family members and practitioners, providing a multitude of information services that can help the general public understand and navigate complex adoption laws and procedures. As an adoptive parent, legislator and Capital University Law School alumna, I am proud to have partnered with the center on a number of initiatives and am delighted for the opportunity to honor the great work of the center.”

“Representative Pryce has worked closely with the center over the years and she was instrumental in securing federal funding for the original Adoption and Child Welfare LawSite (www.adoptionchildwelfarelaw.org) we created,” said Denise St. Clair, executive director of NCALP. “We are deeply honored that she nominated us for this national award. As an adoptive parent herself, she understands our mission and the need for an efficient child welfare system that will move children safely into loving, permanent homes.”

St. Clair and Real Living Academic Director Professor Angela Upchurch will meet with members of Congress and attend the White House Lawn Celebration, the Angels in Adoption Pin Ceremony on Capitol Hill and the Angels in Adoption Gala. More than 850 people are expected to attend. Notables at previous galas have included former National Angels First Lady Laura Bush, Muhammad Ali, Wendy’s Founder Dave Thomas and Bruce Willis. 

“It’s very fitting that Capital’s National Center for Adoption Law & Policy has been honored as an Angel in Adoption™ ,” said Dean Jack A. Guttenberg. “Their excellent work is not only positively impacting children in our adoption and foster care systems locally, but nationally as well. With this well-deserved recognition and honor, they are joining a prestigious group of local organizations and individuals who have previously been named Angels in Adoption, including the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption which provided seed funding to create the center.”

About the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy
Since 1998, NCALP has achieved national prominence in the areas of adoption and child permanency and has become the source for timely, substantive adoption information. Through its core services, the center addresses three systemic issues in adoption and child welfare:

• the lack of up-to-date, user-friendly information for families and professionals;
• the need for more educational and training opportunities for current and future child welfare practitioners; and
• the need for law and policy reform to bring about improved outcomes for children in need of permanent homes.

In a given year, the center directly touches the lives of over 5,000 people and impacts thousands more indirectly. It accomplishes this through the coordination of several educational programs for students, offering symposia for academicians and practitioners, providing information and research services for the general public, sponsoring comprehensive educational programs for prospective adoptive parents, and managing several other special projects related to advocacy and system reform. The center maintains the Adoption and Child Welfare LawSite (www.adoptionchildwelfarelaw.org), a Web site that provides user-friendly information on adoption and child welfare law for all 50 states, as well as helpful resource pages for adoption and child welfare stakeholders. This Web site averages approximately 2,500 hits per day.

About the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes through adoption.  CCAI’s goal is the elimination of the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family. For more information visit www.ccainstitute.org.