COMPREHENSIVE PERMANENCY SERVICES

For Families

Ampersand Families expects (and supports) families to make an unconditional commitment to the youth they adopt.  We know it’s critical that we make the same unconditional commitment to our families.  Ampersand Families will be there to support families when things are going well or not so well.  We will be there in moments of joy and those of heartbreak.

• Pre-adoption training, home study services and support for families planning to adopt an older Minnesota youth (generally 10 years and older) or sibling group
• Transition planning and support throughout the process
• Pro-active, non-time-limited post-placement support
• Resources to facilitate birth family contact or involvement
• On-going training for adoptive and support families

For Youth To Achieve Permanency

Ampersand Families provides child-specific recruitment and placement services for youth who are under the guardianship of the commissioner or a Minnesota tribe at no cost to counties or tribes through the Minnesota Department of Human Services Public–Private Adoption Initiative.

County social workers, click here to make a referral for child specific recruitment.

• Permanency reviews
• Support for kin and birth family search as part of permanency planning
• Child-specific recruitment emphasizing the active engagement of youth to achieve permanency
• Life book development to engage youth in their own permanency efforts
• Adolescent-competent preparation and support for permanency

Post Finalization Support To Adoptive Families

All families need support. Families who have adopted a child from the child welfare system can sometimes feel alone after finalization. Whether or not you adopted through Ampersand Families, we are available to support you in keeping the promise of unconditional commitment you made to your child. Please contact us if you need support in parenting your older youth. We will help or we will get you connected to someone who can. Post finalization supports are provided at no cost to families.

Ampersand Families’ post finalization services are partially funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services Public–Private Adoption Initiative. The generous support of individual, corporate and foundation contributors provides the funding for the majority of the agency’s non-time-limited post finalization support.