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We provide high quality adoption services and programs for adopted children of color, including placement services and post-adoption support and education for families and children.

Description:
We are currently working on 4 or 5 adoptions per month. Not only are we placing more children, we are also doing an excellent job of recruiting same race families, particularly African American families. In the last year approximately two-thirds of our placements were in same race families.

The adoption program continues to be central to Pact's mission. The landscape of adoption is changing. As we all see in the news, there are many professionals in the business of adoption -- a dangerous reality when children are involved. Across the nation, adoption professionals are focusing on yellow pages and other forms of expensive advertising as they seek to expand their practices. They are recruiting birth parents eager to place their African American infants for adoption but are often unable to attract families who are prepared to adopt African American children. Pact receives calls regularly from women across the country who are looking for families for infants of color, many African American. We also receive many calls from adoption agencies across the country looking for placements for African American infants, because they have no families at all who are prepared to adopt these babies. That is where Pact is strong. Against the odds and contrary to national norms, Pact is succeeding at recruiting and retaining families available to adopt infants of color who need families. We need to sustain our recruitment to ensure that families continue to be available for the children who need them.

A more recent and disturbing trend that we have become aware of is agencies creating "African American" placement programs and offering their services to expectant mothers, but placing no emphasis at all on recruiting African American families, nor expending much effort on preparing the white families they serve to parent children of color. The more families Pact has available when agencies and expectant parents call, the more likely it is that children will be placed in families who can actually meet their needs. We know that many of the barriers to adoption for African American families consist of misunderstandings about how adoption works and fears generated by media stories about adoptions that don't work. To recruit families we counter this with real stories and concrete information that clarifies the truth about adoption and Pact's knowledge and ability to help families navigate the system.

We have begun with targeted recruitment in the churches and places of employment where our volunteer families are already members. The next phase of the recruitment plan will focus on community groups and medical practices as well as wider exposure through community focused media and PSAs (public service announcements).

Strengthening support for families after adoption to include direct services for adopted children themselves. Pact has always been clear about two things: our primary client is the child and adoption is a life long issue, not simply a way for a child to join a family. School-aged and older children need appropriate services to reflect their developmental stages, including opportunities to express their feelings about being adopted and find peers who share their issues.

History:
Pact was incorporated as a non-profit in 1991.

Contact people:

Debroah Fuqua, Office Administrator, (phone), (email) Beth Hall, Director, (phone), (email) Susan Ito, Camp Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (510) 243-9460

Address:

4179 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 330 Oakland, CA 94611 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.pactadopt.org

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: MacArthur Bart Station

Miscellaneous Information

Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency?
	Spanish
What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency?
	15
Is your agency wheelchair accessible?
	Yes
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10?
	Yes
Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20?
	No