Minnesota post-adoption support

Below are post-adoption and guardianship support services available to families who live in Minnesota. Services may not be available in all areas and/or may be dependent upon the circumstances of the placement. Please check with your post-adoption services provider about the availability of specific post-adoption or guardianship support services for your family. You can also visit Child Welfare Information Gateway for information on Adoption and Guardianship Assistance, as well as additional information on post-adoption support.

On this page:

Post-adoption/guardianship support services

In Minnesota, families have access to the following services through the state’s post-adoption service programs:

  • Child/youth assessment of needs and strengths 
  • Information (websites, fact sheets, articles, etc.)
  • Navigation, advocacy, referral to services 
  • Birth family mediation and/or adoption search 
  • Peer support for parents 
  • Peer support for children/teens 
  • Mentoring for parents
  • Mentoring for children/teens
  • Case management
  • Training/other development
  • Education support/advocacy
  • Camps, retreats, events
  • Financial/materials support (other than adoption assistance)
  • Community-based therapeutic services
  • In-home therapeutic services
  • Residential therapeutic services
  • Crisis intervention

Who is eligible for these services?

Most services are available to all adoptive and foster families in the state, and families who took guardianship of a child from foster care. Specific eligibility is available at https://permanencyhubmn.org/find-a-service/. 

Who provides these services?

Post-adoption services in Minnesota are provided through contracts with multiple agencies, each offering different services.

Provider Service provider Service area
Adoption Medicine Clinic Comprehensive child well-being assessments for children and youth in foster care, adoption and kinship care Statewide
Ampersand Families Support groups for children and youth, family retreats, buddy families, child assessments based on the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics Statewide
Children’s Home Society Assessment and supportive coaching for adoptive families Statewide
Evolve Heritage camps for transracial families Statewide
MN Adopt Information and referral services, training and educational for parents and professionals, a help line with referral to adoption-competent mental health professionals, post-adoption search services Statewide
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center Training and support for families who may become foster, adoptive, or kinship resources for children covered by the Indian Child Welfare Act, support groups for parents, family cultural events Twin Cities metropolitan area
North American Council on Adoptable Children Parent and child/youth support groups, retreats, family activities, one-on-one information and support from other adoptive, foster, kinship parents Statewide
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Training for parents, parent support groups, family events Greater Minnesota (outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area)
Pact Collaborative Family visits to provide support and teach parenting skills, parent support groups, family activities Greater Minnesota (outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area)

Parents can find updated information about available services at the Minnesota Department of Human Services website and also learn more at MNAdopt and the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)

Services may not be available in all areas and/or may be dependent upon the circumstances of the case. Please check with your state’s public agency about the availability of post-adoption or guardianship support services for your family.

Parent support groups

Below are support groups for adoptive, kinship, and foster families. Support groups may be offered as part of a state’s post-adoption/guardianship support program, through a statewide or regional foster or adoptive parent association, through specific agencies, or may be run independently. If we have additional information about the group’s purpose or the community served, it’s provided under the group’s contact information.

To add a group or make a suggestion, email the AdoptUSKids family support team.

Ampersand Families
Info@ampersandfamilies.org
Location: St. Paul

Anoka County Social Services
nancy.le@co.anoka.mn.us
Location: Anoka

Bemidji Adoptive Parent Support Group
sarahcoumbeguida@nacac.org
Location: Laporte

Children’s Home Society/Lutheran Social Services  
welcome@chlss.org
651-646-7771
Location: St. Paul

Dakota County Adoptive/Foster Parent Support Group, Dakota County Adoptive/Foster Parent Support Group
ann.dempsey@co.dakota.mn.us
952-891-7415
Location: Apple Valley

EVOLVE Adoption & Family Services
evolve@evolveservices.org
Location: Oak Park Heights

Families with Children from China Midwest
Location: Richfield

Kanabec County Family Services
Location: Mora

Kinship Family Support Services at Lutheran Social Service of MN
Warmline@lssmn.org
Location: St. Paul

LSS Therapeutic Child Foster Care Program
Location: St. Paul

Main Street Family Services, Main Street Family Services
julie.schultz@mainstreetfamilyservices.org
763-233-2195
Location: Elk River

Milestones
mwijeratne@milestonesmn.org
320-251-5081
Location: Waite Park

Minnesota Department of Human Services-Benton County
Location: Foley

MN ADOPT
info@mnadopt.org
Location: St. Paul

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Austin Area Support Group MN
melissafredin@nacac.org
Location: Austin

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Bemidji Area MN
jannaw@paulbunyan.net
Location: Bemidji

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Child Welfare Professionals
ginnyblade@nacac.org
Location: virtual

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Concurrent Families MN
ginnyblade@nacac.org
Location: Hennepin County

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Dads Only Support Group MN
onetribeyoyo@gmail.com
Location: St Paul

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Dakota County & East Metro MN
amyames@nacac.org

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Duluth Area MN
amykinney@nacac.org
Location: Duluth

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Fairmont Area Support Group
nicoleinmexico@yahoo.com
Location: Fairmont

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, FASD Support MN
barbclark@nacac.org
Location: Minneapolis

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Isanti County/East Central MN Support Group
katieneuman@nacac.org
Location: Isanti County/East Central

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Kinship Support Group
amyames@nacac.org

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Mankato Area Support Group MN
terriboe@gmail.com
Location: Mankato

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Morrison/Todd/Crow Wing/Brainerd Area Support Group
katieneuman@nacac.org
Location: Morrison/Todd/Crow Wing/Brainerd Area

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Native Support For Minnesota Families
marylyons@nacac.org
Location: Rosemount

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, New Ulm Area Support Group
ashleyjohnson@nacac.org
Location: New Ulm

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, NW MN & Grand Rapids karlaking@nacac.org

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Out-of-Home Placement MN
ashleyjohnson@nacac.org
Location: virtual

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Parenting Adult Children MN
melissafredin@nacac.org
Location: virtual

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Parenting Teens MN
luciusluther@nacac.org
Location: Robbinsdale

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Rainbow Families MN
nitarafrost@nacac.org
Group type: LGBTQ
Location: Bloomington

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Ramsey County MN
martha.johnson10@gmail.com
Location: St. Paul

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Rochester Area & Olmstead County MN
melissafredin@nacac.org
Location: Oronoco

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Southwest Metro & West Metro MN
ginnyblade@nacac.org
Location: St. Paul

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Southwest Minnesota
ashleyjohnson@nacac.org
Location: Tyler

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, St Cloud Area MN
katieneuman@nacac.org

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Transracial Families MN
debreisner@nacac.org
Location: Golden Valley

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Transracial Families
amykinney@nacac.org
Location: Duluth

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, While You Wait MN
ginnyblade@nacac.org
Location: virtual

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Willmar Area MN
ashleyhanson@nacac.org
Location: Spicer

NACAC’s Adoptive Foster Kinship Connections, Windom Area MN
ashleyjohnson@nacac.org
Location: virtual

New Horizons Adoption Agency, Inc.
mubben@newhorizonsadopt.com
Location: Blue Earth

Nexus-Kindred Family Healing
Location: Brainerd

North Homes
amy.koebke@northhomes.org
Locations: Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Dulut

Olmsted County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative, Olmsted County Community Services
dalin.debra@co.olmsted.mn.us
Location: Rochester

Parenting African American Children Adoptive Parent Support Group
marilyngow@gmail.com
Location: Lakeville
Region served: Duluth

Polk County MN Parent Support Group, Polk Co Human Services
jackie.jeffrey@co.polk.mn.us
Location: Crookston

Raising Relative’s Children
janet.salo@lssmn.org and warmline@lssmn.org
Location: St. Paul

Sherburne County Health & Human Services
belva.bw@co.sherburne.mn.us
Location: Elk River

Wellspring Adoption Agency, Inc.
info@adoptionmn.com
Location: Minneapolis