Adoption Competency Network: Workforce Brief

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Adoption Competency Network Workforce Brief! We’re excited to have you with us as part of the community supporting the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) and our programs—including The National Center, NTI, TAC, and The Academy—to ensure all those connected to adoption, foster, and kinship care have what they need to thrive.

The Adoption Competency Network is dedicated to equipping providers and systems with the knowledge and skills needed to thoughtfully respond to the clinical and relational needs of children and families impacted by child welfare. Through this quarterly newsletter, we’ll share insights, resources, and updates that reflect this mission and the meaningful work happening across our network.

The Adoption Competency Network has experienced significant growth over the past two years. We are inspired by the momentum of our partners, who have built a collaborative system that promotes community, learning, and compassion. Through our collective efforts, we are increasing workforce capacity, elevating adoption competent training across the child welfare, mental health, and education sectors, and expanding access to effective adoption competent clinical practices. Our work has fostered a more connected, informed, and compassionate support network. From expanding state-of-the-art training through the National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI as well as NTI-Ed) to advancing clinical excellence via the Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) and the C.A.S.E. Academy, the National Center is building systems that support permanency, ensure families feel understood, and give children every opportunity to succeed.

Reflecting on Two Years of Progress & Partnership

Letter from Mary Wichansky, the Director of the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services

As we mark two years since the founding of the National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services, I am proud of the remarkable progress we have made toward our vision: ensuring every child and family who has experienced the child welfare system can truly thrive.

Our mission is clear—strengthening the capacity of States, Tribes, and Territories to deliver adoption competent, trauma-informed, and responsive mental health services. We believe that three essential pillars unlock better outcomes for families:

Workforce Development
Access to Adoption Competent Care
Cross-System Collaboration

Through our work, we raise awareness about the importance of care that recognizes the impact of child welfare experience and helps families to heal. Professionals must be equipped to understand and address the effects of early trauma, separation, and loss, meeting the complex needs of children and families with empathy and expertise.

Expanding Adoption Competency Across Systems

Most graduate programs don't teach the specialized skills needed to support families formed through adoption, foster care, or kinship arrangements. NTI is a great place to start and can be a valuable resource at every stage of the adoption-competent journey. The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) and the School-Based Mental Health Professionals Training (NTI-Ed) are free, state-of-the-art, web-based trainings designed to equip professionals across child welfare, mental health, and education. They provide practical, adoption-competent strategies and tools to support the permanency of children and their foster, kinship, and adoptive families.

NTI enhances the skills of child welfare and mental health providers, preparing them to address trauma, loss, identity, and the complex dynamics that impact families. Our school-based training, NTI-Ed, extends this expertise into educational settings, helping educators understand how these experiences affect learning, behavior, and relationships—so they can respond with compassion and intentional strategies.

Through implementation support, our specialists help systems, organizations, and schools incorporate these practices into their daily work. They assist with planning, modeling, and integrating the training into existing structures, serving as strategic partners in the transition from awareness to action.

Adoption Competency Matters

What does working with adoption competent mental health clinicians mean for adoptive families?

Two recent PolicyWorks, Ltd., studies comparing parents’ views on treatment with Training for Adoption Competency Professionals (TAC)-trained vs non-TAC-trained clinicians showed that families treated by TAC-trained clinicians were significantly more satisfied with the services received and the outcomes of those services. These studies, released on Dec. 10, 2025 , were made possible by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

It has been clearly shown that the TAC 72-hour instructor-led training makes a difference to families. The TAC, developed by C.A.S.E., is the nation’s only accredited, assessment-based certificate program in adoption competency for mental health practitioners. The 72-hour instructor-led training includes clinical case consultation, and the evaluation efforts show...

C.A.S.E. Academy for Elevating Clinical Practice in Permanency

The C.A.S.E. Academy supports clinicians at every stage of their careers who are seeking to deepen their knowledge bases and skill sets to benefit their adoption-competent mental health practices! Findings from the 2025 Academy Evaluation Report clearly show promising gains for participants in both professional development and overall work satisfaction. Clinicians who want a recharged perspective, and arrange time to engage with the Academy, can grow professionally through:

Advanced Coursework for those who have already completed NTI and/or the TAC. The Academy continues to release brand new courses, including Parent and Family Therapy this past November and the Voices of Birth/First Mothers coming in January!

Learning Cohorts integrate learning for an entire year through collective groups with peers.

Clinical Library: the first of its kind in adoption competent practice, the instructional videos in the Academy offer one-of-a-kind topical lessons coupled with therapy session simulations. The Developing Professionals collection has launched 11 videos, and the new Advanced Practitioners collection has just released its first video, "Adoption Competent Clinical Assessments with Parents."

The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) is a national leader transforming the mental health of the adoption, foster, and kinship care community.
Learn more at: adoptionsupport.org