Dawn Davenport is a leading expert in adoption, infertility, and orphan care. In addition to serving as the Executive Director of Creating a Family, she is the host of Creating a Family’s award winning national radio show, a weekly radio show since 2007 that interviews top experts on all aspects of adoption, adoptive parenting and infertility. She speaks prolifically at national infertility and adoption conferences, including keynotes at national and regional conferences. For more information about having Dawn Davenport speak at your event or conference, please contact info@creatingafamily.
Common Topics:
Post Adoption Education & Support: Adoption doesn’t end when you bring your child home: it is just beginning. As adoptions increasingly become more open and special needs, adoptive families continue to need support and education after the adoption is finalized. Adoption agencies and attorneys often struggle with how to effectively provide this education and support. Davenport has presented often on this topic including the following presentations: Post Adoption Support: Gaps, Needs & Solutions; Creating an Effective, Sustainable, & Affordable Post Adoption Program for Families; and Post Adoption Support: Reaching this Current Generation of Adoptive Families.
Transitioning from Infertility Treatment to Adoption: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) and adoption are often viewed as two distinct methods of family building, but in reality that boundary is far more fluid. Eighty percent of people- come to adoption after having first tried infertility treatment, and some families return to ART after successfully adopting. Davenport’s presentations address how both infertility and adoption professionals can best help prospective parents navigate the unique needs and challenges that come with the decision to move from fertility treatment to adoption.
The Changing Face of Adoption: This generation of adoption looks quite different from adoptions 15 or even 5 years ago. How and why has adoption changed, and what do these changes mean for parents, professionals, the community, and especially the children? Davenport charts the growing trends in adoption and discusses how the adoption community much change to meet the evolving needs.
Third Party Reproduction: Third party reproduction such as donor sperm, donor egg, donor embryo and surrogacy present unique challenges to the infertile and the professionals working with them. Davenport helps infertility professionals think through the issues their patients will face and how to best help families cope.
Open Adoption: 95% of domestic infant adoptions are open adoptions, and research has shown that when done well, all members of the adoption triad can benefit. However, open adoption is an umbrella term that can mean very different things to different people. Davenport explains why open adoption is important and provides valuable tips for adoption professionals helping prospective adoptive families and expectant mothers build a successful, healthy relationship.
Coping with the Grief of Infertility and Deciding on Your Best Path Forward: Infertility involves many losses, with the loss of being able to parent being only one. Understanding these losses is important for both patients and professionals. Davenport discusses the range of emotions often felt by families struggling to conceive and offers concrete tips on how to cope during difficult times.
The Internet and Social Media in Adoption: Social media and the internet have revolutionized domestic, international and foster care adoption. Perspective parents use social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter to find expectant mothers or to crowdfund their adoption costs. Meanwhile, adoption agencies use photo-listings to find families for harder to place children. Davenport highlights the possibilities and the pitfalls of social media’s role in adoption and provides a roadmap for how to maximize its potential.
Availability of Infertility Nurse Continuing Education: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is an ever evolving field and it is important for infertility nurses to be up to date on the most recent trends and research. However, continuing education opportunities are infrequent and difficult to schedule. Davenport discusses the different options for continuing education for infertility nurses.
Previous Speaking Engagements:
National Council for Adoption (NCFA)*
North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)
Midwest Reproductive Symposium
American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (AAAA)
American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AAARTA)
Joint Council on International Children’s Services
Florida Adoption Council
Resolve Adoption Conference*
Southern Piedmont Adoptive Families of America (SPAFA)*