Commitment to anti-racist work and inclusivity: Supporting LGBTQ+ children and families in adoption
The Permanency Support Unit is continuing to review policies, practices, and laws to determine where and how changes can or should be made to ensure racial equity and inclusivity, and promote better outcomes for children and families who are disproportionately represented in permanency and adoption.
With October recognized as LGBTQ+ History Month and November as Transgender Awareness Month, consider how policies and practices impact the adoption process for children, youth, and families who identify as LGBTQ+. As professionals work with children, youth, and families through the adoption process, there can be many opportunities for education and growth. It is important children, youth, and families feel welcome and advocated for as they proceed in their foster care and adoption process.
For example, when providing child-specific recruitment services, permanency professionals should have conversations with children and youth about all types of families who could be a good fit for them, without assuming a child or youth would prefer a specific type of family. Children and youth may have biases or be unaware of LGBTQ+ families as potential permanency options. While child and youth desires about their permanency should be respected, a permanency professional can help them consider families they might not have otherwise considered. Helping children and youth to be fully informed empowers them to participate in their permanency plan.
All families being considered for adoptive placement of children and youth must be able to meet their individualized needs, including supporting their gender identity and sexual orientation. This is particularly critical for children and youth who identify as LGBTQ+. Permanency professionals providing child-specific recruitment services to children and youth who identify as LGBTQ+ should ensure that families demonstrate an ability to meet their needs and can support their gender identity and sexual orientation.
When assessing families as part of the foster care and adoption home study process, assessors should have thorough conversations with families about what characteristics in a child they feel able to parent. In some instances, families may express they do not feel they have the skills and abilities to meet the needs of a child who may identify as LGBTQ+. This is a concern for placements, as it is not possible to predict how a child or youth will develop in their gender identity and sexual orientation, regardless of the child’s age at the time of placement. Minnesota foster care rule notes that a foster care and/or adoptive applicant must be able to actively support the foster child's racial or ethnic background, culture, and religion, and respect the child's sexual orientation. Part of the assessment should ensure applicants are able to meet the needs of the child or youth to be placed in their home, whether those needs are known or will not be known until later in life. In these situations, home study professionals must have a conversation with families about the inability to predict a child’s needs in the future, and offer resources and referrals as may be necessary. This conversation should be documented in the home study assessment, so that placing agency staff are able to assess prospective parents’ ability to meet the needs of the child when making a placement decision.
Further, as home study professionals work with families who identify as LGBTQ+, it is important to note prospective adoptive parents may not have experienced inclusive and welcoming responses to their desire to be an adoptive family. Agencies should review their policies and procedures to ensure they are inclusive and equitable for all clients. LGBTQ+ education and resources can help support permanency professionals as they work with children, youth and families. Many LGBTQ+ resources are available, including:
Recently issued publications and bulletins
New permanency survey coming soon
It’s that time of year again when we want to hear from you! Previously, we issued surveys to child welfare professionals to get feedback on permanency practices and services available via contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. This year, we partnered with The 220 Experience to restructure the survey for a better user experience. With this survey, you can expect a more interactive experience while sharing your thoughts and recommendations with us. Look for the survey links soon. We look forward to your insight.
Invitation to participate in preschool entry rate study
In previous updates, we mentioned a doctoral study being conducted on the preschool entry rate for Northstar Adoption Assistance and Northstar Kinship Assistance. The researcher is looking for the input of a few more families who receive Northstar Adoption Assistance or Northstar Kinship Assistance. The study will give families an opportunity to share their experiences with the Northstar Adoption Assistance and Northstar Kinship Assistance programs and how the preschool entry rate may have affected the process of finalization.
Participants would share their experiences via a 30-45 minute phone interview with the researcher. All responses to the interview questions will be kept confidential, and identifying information will be removed from the data to protect participants’ identity.
No compensation will be given for participation in the study. However, their participation will provide a greater understanding of how the Northstar Adoption Assistance and Northstar Kinship Assistance programs’ preschool entry rate affects families and Minnesota children in need of permanent homes.
If you know a family who may be interested in participating in this study and are either receiving the preschool entry rate for a child, or are receiving the school-age entry rate but their child was between the ages of 6 and 7 years old at the time of finalization, please have them email Catrina Ankarlo at catrina.ankarlo@state.mn.us, or call Catrina at (651) 431-4718 to set up an interview.
Employment opportunity with Child Safety and Permanency division
DHS training opportunities
The DHS Permanency Quality Assurance team has announced upcoming WebEx-based training opportunities. These trainings will cover the adoption and kinship processes for children in foster care, as well as children’s social and medical histories. Dates, topics, and registration links are as follows:
For more information, visit Child protection, foster care, adoption: Training and scroll down to the section titled Conferences, trainings, and webinars, then open Training. If you have any questions, contact northstar.benefits@state.mn.us.
DHS Permanency Support Unit staff are available to provide online training to agencies. Available training topics include the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC), the Minnesota Assessment of Parenting for Children and Youth (MAPCY), adoption, transfer of permanent legal and physical custody to a relative, Northstar Adoption and Kinship Assistance, social and medical histories, relative search and engagement for permanency, and more .
To request a training, please use the contacts below:
Conferences and events
Registration is open for the Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Conference from Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health (MACMH). This conference will be held online Nov. 8-9, 2021. Up to 10.75 CEHs are available. All workshops will be recorded and available for registered attendees to view for 30 days following the conference. View the conference webpage for more information and to register.
Celebrate and explore adoption at the Circus of the Heart! Join us as we celebrate Minnesota’s Adoption Awareness Month, honor families who have grown through adoption and kinship care, and provide information about adopting children and youth under state guardianship. Please share with clients & networks. Registration for a Circus Box filled with activities, information, prizes, and giveaways is now closed, but families can still participate in activities and virtual programming! Circus of the Heart will be held online from Nov. 1-7, 2021. More information can be found here.
The NACAC Virtual Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is Dec. 8, 2021, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST.
Other training opportunities
MN ADOPT has several training opportunities available during November 2021:
- Free webinar in honor of National Adoption Month: Moral Injury in Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Arrangements, with Ed Morales & Michelle Seymore, on Nov. 18, 2021, at 10 a.m. Listen to a related podcast featuring Michelle and Ed here.
- Free webinar: Neuroplasticity: Rewire your brain, change your life, with Rev. Catherine Duncan, MA, BCC, and Cathy Moore. Enter code web1021 at checkout.
- Free AdoptEd trainings in November (available here).
Children’s Home Society is offering foster care adoption education classes online in November and December.
MACMH’s Fall 2021 Training Series (Oct. 26 through Dec. 14, 2021) includes webinars on anxiety, ADHD, trauma, OCD and more.
Adoption Placement Agreements for children not physically placed in an adoptive home
This technical assistance was featured in our March 2020 newsletter. As a reminder, 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 (APA). An APA 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 APA. It is possible that the court may require physical placement in an adopting parent’s home in order to finalize an adoption, however.
Social and Medical History for a Child in Foster Care (SSIS vs. eDocs)
The Social and Medical History for a Child in Foster Care form is located in Social Services Information System (SSIS) as a Person document and in eDocs as DHS-6754A. Both forms are acceptable to use for providing full disclosure to prospective adoptive parents and submitting to DHS with an APA. However, there are differences between the two forms that may influence your decision regarding which one to use.
The eDocs version is a dynamic form that allows for a more customized finished product. This version allows the addition or removal of data entry boxes based on previous entries as you move through the form. The form prints well and can be a great tool when talking with relatives to gather information about a child.
The SSIS version is opened as a Person document in SSIS and will remain editable and independent of the workgroups that are open for a child, which prevents the need to recreate the form when working with multiple workgroups or placements. This version is easier to maintain in the child’s record over time as it is readily accessible within SSIS and can be managed as a living document.
Northstar Kinship Assistance eligibility determination clarification
One of the questions in the Northstar Kinship Assistance eligibility determination is whether Title IV-E claims were made for at least six consecutive months while the child resided in the relative custodian’s licensed home. If they were not, then the next question asks whether the relative custodian was eligible to receive Title IV-E foster care payments on behalf of the child for at least six consecutive months. Note the difference between these two questions. The second question requires a review of the relative custodian’s eligibility to receive Title IV-E foster care payments on the child’s behalf, not whether the payments were actually paid or Title IV-E claims made. A relative custodian might be eligible to receive Title IV-E foster care payments, but Title IV-E claims may not have been made yet, or the relative custodian might have declined foster care payments.
To determine whether a relative custodian is eligible to receive Title IV-E foster care payments, consult with your agency’s staff who are responsible for determining whether Title IV-E claims can be made for foster care payments.
If the relative custodian is not eligible to receive Title IV-E foster care payments, that does not mean they are not eligible for Title IV-E or non-Title IV-E Northstar Kinship Assistance. Rather, the eligibility determination will move on to additional questions regarding their eligibility for Title IV-E or non-Title IV-E Northstar Kinship Assistance.
Consideration of relatives for adoptive placement decisions
When making adoptive placement decisions, ensure all relatives who have responded to the relative search notice or who have expressed interest in being considered for permanent placement through the relative search process are considered for placement. Relatives are often unsure of how to proceed and may need guidance to meet requirements or to understand the process of adopting a child who is under state guardianship. It is important to discuss with each relative what the child’s needs are and what might be needed to care for the child.
In considering relatives for adoptive placement decisions, the goal should not be to rule them out. Rather, the goal should be to understand how they may be able to meet a child’s short-term and long-term needs. Relatives related to a child by blood, marriage, or adoption should be considered for placement prior to considering individuals who are important friends to the child. See Minn. Stat., section 260C.212, subdivision 2(a), and section 260C.605, subdivision 1(b).
If a relative is not selected to be a child’s adoptive placement after reviewing the child’s needs and how the relative can meet their needs, have a conversation with the relative about this decision so they understand how they were considered for permanent placement. This may help prevent the perception that they were not considered. Additionally, you may be able to encourage the relative to be a support to that child and provide the link to their family of origin that would have otherwise been lost. A difficult conversation with the relative now may preserve their future relationship with the child.
Overview of the Minnesota Heart Gallery
The Minnesota Heart Gallery provides children and youth awaiting adoptive families in Minnesota the chance to see themselves as they never have before, and invites the community to learn more about the right of every child to a permanent family. Ampersand Families recruits and supports a pool of professional photographers to take photos of Minnesota’s waiting children. The photographs are used to recruit adoptive families.
Minnesota Heart Gallery photos capture the extraordinary spirit of young people, and give real faces to the statistics about adoption and foster care; they inspire families to consider how they might help.
Minnesota county and tribal case managers may refer any waiting child or youth in the state to Minnesota Heart Gallery. Once a referral is made, the case manager will be contacted to coordinate the details of the shoot. After the shoot, the child or youth receives a disk of photos for their own personal use, while the case manager receives a disk of photos for recruitment purposes. Select photos will become part of the traveling exhibit and/or may be posted on Minnesota Heart Gallery's website and/or Facebook page for the purpose of raising community awareness of children awaiting adoption from foster care. MN ADOPT also receives a photo for the state adoption exchange.
For more information, visit Minnesota Heart Gallery's website. Make a referral here.
Resources available for National Substance Abuse Prevention Month
To spotlight National Substance Abuse Prevention Month for October, the Children’s Bureau Express has highlighted numerous resources, which can be found here.
Adoption Is Love Fund grant opportunity
In honor of November as National Adoption Awareness Month, Adoption is Love & Patiently Waiting are partnering to offer three Minnesota prospective adoptive parents each a $1,000 grant to help cover adoption expenses. Both organizations are excited to help a Minnesota family grow through adoption. The deadline for the grant is Nov. 19, 2021. More information, including the application, is available here.
Ampersand Families employment opportunity
Ampersand Families provides permanency and adoption services to older youth and families who face barriers to equity in child welfare, and champions systemic changes that advance belonging, dignity and hope. Ampersand Families currently has an opening for a Relative Kin Permanency Specialist/Adoption Worker. Learn more about this posting, including salary and benefits information, and other employment opportunities.
Children’s Home Society and Lutheran Social Service employment opportunity
Children’s Home Society and Lutheran Social Service have career opportunities for individuals who wish to impact the lives of children and families, and who share a commitment to give every child security, opportunity, and a loving family. Children’s Home Society has an opening for an Education Facilitator. Learn more about this posting and Children’s Home Society here.
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