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Adoption


The word alone seems full of questions. The process is unknown to most who haven't been through it, as are the rewards.

Concerned Persons For Adoption (CPFA) is a non-profit organization in the State of New Jersey dedicated to the belief that every child deserves a family. CPFA is not an adoption agency, but a volunteer organization working to support those who wish to adopt, and to provide educational and networking resources to those who have adopted.
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Join us for our Upcoming Events
 
The 2026 CPFA-NJ Calendar of events link:
 
 
Mark your calendar for upcoming CPFA events.
More information about upcoming events will be posted closer to day of events.
 
To view our 2026 postcard, click link below:
 
    
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For any questions or information about CPFANJ upcoming events,
please contact us at:
 
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September - National Kinship Care Month

November - National Adoption Month
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Join us for the next Can We Talk
 
Friday, September 18, 8:00 pm-9:30 pm, Search and Reunion
 
Join us on Zoom for “Search and Reunion,” Presenters, April Dinwoodie (transracial adult adopted person) and Amy Strickler, LMSW. Both Adoptions persons and families are welcome.

Part 3 of a 3-part series on Identity & Transracial Adoption

CPFA’s next Can We Talk?

Friday, September 18, 8-9:30 pm, EDT via Zoom

Search and Reunion

Join April Dinwoodie - speaker, advocate, and transracially adopted person and Amy Strickler -LMSW, LSW, adoptive mom and adopted person for a virtual presentation and open discussion about search and reunion of adopted persons and biological family.


RSVP by September 17, 2026

 
 

About the Presenters

 
April Dinwoodie is a speaker, advocate, and transracially adopted person dedicated to advancing conversations on adoption, identity, and belonging. She is the Founder of AdoptMent and Executive Director of Transracial Journeys, where she works with families and organizations to support healthy identity development and more inclusive practices. April is also the host of the podcast Born in June, Raised in April.
 
 
 
Amy Strickler, LMSW, LSW, is a social work educator and adoption advocate with over 30 years of child welfare experience. She is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Assistant Director of the Intensive Weekend MSW Program at Rutgers School of Social Work. Amy is also an adoptive mom and adopted person in reunion with her biological family, bringing both professional and personal experience to her work in adoption advocacy.
 
Below is the PDF file for the event:
 
 
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SAVE THE DATE!
 
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
 
Join Us for our 12th Annual
Concerned Persons for Adoption (CPFA) Family Conference
For Youth ages 8-16 and their Parents/Caregivers
(Doors open at 8:30 AM for registration and light breakfast)
 
New Conference Location!
Immaculate Conception School
41 Mountain Avenue
Somerville, NJ 08876

Our half-day series of workshops are open to pre-adoptive parents, adoptive parents,
foster parents, foster children and adoptees.

Registration and workshop details coming soon.
FREE for current CPFA members, $25 fee per family for non-members.
This fee will entitle your family to a year of CPFA membership.

For more information, please contact Michelle Mulhern, Conference Coordinator
at 201-400-4465 or [email protected]
 
Please see conference flyer below:
 
 

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For those who have adopted an International Child:

Now would be a good time to review your child’s adoption documentation.

  • Birth Certificate
  • Certificate of Citizenship / Naturalization papers
  • Current Passports. If do not have a US passport, to apply for one.
  • First Adoption Decree
  • Social Security Card (with updated citizenship status if obtained prior to obtaining citizenship)

Even if you have a certificate of citizenship for your child, their status may not be listed correctly with Social Security. To check, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.

For more info: www.ssa.gov/ ssnumber/ss5doc.htm

Other documents you may want to obtain are:

  • Drivers License (if of age)
  • State ID card if do not have a drivers license
  • Voter registration if over 18. Will ask you of want to register when applying for drivers license/state id card if they are over 18.

You can click the link below for information on Proof of Citizenship for U.S. Citizens: Documents Used (2024):

https://www.uscitizenship.info/us-citizenship/proof-of-us-citizenship/

This link can be used to Request for the Return of Original Documents: https://www.uscis.gov/g-884

 Below is a link to review Intercountry adoptee rights and safety guide:
 
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 Stepping Out of Adoption’s Shadow:
Confronting the Problem of Unlicensed Adoption Intermediaries and Online Advertising in Private Domestic Adoption 
 

by Celeste Liversidge, Esq. and Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard


A surge in online adoption advertising and the proliferation of unlicensed adoption intermediaries (aka "baby brokers") in the past decade have created a troubling landscape for those impacted by private domestic adoption. Licensed adoption professionals, policymakers, and child welfare advocates should work together to safeguard the well-being of all parties involved in private domestic adoption through education, law enforcement, and legislation.

 

 
 
Below is the link for the complete article: 
 
 
 
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 For a PDF version of this article, click below:
 
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For any questions, inquiries or information about CPFANJ or upcoming events, please contact us at:
 
 
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CPFA offers a great opportunity to network with other adoptive parents. CPFA is not an adoption agency, but a volunteer organization working to support those who wish to adopt, and provide educational and networking resources to those who have adopted. Membership is encouraged and is open to anyone concerned with adoption.
 
If you would like to make a tax deductable donation to CPFA please use this link:
 
 
Questions? Click the Contact Us page and send us an e-mail! 
  
 
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