Next issue: March 19, 2020
Content submission deadline: March 12, 2020
If you have any topics you would like to see covered in this newsletter, please email: Contracts.Adoption.DHS@state.mn.us
The Permanency Support Unit update is a collaborative effort by Permanency Support Unit staff.
Minnesota legislative session underway
The Minnesota Legislature convened on Feb. 11. Staff from the Permanency Support Unit are tracking relevant legislation and providing technical assistance as needed.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is requesting proposals
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is requesting proposals to provide permanency support services to Minnesota adoptive and kinship families in greater Minnesota. All funds will be awarded through a competitive grant process. Work is proposed to start July 1, 2020. The RFP can be viewed by visiting the Minnesota Department of Human Services RFP website, Permanency Support Services RFP. (Please give the webpage several seconds to load.) For more information, or to obtain a copy of the Request for Proposal, contact Crystal Graves at 651-431-5723, or email mn.sae@state.mn.us.
New publication: Best Practice Response to Trafficking and Exploitation of Children and Youth in Minnesota
A new best practice guide has been issued by the Child Safety and Prevention Unit. Permanency Support Unit staff provided technical assistance that informed permanency-related sections of the guide. View Best Practice Response to Trafficking and Exploitation of Children and Youth in Minnesota for more information.
Relevant Department of Human Services training opportunities
Northstar Permanency Quality Assurance staff will provide six in-person trainings at the Minnesota Department of Human Services St. Paul office on topics related to adoption, transfer of permanent legal and physical custody, and Northstar Adoption/Kinship Assistance benefits. Register on TrainLink. For more information, visit the training webpage or email Northstar.Benefits@state.mn.us.
Conferences and events
Minnesota Social Services Association’s annual conference will take place March 11-13, 2020, in Minneapolis. Department of Human Services Northstar Permanency Quality Assurance staff will present on relative search for permanency, social and medical histories, and Northstar processes.
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health’s annual conference on child and adolescent mental health will take place April 26-28, 2020, in Duluth.
North American Council on Adoptable Children’s annual conference will take place Aug. 27-29, 2020, in Toronto, Ontario.
Other training opportunities
The MN ADOPT Education Program has many training opportunities for March 2020, including a webinar on preventing, recognizing and responding to child sexual abuse, the Beyond Consequences series, training on attachment and trauma, and more.
Children’s Home Society is offering foster care adoption education classes in St. Paul, Rochester and Cloquet in February, March and April.
State Adoption Exchange registration is required for all children under guardianship of the commissioner
The Policy on State Adoption Exchange and Other Child-specific Recruitment Activities for Children Under Guardianship of the Commissioner was recently updated to comply with state law regarding State Adoption Exchange registration for children under guardianship of the commissioner. Effective Feb. 10, the State Adoption Exchange registration requirement for children under guardianship of the commissioner can be fulfilled via registration on the private or public site. All registrations must be submitted to the department through the Social Services Information System (SSIS) within 45 days of a child being placed under guardianship of the commissioner. The recruitment email subscriber list is no longer an option for fulfilling this requirement; however, the recruitment email list can still be used as a recruitment tool.
For technical assistance on how to register a child on the State Adoption Exchange using SSIS, contact MN ADOPT, who operates the State Adoption Exchange on behalf of the department. For more information regarding the policy, contact Crystal Graves at crystal.graves@state.mn.us or 651-431-5723.
What does it mean if I have received a State Adoption Exchange letter from the department?
State Adoption Exchange letters are sent to notify workers that the department does not have one of the following: an active profile registration, deferral or exemption by signed Adoptive Placement Agreement for one of the children or youth associated to the worker. Letters are also sent to notify workers that a State Adoption Exchange deferral they previously entered has now expired. Immediate action is requested when a worker receives one of these notices to be in compliance with registration requirements. For questions or if assistance is needed, workers may contact the person who sent the letter or MN ADOPT.
The Report of Adoptive Placement, DHS-0178
The Report of Adoptive Placement, DHS-0178, is completed for any child placed for adoption under Chapter 259 of Minnesota Statutes, to comply with record retention requirements under section 259.79. It is also completed for any child not under guardianship of the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services for whom a Northstar Adoption Assistance eligibility determination is being submitted. The Report of Adoptive Placement should be submitted to the department once the child who was placed is legally free for adoption, and should include both birth parent resolutions. Information provided on the Report of Adoptive Placement must, at minimum, include first and last names, dates of birth, gender, race, ethnicity and tribal status for all individuals. The Report of Adoptive Placement, along with the petition for adoption and adoption decree, are maintained by the department’s adoption records, so accuracy in completing the Report of Adoptive Placement is important. Completed forms may be submitted to the department at P.O. Box 64944, St. Paul, MN 55164-0944.
Northstar Adoption Assistance eligibility requirements include State Adoption Exchange registration
To be eligible for Northstar Adoption Assistance, children must meet several eligibility criteria. One key criterion is that a child must be determined to have special needs, as outlined in Minnesota Statutes, section 256N.23, subdivision 2. The third component of the special needs determination is that the child-placing agency must have made reasonable, but unsuccessful, efforts to place the child in an adoptive home without providing Northstar Adoption Assistance. To fulfill this component, the agency must, at minimum: 1) conduct a relative search and consider adoptive placement with a relative, 2) comply with Indian Child Welfare Act adoptive placement requirements, 3) register the child on the State Adoption Exchange, and 4) if State Adoption Exchange registration does not result in an adoptive placement, employ other recruitment methods as prescribed by the commissioner. In most circumstances, if a child has not been registered on the State Adoption Exchange with a status of registered, deferred or exempt, the child will not be eligible for Northstar Adoption Assistance. State Adoption Exchange registration may be waived if the child is being adopted by: 1) a relative, 2) the child’s foster parent with whom the child has developed significant emotional ties while in the care of the foster parent as a foster child, or 3) the adoptive parent of the child’s sibling. In all three circumstances, the child’s placing agency must determine adoption by the individual is in the child’s best interests.
Public Private Adoption Initiative (PPAI) child-specific recruitment services
The Minnesota Department of Human Services contracts with private child-placing agencies to provide adoption services and adoption-related services to children under guardianship of the commissioner or tribal guardianship. As part of this service array, most of the private child placing agencies contracted with the department are available to assist county and tribal workers in efforts to locate a permanent family. Child-specific recruitment services involve intensive efforts to identify an adoptive family. The child-specific recruiter develops a plan in partnership with the county or tribal agency, tailored to the needs of an individual child. The plan will identify specific tasks to be completed. These tasks can include, but are not limited to, an in-depth review of a child’s file; creation of recruitment materials; engagement with a child, including life book work; relative or kin search; targeted recruitment in identified communities; and re-establishing connections with important adults, among others.
Eligibility for PPAI child-specific recruitment services: Children must be age 6 or older, unless part of a sibling group, and routine recruitment activities must have been unsuccessful. Also, children must be under guardianship of the commissioner or tribal guardianship to be eligible for services. Child-specific recruitment services may be provided to youth, ages 18 to 21, who are in extended foster care as well. A child must be registered on the State Adoption Exchange to be eligible for child-specific recruitment services through the Public Private Adoption Initiative program. For more information about all adoption services offered through the program, please review the Public Private Adoption Initiative fact sheet.
Adoption day camp registration is open!
Children’s Home Adoption Day Camp is a classic summer camp experience that combines foster care- and adoption-specific programming and traditional camp activities. During the morning, adopted children who have completed kindergarten through those entering eighth grade (siblings are welcome as well) participate in age-appropriate discussions and activities relating to adoption and foster care. Then, in the afternoon, the kids head over to the beautiful YMCA Camp Streefland in Lakeville, Minn. to enjoy swimming, archery, zip-lining and other fun camp activities. Adoption Day Camp will take place June 15-19, 2020. The activities start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Transportation through the YMCA is available. Visit the Adoption Day Camp webpage for more information about the camp and to register.
St. Cloud Task Force on Feb. 27, 2020
St. Cloud Task Force will be held on Feb. 27, 2020, at Rasmussen College, 226 Park Ave. S St. Cloud, MN 56301. Professional and Parent Training to follow. Please contact Kristie Kremer of Kindred Family Focus at kkremer@nexus-kff.org for more details.
Metro Area Task Force on April 7, 2020
Please remember to register on the MN ADOPT website for the April 7 Metro Area Task Force training. The topic, Engagement Across Difference, with trainer Christina Gonzalez, builds on the topic presented at the January Metro Area Task Force training. A full description of the training can be found at the link. Free registration code for Task Force attendees is: @pr7lTF
MN ADOPT recruitment opportunities for youth
Recruitment opportunities for youth can be requested via the State Adoption Exchange registration form. Be sure to add information about the child in the comment section, especially if requesting Kid Connection – a collaborative effort with KSTP-TV to produce a fun video featuring a child waiting for adoption and their choice of activity. There are many current Kid Connection opportunities, including Crossfit, zip-lining, airplane tours and museums. Check out past Kid Connections here. At this time, Kid Connections are filmed only in the metro area. Other media opportunities include featuring a Minnesota child waiting for adoption in print newspapers throughout the state. Please email Kim Sacay with any questions about recruitment opportunities at ksacay@mnadopt.org.
Join the MN ADOPT professional and community partner email list
MN ADOPT is in the process of developing a professional and community partner email list so we can share information and updates more often and in greater detail than we are able to provide through the monthly Permanency Support Unit newsletter. As a member of this email list, you’ll receive information about event and ticketing opportunities for families, giveaways, Kid Connection features, coupons for educational trainings, upcoming workshops and general program overviews of all MN ADOPT programs. If you would like to opt in to the email list, please complete this subscription form.
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