September 2025 NFPA ConnectU Newsletter

National Foster Parent Association Newsletter - September 2025

The NFPA is a respected national voice for Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents through Networking, Education and Advocacy.

Arnie Eby, NFPA Executive Director

September is Kinship Care Month & FASD Awareness Month

September is a time to honor the incredible role Kinship Caregivers play in the lives of children and families. Whether the Kinship care provider is a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, or close family friend (fictive kin), they provide children with a sense of stability, love, and belonging during challenging times.

To our foster parents who are stepping into kinship roles—thank you. Your compassion and dedication strengthen the entire care system and make a lasting difference. This month, we celebrate you—your resilience, love, and unwavering support for the children who need you most.

This month, we also recognize FASD Awareness Month, and offer encouragement to the parents of children who are affected. FASD may impact how your child learns, communicates, or behaves—but it doesn't define their worth or potential. Your patience, advocacy, and commitment contribute to their healthy development.

Thank you to all of these special parents, and please enjoy this month of recognition.

Arnie

A message from the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, a Project of Generations United

Nearly 2.5 million children in the U.S. are growing up in kinship families.

Kids in kinship families are being raised by grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends. These families keep children safe and loved, yet often go unseen and unsupported.

Research is clear: when children can’t stay with their parents, they do best with relatives.

Kinship families offer greater stability and permanency, stronger connections to cultural identity, better mental health and behavioral outcomes, and deeper community links than non-kin foster families.

Kin caregivers face unique challenges.

Unlike parents, they do not have automatic legal rights—and they often step in unexpectedly, during a crisis, to raise a child they did not plan for.

Kinship families are strong—but systems weren’t built with them in mind.

Too often, caregivers face barriers enrolling kids in school, accessing healthcare, or securing stable housing. It’s inequitable and unjust. It’s time to redesign systems to recognize, respect, and support kinship families.

Learn more >>

September is FASD (Fetal Alchohol Spectrum Disorder) Awareness Month!

Visit the 'FASD Awareness Month 2025' PAGE on the FASD United website for a wealth of resources on this topic, including:

'A Seat at the Table', an index of information about all aspects of FASD from Healthcare, Disability, Justice, Child Welfare, Mental Health, and more;
The 2024 Symposium WhitePaper, 'Co-Creating Recommendations for Progress in the FASD';
Field and Community
Family Navigator program providing one-on-one peer support, referrals, info about prenatal alcohol exposure, and more;
Resource Directory, included by-state information.

Also, read the FASD United blog about the month's offerings.

Survey Invitation From Our Friends at the IRS

We need your two cents.

The #IRS is looking for feedback on free government and private-sector tax filing services.

If you’d like to anonymously share your opinions and preferences, please visit:

https://ow.ly/X4GC50WKirp

NFPA's 54th Education Conference
Targeted. Timely. Presented by Experts.

Our 2025 Virtual Conference will be available online from October 10 - 20th.

LIVE Sessions will follow on October 24th and 28th.

The Sessions

Sleep Health for Children in Foster Care
Adoption Assistance and the Federal Adoption Tax Credit
FASD: What Every Foster or Adoptive Parent Should Know
Three Things a Foster Kid Wishes Their Foster Parent Would Know - or, Ask
The Need and Value of Peer-to-Peer Supports ('Why I Believe in Peer to Peer Supports')
Missing and Exploited Children - Statistics, Safety Trends, and Prevention Resources
Foster Children and Education - Rights and Resources
Keynote - 'Many Stories, One Community in Collaboration'

See our website for more details on the sessions and our outstanding presenters.

Registration

NFPA Active Members will be automatically registered for the event.

Watch for an email on October 8th with the complete details of how to log in and take part.

The sessions will be available for you automatically on October 10th at 8am.

Not a member, but wish to attend?

The conference may be purchased by non-Members for a fee of $50.00. Confirm your space HERE.

Consider becoming a Regular Member for $35 to take advantage of the sessions for a reduced price.

Certificates will be provided for each conference session that is completed.

Stay up to date on registration opening and session details on Facebook, and at https://nfpaeducation.com

Have you signed up for a FREE NFPATI account? If not, head on over, sign up and start learning today! It's available 24/7, and you'll receive a certificate for each course that you complete.

Act Now! Registration Discounts for the 2025 Families Rising Adoption & Foster Care Conference

We’re excited to offer a limited number of registration discounts for NFPA-connected foster, kinship, and adoptive parents to attend the Families Rising 50th Annual Adoption & Foster Care Conference, taking place October 6–8, 2025 in Orlando, Florida.

Register here and enter NFPASCH in the discount field to secure your $200 registration.

Join us to:

Learn from nationally recognized speakers.
Gain practical parenting tools and resources.
Connect with others who understand your journey.

Secure your spot today and join us October 6–8 in Orlando!

Questions: conference@wearefamiliesrising.org

Back to School, Back to Safety - a PLEDGE2PROTECT Update

As nearly 50,000,000 kids head back into classrooms, the new school year also brings new devices, digital platforms and connectivity. That’s why we’re challenging all Know2Protect champions and partners to take and pass the Pledge2Protect before Labor Day.

More than 9,700 people have taken the pledge with more than 8,500 of those pledges taken by teens and kids. Let’s keep the momentum going! Help us achieve our next milestone of 15,000 pledges by next week and show what’s possible when we work together to protect every child online.

PLEDGE2PROTECT has made some fun and engaging resources available, including:

Together, let’s make this school year safer — online and off.

Downloadable Resource: Parental Controls for Safer Digital Spaces

ATTACh Conference 2026

Registration for the April, 2026 ATTACh conference, 'Healing Connections: The Heart of the Matter' will open soon! The NFPA is partnering in the development of the sessions that are dedicated to healing developmental trauma and attachment. Visit their web page to learn more, and to register to attend.