Foster Care and Adoption in Minnesota
It’s estimated that 185 children enter foster care in Minnesota every week. Although most of those children will be reunited with biological family members, some will be unable to achieve that goal, and will become eligible for adoption from foster care.
American Adoptions does not provide Minnesota foster care adoption services, as we specialize in the adoption of newborns. However, adopting a child from foster care is a great way to grow many families. The following information can help you learn more about foster care adoption in Minnesota, so you can determine if it’s the right way to add to your family.
How You Can Help with Foster Care in MN
There are three ways you can get involved with foster care in Minnesota, which are:
Foster Parenting
By becoming a foster parent in Minnesota, you’d be providing temporary care for children who need a safe and supportive environment until they can be placed into a permanent situation — either with their biological family or with an adoptive family.
Foster to Adopt in Minnesota
You can choose to adopt a child from foster care if you’re already a licensed foster parent and the child in your care becomes legally eligible for adoption. This option is called foster to adopt in Minnesota. Although the majority of children in MN foster care will never become eligible for adoption, their foster parents are considered as a permanent placement option if their biological family is unable to care for them.
Adopting from Foster Care in Minnesota
If you know that you want to adopt from foster care in Minnesota, you don’t have to become a foster parent first. When you apply for a foster care adoption, you’re matched with children who are already eligible for adoption and are awaiting permanent placement.
Minnesota Foster Care Subsidies
Adoption assistance via a state-funded adoption subsidy may be available for families who foster to adopt or adopt through foster care in Minnesota. The amount of a potential foster care adoption subsidy depends on the needs of the child(ren) you foster or adopt through foster care in Minnesota.
Who Can Foster to Adopt or Adopt through Foster Care in Minnesota?
Anyone who wishes to adopt a child from foster care in Minnesota must first be approved to adopt through a home study and meet the individual requirements of the foster care agencies through which they apply.
Who Can Be Adopted from Foster Care in Minnesota?
The biological parents of a child must first have their legal parental rights terminated before the child can be eligible for adoption from foster care in Minnesota. The termination of parental rights can occur voluntarily by the parents themselves or involuntarily if a court rules that the parents were unable to complete the court-established requirements to regain custody.
When children in Minnesota foster care turn 18, they “age out” of foster care, but they can still be adopted by their former foster parents who want them to be a legal and permanent part of their family through an adult adoption.
Resources and Minnesota Foster Care Adoption Agencies
The following Minnesota foster care adoption agencies and Minnesota adoption photolisting sites will help you find the resources you need to learn more about foster care and adoption in Minnesota:
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Find your nearest Minnesota foster care agency here
Contact your Minnesota foster care agency to learn more about their foster parent requirements and for more MN foster care adoption resources.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.