NYS Adoption Services (NYSAS)

Children of all ages are waiting to be adopted. NYS Adoption Service (NYSAS) welcomes responsible, caring adults who are ready to share their time, their hearts, and their lives with our waiting children. When you adopt a waiting child, you will be giving that child a permanent family and another chance in life. All children deserve a loving, committed, safe, and permanent family.

We encourage you to use our website to learn more about the process of adoption in New York State. We trust you will find it an informative and useful guide as you make this most important decision to parent a child. Below, you will find questions about the different types of adoption in New York State. The primary focus of OCFS is the adoption of children from foster care, but there are other adoption processes such as adopting a child who is not in foster care or adopting internationally.

Adoption is a process that creates a binding, legal relationship between parent and child. It is strongly recommended you consult with an adoption attorney while navigating any formal legal process, including adoption.

NYS Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped

The mission of the NYS Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) is to enhance employability, to maximize independence, and to assist in the development of the capacities and strengths of people who are legally blind. CBVH provides vocational rehabilitation and other direct services to legally blind New York State residents, including children, adults, and elderly persons.

One of CBVH's primary objectives is to assist consumers in achieving economic self-sufficiency and full integration into society. CBVH offers these services from seven district offices across the state. CBVH works closely with not-for-profit agencies for the blind throughout New York State to provide technical, educational and resource assistance to our consumers.

NYS Kinship Navigator

The NYS Kinship Navigator is an information, referral and advocacy program for kinship caregivers in New York State. A kinship caregiver is an individual that is caring for a child that is not biologically their own. In New York State, there are an estimated 179,000 caregivers, 131,000 of whom are grandparents raising grandchildren. Many others are aunts and uncles.

The Navigator seeks to assist these caregivers by providing information on financial assistance, legal information and referrals, and other types of issues that caregivers face when raising children in order to provide stability and permanency in the home. 

View the NYS County Kinship Care Resource Map

Office for New Americans - Opportunity Centers

The NYS Office for New Americans (ONA) provides free services to all immigrants in New York State. To locate ONA services and providers near you visit: www.newamericans.ny.gov or call the New York State New Americans Hotline: 1-800-566-7636 (Monday to Friday 9 am – 8 pm). All call information is confidential. Assistance is available in 200+ languages.

Opportunity Centers

ONA’s statewide network of community-based Opportunity Centers provides free and confidential services including Naturalization support & civics test preparation; Free legal services through the ONA Legal Counsels; Informational community workshops & seminars. 

ONA Community Navigators

ONA Immigrant Community Navigators are a grassroots network of individuals who help to link immigration-related services and information to those most in need.

Golden Door

The Golden Door program offers mental health support groups for immigrant families across the state and connects to other free resources.

Ramirez June Initiative

The ONA Developmental Disabilities Navigator builds the capacity of ONA’s community partners to provide targeted assistance to new Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). If you would like to connect with this initiative or schedule a presentation contact NewAmericans@dos.ny.gov

Cell-Ed

ONA offers Mobile English Language Learning through Cell-Ed, a program that allows you to learn English on the go, anywhere, anytime on your mobile device. Cell-Ed is a free and confidential English-language learning program for all language levels available on any type of cell phone.

Legal Services

ONA Legal Counsels regularly hold legal consultation days at each ONA Opportunity Centers and can provide you with support for naturalization as well as other legal services.

The Liberty Defense Project (LDP) provides legal services to all immigrants, regardless of their status. LDP partners across New York State provide the following: Free legal services including consultations and direct representation for all immigrants, including those facing deportation; Urgent legal assistance through the LDP Regional Rapid Response program; Know Your Rights trainings; Law-related support to families of those who are in removal proceedings or have been deported.