Educating Healthcare Workers on Adoption as an Option

On Wednesday, February 1, Adoption STAR was proud to deliver the “pilot” presentation of the updated 2012 Infant Adoption Awareness Training Project (IAATP) Presentation at the Planned Parenthood of Western New York.

The IAATP is funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services and provides adoption awareness and education to healthcare professionals. The project is offered in all 50 states, and Spaulding For Children, an organization in Southfield, Michigan, is in charge of the Project in 27 states, including New York. Spaulding subcontracts this grant to trusted adoption agencies, and Adoption STAR has been its host agency in New York since 2007.

Spaulding for Children has completed several revisions to the IAATP training over the course of the project’s lifetime, and their most recent revision was completed in January 2012. Any number of trainings transpiring in February in any of the other 26 states Spaulding for Children works with could have been chosen to deliver the first training with the updated material, but Adoption STAR was absolutely thrilled that our agency (and in turn New York State) was their first choice.

A big “thank you” to Spaulding staff members Jean Niemann and Diane Fox for traveling from Michigan to Buffalo to observe the training on February 1, and kudos to Planned Parenthood of Western New York for working to ensure the over 30 staff members in attendance received a thorough education on the option of adoption.

If you would like to host or attend a training session, please contact Adoption STAR IAATP Project Lead, Michael Hill, by email or phone at (716)639-3900.

For more information on the IAATP, you can also listen to an Adoption STAR podcast (below) with Michael Hill.