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Next issue: April 16, 2020
Content submission deadline: April 9, 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.
Find COVID-19 updates from DHS
To find the most up-to-date information for providers, counties, tribes and members of the public, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. As changes evolve at federal and state levels, we will update this page with the latest information. To be notified when changes occur, you can also sign up for email notifications.
Permanency Support Unit staff are following Governor Walz’s recommendations as outlined.
Permanency Support Unit seeking proposals to provide services to families
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 request for proposals is available online. (Please give the webpage several seconds to load.)
For more information, or to obtain a copy of the request for proposals, contact Crystal Graves at 651-431-5723 or mn.sae@state.mn.us.
Permanency Support Unit seeking proposals to provide youth and children services
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is requesting proposals to provide permanency support services to Minnesota children and youth in foster care, pre-adoptive, adoptive, and permanent physical and legal custody kinship placements outside the seven-county metropolitan area as part of the Permanency Support Services Program. All funds will be awarded through a competitive grant process.
Work is proposed to start July 1, 2020. The request for proposals can be viewed online. (Please give the webpage several seconds to load.)
For more information, or to obtain a copy of the request for proposals, contact Crystal Graves at 651-431-5723 or mn.sae@state.mn.us.
Potential training changes due to COVID-19
Please contact the agency sponsoring the training directly to determine if there are any changes to scheduled training, including cancellation, format, location and delivery.
Relevant DHS training opportunities
Last month, we announced that Northstar Permanency Quality Assurance staff would be providing six in-person trainings at the Minnesota Department of Human Services on topics related to adoption, transfer of permanent legal and physical custody, and Northstar Adoption/Kinship Assistance benefits. We are currently discussing how to hold these trainings in light of the COVID-19 prevention measures being taken.
As of the date of this newsletter, all six trainings will still be held; however, the format may change. The April 15 training will not be held in person. Registered attendees will receive an email providing more information. Register for these trainings on TrainLink.
For more information, visit the training webpage or email Northstar.Benefits@state.mn.us.
Conferences and events
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health’s annual conference on child and adolescent mental health will take place April 26-28, 2020, online. Read more about the transition to online format.
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 April 2020, including a webinar on preventing, recognizing, and responding to child sexual abuse, attachment, trauma and more. COVID-19 update from MN ADOPT: “All of our upcoming in-person workshops will be moved to live webinars or postponed. Please check regularly to see the updated changes. If you have already registered for a workshop, you will be notified directly of changes as they are made.”
Children’s Home Society is offering foster care adoption education classes online and in Anoka, Moorhead, and St. Paul during April and May.
The April Metro Area Task Force and MN ADOPT Training will be held on April 7, 2020, and held via a live webinar which will not be recorded. Christina Gonzalez will be presenting on “Engagement Across Differences.” Read more and register here. The coupon code for task force attendees only is: @pr7lTF. The afternoon speakers will be Cory Jelinek and Jessica Brogger from DHS to provide updates on licensing and foster care policy as well as procedure via webinar. Read more and register here. The DHS presentation is closed to task force attendees only, please do not share this link with the public. Taskforce attendees are able to submit questions ahead of the presentation by emailing sregnier@mnadopt.org by April 6, 2020. Due to the online format of the task force meeting, there will be no family or child recruitment presentations due to confidentiality restrictions.
“Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control,” an 8-part series by Brenda Benning, hosted by MN ADOPT, begins April 16, 2020, via webinar. This is a specialized training for families who are or may be parenting children with traumatic histories and/or attachment issues. Learn more and register here.
Adoption Placement Agreements for children not physically placed in an adoptive home
When an adoptive placement resource is identified for a child under guardianship of the commissioner, physical placement in the prospective adoptive parent’s home is not a requirement for signing an Adoption Placement Agreement. An Adoption Placement Agreement can be signed whether a child is physically placed in an adoptive home or is currently residing outside of the home (for example, in a group home or residential treatment facility). View the policy on adoption placement decisions.
When children are not physically placed in a prospective adoptive parent’s home, it is especially important that full disclosure of a child’s needs, including their social and medical history and service/resource needs, is provided to a prospective adoptive parent, so the prospective adoptive parent is able to make an informed decision about signing an Adoption Placement Agreement. It is possible that the court may require physical placement in an adopting parent’s home in order to finalize an adoption, however.
State Adoption Exchange registration is required for all children under guardianship of the commissioner
The February update included information about the State Adoption Exchange and how to register. Please note for any technical assistance on how to register a child on the State Adoption Exchange using the Social Service Information System (SSIS), contact Cathy Stang, cstang@mnadopt.org, 612-746-5131, 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.
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and adoption home studies
On Dec. 23, 2019, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued an unpublished opinion, A19-0821, regarding whether a district court should have dismissed an out-of-state relative’s motion for adoptive placement because the relative did not file an approved adoption home study with her motion, and the relative’s home study was not an adoption home study, but rather a foster care home study termed Unified Home Study under Florida law. The appellate court affirmed the district court’s decision not to dismiss the relative’s motion.
In its written review of the district court’s order, the appellate court included how the district court determined the county was unreasonable in failing to make the adoptive placement with the relative. The appellate court also reviewed how Florida laws and Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) processes applied in this particular case: Because Florida laws and ICPC processes require Florida residents to first obtain an approved foster care home study (designated Unified Home Study) and have the child placed in their care for at least six months before obtaining an approved adoption home study, the appellate court determined that the district court was reasonable in its decision to compare the relative’s Unified Home Study against the adoption home study requirements in Minnesota Statutes, section 259.41, to make a determination that the relative’s Unified Home Study was an adequate approved adoption home study under Minnesota Statutes.
Unpublished opinions do not set legal precedent, but they can have practice implications. For Minnesota children under juvenile court jurisdiction, agencies are required to consider relatives for foster care and adoptive placement, regardless of the state in which they live. Additionally, agencies are required to consider placement with individuals related to a child by blood, marriage or adoption before considering placement with individuals who are important friends to a child. In consideration of the appellate court’s unpublished opinion, best practice and Minnesota Statutes, we offer the following technical assistance:
- Relative searches should be initiated as soon as possible. Minnesota Statutes require relative searches to be initiated within 30 days of a child’s placement, and for relatives to be engaged in case planning throughout.
- Relatives should be considered for placement, prior to considering non-relatives, in the following order: 1) an individual who is related to the child by blood, marriage or adoption; 2) an individual with whom the child resided or had significant contact.
- When an out-of-state relative is interested in being a placement option for a child in foster care, an ICPC request should be submitted as soon as possible.
- Some states do not allow relatives to pursue home studies for children in other states’ care independently of the ICPC process; because of this, agencies should not close ICPC referrals before they are completed, unless the relative requests that the agency do so because they no longer wish to be a placement option.
- Relatives, particularly out-of-state relatives, should also be informed of Minnesota state requirements regarding adoption home studies to avoid permanency delays and minimize barriers to adoption by relatives.
Federal barrier crimes and Northstar Adoption Assistance eligibility
A prospective adoptive parent who has a federal barrier crime is not eligible to receive Northstar Adoption Assistance on behalf of an otherwise eligible child. Federal barrier crimes are those listed in Minnesota Statutes, section 256N.23, subdivision 4. This is true for both Title IV-E and Non-Title IV-E Northstar Adoption Assistance.
Minnesota Statutes do not state whether an adoption home study can be approved if a prospective adoptive parent, or other household member, has a federal barrier crime and does not intend on receiving Northstar Adoption Assistance on behalf of a child. Agencies should review their agency’s policies to determine what to do if a prospective adoptive parent or other household member has a federal barrier crime on their record.
Post-Adoption Navigator
The Post-Adoption Navigator Program increases awareness of the network of post-adoption resources and support available to help an adoptive family thrive after finalization.
If families participate in this program, a MN ADOPT Post-Adoption Navigator will proactively reach out to the family after finalization and throughout the first year to help address questions and share information on post-adoption resources.
For more information, please see the MN ADOPT Post-Adoption Navigator webpage or contact the Post-Adoption Navigator, Hannah Burton, at HELPnavigator@mnadopt.org or 612-746-5139.
Metro Area Task Force
As a reminder, the Metro Area Task Force meeting format has changed. The Metro Task Force meeting will be held four times per year at Children’s Home Society/Lutheran Social Service, 1605 Eustis St., St. Paul, MN 55108. Generally, the meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the agenda will be as follows: MN ADOPT training, lunch break, Minnesota Department of Human Services presentation, child and family presentations, resource sharing and announcements. Although this is the general schedule, due to COVID-19, upcoming Metro Area Task Force meetings will be held online until further notice.
The afternoon portion of the Metro Task Force meetings will be facilitated by rotating members of the permanency community, including Public Private Adoption Initiative agency staff and county workers.
If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Regnier, MN ADOPT Education Program Manager, at SRegnier@MNADOPT.org.
MN ADOPT Employment Opportunity
MN ADOPT has a current job opening for the role of HELP Program Manager. This is a 0.8-1.0 FTE position that will be based in its St. Paul office. For more details, visit MN ADOPT's employment webpage.
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. Due to COVID-19 prevention measures in place, please email Kim Sacay at ksacay@mnadopt.org to find out the status of Kid Connection opportunities. 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.
Children’s Home Society seeking panelists
Children’s Home Society is seeking youth and adoptive/foster parents who would be panelists for its foster care and adoption education classes. They are looking for any families able to speak regarding their experiences in providing foster care, or their adoption process. Please contact Becca Underhill at Rebecca.Underhill@chlss.org with any suggestions for panelists, or have the suggested panelists reach out to her directly with their availability.
Permanency Support Unit Update Membership
The department has received requests from professionals to be added to the Permanency Support Unit Update subscription list. If you are aware of a colleague who would like to receive this newsletter, professionals can use this link to subscriber topics, follow the prompts and choose to subscribe to newsletters from DHS. Also, this newsletter may be forwarded to a colleague and the individual can click on “manage subscription” at the bottom of this newsletter.
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