Pat O’Brien is the Executive Director of the Adoptive & Foster Family Coalition of New York, after recently serving for 2.5 years as the Director of the Coalition’s post adoption program called AGAPE in both Long Island and Rockland County.

The Coalition unites foster, adoptive and kinship care families, giving them a voice andproviding support, information and advocacy. By fostering communication and collaboration between families, agencies and concerned citizens, we seek to ensure the stability, well-being and permanency of all children touched by the child welfare system.

The Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York provides support, information and advocacy for foster, kinship and adoptive families and related professionals in New York State. Incorporated in 1975, they provide services to help support families and their children. They educate the public, legislators and government leaders about the needs and realities of foster, kinship and adoptive families. Finally, they collaborate with child welfare agencies and other groups to ensure that families are best able to support and parent the children in their homes.