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C2Adopt is a Licensed Child-Placing Agency in Virginia that works first from a family preservation perspective. They provide a continuum of services from pre-placement through post placement and beyond to assure that every family can thrive. Jennifer Surratt is the Director of Programs and has been at C2 since 2004.
Tell us a little about your agency and your role there.
I haven’t found another agency that innovates quite like C2Adopt. C2Adopt was the first agency to do fully open, fully disclosed adoptions in the Commonwealth when others thought openness was a bad idea. Now it’s standard practice for adoptions to be inclusive of all of a child’s connections – including birth family. We were the first agency to complete fully open, fully disclosed home studies for LGBTQ+ parents seeking to expand their family through adoption, even prior to Obergefell v. Hodges. And we began a journey for trauma-informed training and clinical services in the early 2000s through a federal research grant in partnership with VCU. These are just a few of the things I’m proud to share about what C2Adopt has done to advance better outcomes for children and families.
When and how did your agency become involved with the GRTICN?
C2Adopt is a founding member of the TICN. In 2012, we had a meeting with Greater Richmond SCAN, our administrative staff at C2Adopt and Dr. Allison Sampson to discuss the need for more trauma-informed knowledge and practices in our child welfare system. From that meeting began the first meetings in the Richmond area around trauma-informed practices. SCAN took the lead and then continued to grow and develop the TICNs that exist now across the entire Commonwealth. Proof that a few people with an idea can indeed foster significant change!
How has your agency’s participation in the GRTICN impacted its practices and policies?
We have a unique view through our adoption competent lens. As such, we recognize the intersection between trauma, attachment and the Core Issues in Permanency (Sharon Rozia and Deborah Silverstein) and understand that both micro and macro practices are needed to bring change. It matters what zip code a family lives in as a predictor for accessing the kind of services and supports that lead to healthier child development. It matters how we approach families in crisis who either feel that they cannot parent their child or where the child welfare system has concerns about their ability to safely parent their child(ren). And it matters that we work with children directly to help them make sense of their story and prepare for next steps – while we also work tirelessly to improve the communities and supports around ALL families so that children can remain in their families and communities. We regularly use the resources and insights of our colleagues at the GRTICN and we are able to echo and share to others about the work happening in all systems to better support a trauma-informed Virginia.
What are some trauma-informed/resilience-building initiatives or goals your agency is currently working toward?
Right now – as Director of Programs – I’m trying to think through the things that help staff manage the stress of the world right now. So many of us are in this dual position as helpers to be supporting clients through experiences that are also occurring for us (financial stressors, concerns about jobs or services, etc). I was previously trained through a TICN hosted training for Trauma-Informed Supervision and I continue to utilize my training in my day to day with our staff to support them. I’m hopeful that through being more purposeful in my supervision and through whole staff resilience activities, we will maintain the kind of culture at C2Adopt that helps folks feel well supported in their work.
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