Calendar of Events
Upcoming Parent Education Opportunities
Additional trainings and classes:
- For ongoing foster and adoptive parent trainings see Utah Foster Care.
- NAMI Utah and Utah Parent Center offers trainings across the state.
- For more community classes: Utah Parent Center's Calendar.
Please contact Utah’s Adoption Connection if you wish to add an event to this website.
November 2026
11/7
10:00am - 5:00pm
Raise the Future Intro & Overview in Spanish
Date: 11/7 • 10:00am - 5:00pm
Location: Virtual
11/7
11:00am - 2:00pm
Raise the Future National Adoption Month Celebration
Date: 11/7 • 11:00am - 2:00pm
Location: Boondocks Fun Center Draper & Kaysville
November is National Adoption Month, and we are celebrating all of you at Boondocks (Kaysville and Draper locations) again this year! This year, every person who registers will get 2 attraction passes, $10 worth of tokens, 1 slice of pizza and a drink. Please see attached flyer for more information. Click this link to Register here
11/13 - 12:00am
12:00am - 12:00am
Utah Adoption Specialists Fall 2026 Adoption Education Classes
Date: 11/13 - 11/14 • 12:00am - 12:00am
Location: Awaken City Church 15856 South Rockwell Park Cove Herriman, Utah 84065
10 hours of quality adoption education from a variety of adoption professionals and members of the adoption triad!
Friday, November 13, 2026: 5:30 - 9:00 PM and Saturday, November 14, 2026: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Ticket options-
$250 per couple, $150 per individual, $20 per class per person
Please pay for your ticket through Venmo (@utahadoptions) and complete the registration here. A pay-at-the-door option is also available.
Schedule:
Friday, November 13:
5:30-5:45 p.m. – Welcome and Introductions
5:45-6:30 p.m. – Adoption Mini Topics, Presented by Utah Adoption Specialists
5:45-6:10- Adoption 101
6:10-6:30- Adoption Options
6:30-6:40 p.m. – Break
6:40-7:50 p.m. – The Seven Core Issues in Adoption and the Trauma of Loss
7:50-8:00 p.m. – Break
8:00-9:00 p.m. – Open Adoption
Saturday, November 14:
9:00-10:00 a.m. – Adoption Mini Topics Continued, Presented by Utah Adoption Specialists
9:00-9:20- Financing Your Adoption
9:20-9:40- Spotting A Scammer
9:40-10:00- Hospital Etiquette
10:00-10:50 a.m. – Attachment in Adoption
10:50-11:00 a.m. – Break
11:00-11:50 a.m. – Adoptive Parent Panel
11:50 a.m. -12:40 p.m. – Profiles & Finding in Private Adoption
12:40- 1:30 p.m. – Lunch Break
1:30-2:30 p.m. – Birth Parent Panel
2:30-2:40 p.m. – Break
2:40-3:30 p.m. – Legal and Ethical Considerations in Adoption
3:30-4:20 p.m. – Transracial Adoption
4:20-4:30 p.m. – Break
4:30-5:20 p.m. – Adoptee Panel
5:20- 5:45 p.m. –Wrap Up
11/13
5:00pm - 9:00pm
United for Adoption Conference 2026
Date: 11/13 • 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Kirton McConkie Key Bank Entrance
Join us for our 12th Annual Conference: Building Family Connections Through Adoption. This conference is for anyone connected to adoption.
Join us for our 12th Annual Conference: Building Family Connections Through Adoption. This conference is for anyone connected to adoption.
Registration & Check in: 5:00PM- 5:30PM
- TBRI®: Understanding Early Trauma & Attachment in Adoption by Shelby Baker 5:30pm-6:20PM (there is a 20 minute break after the first session.)
- The Realities of Adopting Through Foster Care moderated by Jennie Shepard. 6:40PM-7:30PM (there is a 10 minute break after the second session)
- Adoption From a Birth Parent Perspective headed by Tara Romney Barber. 7:40PM-8:30PM
Closing & Raffle
(Parking: Enter the City Creek East Garage 60 State St. Salt Lake City, Parking validation is available)
For more information about United for Adoption, Please CLICK HERE
11/18
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Holidays Through the Eyes of Adoptees: A Four-Part Series with Tony Hynes, Ph.D. - Home for the Holidays? Navigating Adoption Emotions and the Holiday Season
Date: 11/18 • 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: Zoom
REGISTER HERE
*$20 includes 1.5 CEs through ASWB per session. If registered for all four session, you will receive 6 CEs total.
Holidays are often a time of joy and celebration for adoptive families. However, for adoptees, these same occasions can also bring a mix of emotions, including reminders of the losses they’ve experienced.
In this four-part series, Tony Hynes, Ph.D., who joined his family through adoption, will explore the unique emotional landscape holidays can create for adopted individuals.
Each session will focus on a specific holiday—Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and the Fall/Winter Holiday Season—highlighting the distinct challenges and emotions these days may bring.
Participants will gain insight into common themes adoptees experience around holidays, such as feelings of disconnection from their adoptive families, longing for birth families, and a sense of not fully belonging in either world. Societal expectations around holiday celebrations often shape how adoptees feel they should respond, adding layers of guilt, shame, or isolation to what may already be a complicated emotional experience.
By better understanding the holiday experiences of adoptees, we can offer deeper, more empathetic support to them and their families throughout the year.
We look forward to sharing this meaningful and impactful dialogue with you.
11/18
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Holidays Through the Eyes of Adoptees: A Four-Part Series with Tony Hynes, Ph.D. - Home for the Holidays? Navigating Adoption Emotions and the Holiday Season
Date: 11/18 • 7:00pm - 8:30pm
*$20 includes 1.5 CEs through ASWB per session. If registered for all four session, you will receive 6 CEs total.
Holidays are often a time of joy and celebration for adoptive families. However, for adoptees, these same occasions can also bring a mix of emotions, including reminders of the losses they’ve experienced.
In this four-part series, Tony Hynes, Ph.D., who joined his family through adoption, will explore the unique emotional landscape holidays can create for adopted individuals.
Each session will focus on a specific holiday—Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and the Fall/Winter Holiday Season—highlighting the distinct challenges and emotions these days may bring.
Participants will gain insight into common themes adoptees experience around holidays, such as feelings of disconnection from their adoptive families, longing for birth families, and a sense of not fully belonging in either world. Societal expectations around holiday celebrations often shape how adoptees feel they should respond, adding layers of guilt, shame, or isolation to what may already be a complicated emotional experience.
By better understanding the holiday experiences of adoptees, we can offer deeper, more empathetic support to them and their families throughout the year.
We look forward to sharing this meaningful and impactful dialogue with you.
11/19
9:00am - 3:30pm
Raise the Future UTAH TBRI® Introduction & Overview (virtual)
Date: 11/19 • 9:00am - 3:30pm
Location: Virtual
Utah Family Support Staff will host the one-day, virtual TBRI® Introduction & Overview class.
11/19
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Raise the Future Specialized Training: Transracial Adoption
Date: 11/19 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Virtual
REGISTER HERE
Explore key considerations in transracial adoption, including supporting racial identity, cultural connection, and belonging.
11/21
9:00am - 11:00am
UTAH Sip & Be Seen: An Adoptive Women's Support Group
Date: 11/21 • 9:00am - 11:00am
Location: Raise the FutureMidvale, UT
A space for adoptive women to share honest conversation, meaningful connection, and bubbly drinks.
Sip & Be Seen is a fun, honest, welcoming space for women to gather, connect, laugh, and be heard in the midst of their adoptive parenting journey.
Please register in advance, as space is limited. Pre-registration also helps us make sure we have plenty of supplies and sparkly beverages ready for everyone.
December 2026
12/7
7:00pm - 8:00pm
RAISE THE FUTURE UTAH Specialized Training: Adopting through Foster Care (Virtual)
Date: 12/7 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: VIRTUAL
During this webinar we will discuss the process of adopting a youth from the foster care system in Utah.
12/12
9:00am - 11:00am
UTAH Sip & Be Seen: An Adoptive Women's Support Group
Date: 12/12 • 9:00am - 11:00am
Location: Raise the FutureMidvale, UT
A space for adoptive women to share honest conversation, meaningful connection, and bubbly drinks.
Sip & Be Seen is a fun, honest, welcoming space for women to gather, connect, laugh, and be heard in the midst of their adoptive parenting journey.
Please register in advance, as space is limited. Pre-registration also helps us make sure we have plenty of supplies and sparkly beverages ready for everyone.