About
Our History
The National Organization of State Associations for Children (NOSAC) was founded in 1993 to facilitate networking and to share information among member associations.
NOSAC is a national organization made up of State Associations who represent children and children services. Our purpose and mission is to facilitate networking and to share information among its member associations. On a national level, we coordinate our issues with other National Organizations and provide uncompromising leadership.
What We Do
Coordinate the sharing of professional development and public policy information among member association directors.
Convene bi-annual meetings around the country to dialogue and advocate with U.S. policy makers.
Collaborate with our national partners- Child Welfare League of America, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, and Council on Accreditation.
Advocate on national public policy issues that impact state associations, providers, and children and families.
Advocacy / Policy Positions
Statement on the Texas Supreme Court Decision Allowing the Child Protective Investigations Against Families Seeking Medical Care for Their Transgender Children
The National Organization of State Associations for Children (NOSAC) is made up of State Associations who represent children and children services. Children are to be treasured, loved, nurtured, supported, protected, and highly regarded as human beings, deserving of a good quality of life. They are to be treated equitably, with the resources necessary to thrive and fulfill their potential with rights inalienable. Their ancestry, language, culture, and cultural contributions to society ought to be celebrated, honored, and held with dignity. As an organization we are committed to working towards an inclusive and equitable society. We firmly believe in and support children, youth, and families who are part of the LGBTQ+ community with the understanding that child welfare has a role to play in advancing that cause.
According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, LGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in the child welfare system and face additional threats to their physical and emotional wellbeing due to higher levels of discrimination in adolescence. Currently, families of LGBTQ+ youth are also experiencing mistreatment as they are being targeted by political agendas – not for abuse or neglect – but for affirming their children’s identities and gender expression by directing investigations against parents who are supporting their children through gender- affirming care. These politically motivated directives are an unnecessary and disrupt important state agency work to protect children and help families.
At NOSAC we believe that every person should be valued for who they are and all that they are. In no circumstances should the apparatus of the child welfare system — which is designed to protect children — be used to terrorize or stigmatize children or families that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. In the face of such injustice, we want to emphasize that every child is worthy of love, safety, and security. Therefore, NOSAC will continue to work to ensure the protection of LGBTQ+ families and youth’s rights and welfare on a local, state, and federal level by looking ahead to combat harmful policies and pass legislation that protects our most vulnerable citizens.