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Content submission deadline: August 17, 2023
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.
The 2023 legislative session in Minnesota ended with many items that impact the child welfare system. A legislative bulletin is forthcoming that will provide more information, but here are some of the items that may be of particular interest to those reading this Update.
Original birth records and accessing post-adoption services
Effective July 1, 2024, adult adopted persons will be able to request and receive original birth record information if:
- They were born in Minnesota, or
- A Minnesota child-placing agency was responsible for or supervised their adoptive placement.
As of Aug. 1, 2023, birth/expectant parents will be able to indicate their preference for contact on the Birth Parent Contact Preference Form, developed by the Minnesota Department of Health. Effective June 30, 2024, all previously filed consents to disclosure or affidavits of nondisclosure become void and will no longer be in effect.
Also effective July 1, 2024, the age at which adopted persons may request post-adoption services from agencies will be 18 or older, rather than 19 or older.
More information about accessing original birth records is available on MDH’s Birth Records and Adoption webpage. Additional information about these changes is forthcoming.
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
Beginning in August 2024, foster parents and relative custodians who accept permanent legal and physical custody of children in foster care will be able to apply for CCAP. They will still need to meet all eligibility criteria to be able to receive CCAP on behalf of children in their care. Currently, foster parents and relative custodians are not eligible to apply for or receive CCAP.
Additionally, there will be increases to CCAP rates and registration fees to the 75th percentile of market rates, with updates based on the market rate survey completed every three years. The first increase will occur on Oct. 30, 2023; increases will then occur every three years, starting in January 2025, based on the most recent market rate survey results. This will be of particular interest to families receiving legacy (pre-Northstar) adoption assistance whose children are eligible for child care reimbursement.
Department of Children, Youth, and Families
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) will be established in July 2024, with full transition of programs and staff by July 2025. The Child Safety and Permanency division is one of the divisions that will move to DCYF. A full list of divisions from various state agencies that will move to the new DCYF is located on the DCYF Implementation Office webpage.
As a reminder, agencies submitting background studies in NetStudy 2.0 (NS2) should understand the role of the Primary Contact Person (PCP), previously referred to as the Sensitive Information Person (SIP). The PCP is responsible for creating and managing user access in NS2, receiving data forwards, and providing the information to the appropriate people. If you need more information as to what determinations mean in NS2, how data is forwarded and when, and instructions on how to update the PCP, please contact Background Studies at dhs.netstudy2@state.mn.us or Foster Care Licensing at dhs.fostercarelicensing@state.mn.us. It is important that agencies understand the role of the PCP and the data forward process so agencies can fully assess and make appropriate permanency decisions.
Permanency Support unit staff is offering training via WebEx on the Child Social & Medical History form. The training includes a general review of the form and a discussion of policies, procedures, and best practice related to permanency. It will be held on Sept. 28, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Registration is available here.
Permanency training continues throughout the year at the Regional Learning Centers across Minnesota. The following dates and locations are now available for registration through the MN Child Welfare Training Academy website.
- Aug. 9, 2023 – Northwest Regional Learning Center (Detroit Lakes)
- Sept. 13, 2023 – Law Enforcement Center (Marshall)
Save the dates for the following Permanency Regional Trainings (registration available soon).
- Oct. 4, 2023 – Northeast Regional Training Center (Duluth)
- Nov. 15, 2023 – Carver County Health Human Services (Chaska)
Regional permanency training includes information and resources on:
- The Minnesota Assessment of Parenting for Children and Youth (MAPCY)
- The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)
- Northstar Adoption Assistance
- Northstar Kinship Assistance.
Training listings for the Permanency Support unit can also be found on the Child protection, foster care, adoption: Training webpage. Scroll down to “Conferences, trainings and webinars” and select “Training” to access the links to register.
Policy questions, case consultations, the Northstar eligibility process, training requests, training suggestions, and requests for technical assistance can be sent to PQAT at northstar.benefits@state.mn.us.
Families that have accepted a TPLPC of a child in foster care and are currently receiving Northstar Kinship Assistance may wish to pursue adoption of the child(ren). If so, the following resources are available to assist relative custodians and agencies with the process.
The application process must be completed and a fully executed NAA benefit agreement must be in place prior to the adoption finalizing or the child will not be eligible for NAA or their previous NKA benefits.
Questions regarding the NKA to NAA process can be sent to Northstar.Benefits@state.mn.us.
The DHS permanency unit is proud to sponsor the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare Permanency & Child Welfare Fall Conference and seeking presentation proposals. This conference brings together professionals and advocates alike to expand perspectives on what permanency means, the “what” and “who”, as well as how modern advances in many areas impact the relationships children and youth have with their family – birth adopted, and/or chosen. Opportunities for travel stipends will be made available to 130 travelers from Greater MN, for more information on the stipend when it becomes available, complete the travel stipend form.
In April 2023, the revised Northstar Care for Children Basic and Supplemental Payment Rates, Foster Residence Basic Rates, and Initial Clothing Allowance bulletin was issued. These rates are effective from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
This section includes information and resources from partners and stakeholders.
Permanency and Adoption Competency Certificate (PACC) training
Apply now to join a 2023-2024 PACC cohort with Metro-hybrid and fully virtual format options. PACC is a cohort-based training that enhances permanency and adoption competence for professionals working across child welfare and mental health settings. Limited scholarship funding is available to tribal and county child welfare workers (in child protection, foster care, and permanency/adoption). Find more information on the PACC website.
Phoenix Learning Xchange (PLX) training
Apply now to join the PLX program hosted at the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy in Roseville and Duluth for the September 2023 cohort. Learners will develop a deeper understanding of adolescent development, issues and challenges facing youth in systems, and increasing positive engagement and supportive relationships between youth and the people that serve them. Find more information and apply on the PLX website.
Foster Adopt Minnesota (FAM) 2023 distinguished service award nominations open
FAM has a great opportunity to acknowledge those who have dedicated their personal or professional lives to making a difference in this work. As part of Circus of the Heart, two Distinguished Service Awards are presented to individuals and organizations/corporations that have made outstanding contributions within the Minnesota adoption, foster, and kinship communities. The following criteria will be taken into consideration when reviewing nominees: type of contribution, impact of contribution, length of service or commitment. Nominations will be accepted through Sept. 14, 2023 and can be made on the FAM website nomination form.
Foster Adopt Minnesota podcast series
FAM has a podcast series! Their podcast episodes are filled with valuable resources for prospective and current adoptive, foster and kinship families, as well as professionals. In June they had a conversation with Jessica Miller sharing her lived experience in the episode, “Let’s Talk-Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda-Practical Advice for Parents”. Check out this as well as all the available episodes wherever you get your podcasts or visit the Podcast Library on the FAM website.
- The Children’s Mental Health Training Series from Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH) has webinars available from June through August. MACMH adds webinars regularly, but current scheduled webinar topics include ADHD, self-care, trauma, video gaming disorder, moving beyond behaviorism, and more.
- One webinar to note is Adoptive Youth and Parents in Therapy: Wisdom and Skills for Respectful Practice, featuring Krista Nelson, LICSW, LMFT, and Wendy Baker, MSW, LICSW, of Family Circle Counseling, on Aug. 2, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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Children’s Home Society of MN is hosting foster care adoption education classes online in August 2023 and September 2023.
- This year’s Be@School conference will be held in person on Aug. 8, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Minneapolis. There is no cost; lunch and CEUs will be provided. For more information and to register, visit the Be@School conference webpage.
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ASPIRE MN is hosting a Youth Work Leadership Summit on Oct. 2-4, 2023, at Madden’s Resort in Brainerd, MN. Register by July 31 and save $25 with code EarlyBird2023. Find more information and register on the event website.
- Registration is open for the Louis County Health and Human Services Conference, which will be on Oct.11-13, 2023, at the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center (DECC). Find more information and register on the conference website.
- There is a call for presentations for the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare’s (CASCW) 2023 Permanency & Child Welfare Fall Conference, Nov.14-16, 2023, in Bloomington, MN. The proposal deadline is Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. Find more information on the conference webpage.
- Join the Children’s Bureau and the Capacity Building Center for States on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST for the free 2023 Child Welfare Virtual Expo. The theme this year is Recruit, Retain, and Support: Strategies for Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce. More information, including how to register, is available on the Expo’s webpage.
- The ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference will be held in person at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Sept. 19-20, 2023. Learn more and register on the ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference website.
- Save the date for MACMH’s 6th annual Infant & Early Childhood Conference, held in person Nov. 5-7, 2023, at the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest in Minnetonka, MN. For more information, visit the conference webpage.
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