Belonging for all
At the Belonging Network, we believe that everyone needs to belong. We’re working for a world where every child and youth has the love, stability, and support they need to reach their fullest potential.
To do this, we focus on three things: finding families for BC’s waiting children and youth, supporting families created through adoption and permanency at every stage of their journeys, and supporting youth in and from care as they grow up and enter adulthood.
Becoming a place to belong
The Belonging Network (previously the Adoptive Families Association of BC) was founded in 1977 by adoptive parents who wanted to work together to support families like theirs.
The world of child welfare has changed significantly since then. We’ve seen fewer and fewer adoptions over the years. What has become more common is a diverse range of permanency arrangements, such as relatives raising relatives, guardianships, and Indigenous customary care. This changing pattern reflects the growing emphasis on keeping children with families and communities whenever possible.
We chose the Belonging Network as our new name to signal that we are a place meant for all adoptive and permanency families and youth in and from government care. This new name also represents a step towards truth and reconciliation. We want to work in harmony with Indigenous peoples, for whom the word adoption often has painful associations.
Our people
Board of Directors
The Belonging Network is governed by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors, many of whom have a direct connection to adoption and other forms of permanency, government care, and child welfare. Their passion, perspectives, oversight and encouragement help protect and propel the organization forward.
Join our Board
Take a seat at our virtual table. When you serve on the Board of the Belonging Network, you’ll be helping to ensure adoptive and permanency families, waiting children, and youth from care get the support they need to thrive.
If you’re interested in board service, please reach out to our Board chair Adrienne Murphy (boardchair@belongingnetwork.com) with a letter of interest along with either a resume or a LinkedIn profile.
Our team
Our dedicated team is passionate about supporting adoption and permanency families and youth from care. We each contribute our professional skills and lived experiences in pursuit of service excellence.
