|
Content submission deadline: September 22, 2022
Submit ideas, articles, and feedback on the Permanency Support Update via email: Contracts.Adoption.DHS@state.mn.us
The Permanency Support Update is a collaborative effort by Permanency Support unit staff.
On Aug. 3, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States announced an argument hearing date of Nov. 9, 2022, for Haaland v. Brackeen, a case that involves adoption of Native American children and the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).The Supreme Court will review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that invalidated specific parts of the ICWA based on arguments that the ICWA violates the anti-commandeering doctrine and that it discriminates based on race.
Minnesota has joined in with 22 other states and the District of Columbia to file an amicus brief in support of ICWA. Specifically, this amicus brief argues that:
- ICWA is a critical tool for protecting Native American children and fostering state-tribal collaboration.
- ICWA is a valid exercise of Congress’s powers over tribal affairs in response to unwarranted removals that imperiled relations with Native American tribes and threatened their existence.
- ICWA’s provisions do not violate the “anti-commandeering” doctrine, which prohibits Congress from issuing direct commands to state governments.
- ICWA’s preferences for the adoptive and foster care placement of the Native American children to whom it applies do not violate equal protection.
We in the Permanency Support unit actively support ICWA and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA). We work closely with staff from the ICWA unit within the Child Safety and Permanency division to ensure ICWA/MIFPA compliance for children under guardianship of the commissioner and children finding permanency through adoption. We recognize the traumatic history of adoption among Native American families and tribes, where Native American children were taken from their families and placed with white adoptive families to assimilate them and thus continue the decades-long boarding school practice of “kill the Indian and save the man.”
All amici curiae can be found on the Haaland v. Brackeen webpage on SCOTUSblog.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services has contracted with six child-placing agencies to provide adoption services for children under guardianship of the commissioner of human services or tribal guardianship. View the PPAI contract services announcement for more information. Contracting agencies have primarily provided the following services: pre-adoption education, adoption home studies, adoption home study updates, child-specific recruitment services, relative concurrent permanency planning, child placement services and post-adoption services.
As we have started a new PPAI contract in July 2022, we will highlight a PPAI contract service and agency each month to help professionals gain a deeper understanding of the PPAI contract.
PPAI contract service: Relative services
-
Relative outreach services:Contracted agencies help engage and support relatives or kin as they start the adoption home study process. Contracted agencies will have regular contact with the referring county, and the outreach services may include face-to-face meetings with the relative or kin to assist with the application process.
-
Relative home study services:Contracted agencies assess a relative’s or kin’s ability to parent children under guardianship of the commissioner or tribal guardianship, or a child in out-of-home care referred by a county or tribal social service agency for a concurrent permanency planning resource home study.
-
Relative concurrent permanency planning services: Contracted agencies provide concurrent permanency planning services to relatives or kin who are interested in actively supporting children and their parents’ efforts to reunify. In the event that a child is placed in a relative’s home, contracted agencies provide placement services until reunification or until adoption finalization.
-
Relative child placement services:Contracted agencies provide placement support services to a family until reunification, or until adoption finalization.
Eligibility: If a referral is for concurrent permanency planning purposes, and a child is in out-of-home care, the child to be placed in a relative’s or kin’s care must be age 8 or older at the time of placement. If children to be placed in a relative’s or kin’s care are part of a sibling group, at least one of the siblings has to be age 8 or older at time of placement, to be eligible for relative services.
PPAI contract agency: EVOLVE Family Services
EVOLVE Family Services has been providing services to children and families for over 40 years through various services. Currently, EVOLVE serves families through their adoption, foster care, youth services and UMOJA/education programs. Through PPAI, EVOLVE will be providing child-specific recruitment services, assisting families in adopting children under state guardianship, supporting relatives through licensure and placement of their relative children, and providing post-adoption services. EVOLVE approaches the work through a child-centered, trauma-informed and inclusive lens. EVOLVE understands the importance of collaborative work with the youth and the youth’s team to achieve permanency. EVOLVE does not currently have a waitlist for any of the above programs, and they are accepting referrals immediately.
For more information regarding relative services, contact Holly Gabby via email at HGabby@evolveservices.org or via phone at 651-342-2634. For more information regarding child-specific recruitment, adoption home studies for families looking to adopt children under state guardianship, and post-adoption services, contact McKenzie McMillan via email at MMcMIllan@evolveservices.org or via phone at 651-342-2589.
EVOLVE looks forward to partnering with county and tribal agencies to achieve permanency for youth.
Notice of Request for Proposals (RFP) for Grantees to Provide Kinship Support Services: The State is seeking county agencies, tribal agencies, private child-placing agencies, or nonprofit organizations to provide supportive services to informal and formal kinship caregivers, and TPLPC (transfer of permanent legal and physical custody) kinship and adoptive families. Services are time-limited and may include relative and kinship home studies or updates, intensive licensing support, concurrent permanency planning services, placement services, intensive family support, support activities for children, respite assistance, family engagement, non-recurring material support, outreach services, and relative and kinship support groups. The State does not require that Responders plan to provide every service in their proposal. Innovative ideas, tailored to the needs of the respondent’s particular region and clientele, are encouraged.
The State is seeking proposals for the grant period Nov. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024. The RFP can be viewed by visiting the Minnesota Department of Human Services RFP website. For more information contact:
Crystal Graves
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Child Safety and Permanency Division
P.O. Box 64944
444 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN 55155‑0944
Phone: 651-431-5723
The Permanency Support Unit invites interested individuals to participate in two SAE workgroups. The purpose of these workgroups is to examine the changes made to the SAE in December 2021, Minnesota statutes relevant to the SAE, and SAE policy. Workgroups will be making recommendations for changes to policy and practice when using the State Adoption Exchange (SAE). At the conclusion of these workgroups, department staff will have the groundwork for updating the SAE policy and practice. Share workgroup information with others who may be interested in participating and contact Crystal Graves at crystal.graves@state.mn.us with any questions.
Session 1 will look at current rule and statute requirements. Participants will have a discussion about the changes implemented December 2021 and explore solutions and potential additional changes. Individuals should pick one session to attend.
Session 2 will look at proposed changes to policy and procedure that will be implemented in the SAE based on the work completed in Session 1. Individuals should pick one session to attend.
The Permanency Support unit has been working with The 220 Experience to review child-specific recruitment services, practices and policy in Minnesota. This collaboration has included policy analysis and gathering stakeholder feedback to identify strengths and areas to grow with older youth child-specific recruitment strategies. As part of the consultation work, The 220 Experience will conduct the following presentations in September:
-
Findings and Recommendations for MN: MN ADOPT will host an additional opportunity to hear findings and recommendations from The 220 Experience collaboration with the DHS Permanency Support unit on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register here.
-
The Art of Presenting Teen Series: The Art of Storytelling: This series begins to unpack the challenges of placing teens and offers five tips to presenting youth because it is all about the presentation! MN ADOPT will host this session will on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Register here.
The Permanency Support unit offers trainings several times a year regarding Northstar Adoption Assistance, Northstar Kinship Assistance, and other permanency-related topics.
Registration now available for the following trainings:
Training listings for the Permanency Support Unit can also be found on the Child protection, foster care, adoption: Training page. Just scroll down under Conferences, trainings and webinars and select Training to access the links to register.
If these offerings do not meet your agency’s needs, please reach out to the Permanency Quality Assurance Team (PQAT) to request trainings or suggest training topics that would benefit your permanency work.
PQAT also offers technical assistance for the permanency process, including policy questions, case consultations, the Northstar eligibility process, and documentation/form requirements.
Training requests, training suggestions, and requests for technical assistance can be sent to PQAT at northstar.benefits@state.mn.us.
2022 Youth Work Leadership Summit
Aspire MN and MnJDA are hosting an annual Youth Work Leadership Summit on Oct. 6 and 7 at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake. Find more information and register here.
2022 Kids Count Data Book released
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released the 2022 Kids Count data book reporting on 2022 State trends in child well-being, specifically the ranking for MN.
Applications open for Minority Professional Leadership Development program
The AdoptUSKids Minority Professional Leadership Development (MPLD) program is open to people from cultural, ethnic, and racial groups who have historically had a disproportionate number of children in care, including American Indian/Alaska Native, Black or African American, and Hispanic or Latino communities. AdoptUSKids is seeking 16 emerging minority leaders who have been working in child welfare for a minimum of three to five years in the US, including its territories and tribal nations. Although there is no specific cap on the number of years working in direct services in the child welfare field, the fellowship is designed for emerging leaders. Candidates should have a minimum of an undergraduate degree. Applications are due Sept. 26, 2022.
The Fall Training Series from Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) runs from September through December and features workshops on supporting indigenous children and families, working with challenging parents, healing after a suicide death, and more.
Staff from the Child Safety and Permanency Division will conduct a statewide virtual webinar on relative search, notice, engagement and placement consideration. Learn more about recent policy changes from child placement to permanency. The webinar information is as follows:
- Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Meeting Link, Meeting ID: 919 7038 3263, Passcode: 724826
Capacity Building Center for States is hosting a Child Welfare Virtual Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. This event will explore the power of intentionally partnering with people with lived experience and expertise to transform child welfare systems and better service and support children, youth and families. Find more information and register here.
Children’s Home Society is offering foster care adoption education classes online in September 2022 and October 2022.
Qualified individual (QI) training will be held Sept. 7-8, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. This mandatory two-day virtual training provides qualified residential treatment program (QRTP) assessment policies and processes, including certification on the Commissioner-approved Minnesota Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) QRTP assessment tool. If fewer than 8 individuals are registered, the training will be cancelled and rescheduled for a later date. DHS is paying for the training and certification costs at this time with Family First Transition Act funds. QIs can be licensed clinicians or community members specifically trained and certified to complete assessments of children. Registration information is as follows:
- County and tribal agencies who contract with individuals to provide this service can send an email with the individual’s name and contact information and confirmation that the individual is not affiliated with a child welfare placing agency or residential treatment program; or involved in making decisions regarding child/youth involved in the child welfare system, including being a foster parent or guardian ad litem, to ffpsa.qualifiedindividual.DHS@state.mn.us. DHS staff will send the individual the registration instructions.
- If a county has decided to designate county employees to become QIs or has entered into a regional collaborative agreement with another county or counties, the county point of contact will request registration by following instructions using this link: Qualified Individual (QI) waiver instructions for county social service agencies.
The 34th Annual Childhood Trauma and Attachment Conference from ATTACh will take place Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, 2022, in Anaheim, CA. Learn more and register here.
The 5th Annual Infant & Early Childhood Conference from MACMH is now open for registration. It will be held in Coon Rapids, MN, between Nov. 6-8, 2022. Live-streaming options are also available. View the conference webpage for more information and to register.
Required human trafficking training is now available for certified programs serving sex trafficked, commercially sexually exploited and youth at risk of trafficking and exploitation. Programs certified as a residential setting for youth who have been or are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation must ensure that staff who provide direct contact services complete a Minnesota Department of Human Services approved training on human trafficking. This training is now available as a series of online video modules on the department training webpage. For more information, view the Minnesota Department of Health safe harbor program website and the Minnesota Department of Human Services safe harbor website.
The SSIS Business Section is hosting a coffee talk session, Adoptions in SSIS, on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Registration is required for this webinar and will close one hour prior to the event. All webinars are recorded and posted for future reference on the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy website.
The MN Vikings and Adoption is Love are collaborating to hold a back-to-school event on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Foster, adopted or kinship youth between the ages of 4-12 years are invited to attend this event at the Minnesota Vikings training stadium in Eagan. Each participating youth will receive a new pair of tennis shoes and is able to bring two guests. Contact Julie with Adoption is Love with any questions at: julie@adoptionislovefund.org.
|
