When an adoption is finalized, it is the promise of a new chapter in the lives of children and parents. And while the majority of adoptive families thrive, there are some that don't fulfill the promise of a "forever family" for a child. The National Council for Adoption (NCFA)'s August issue of the Adoption Advocate [...]
Minnesota's recently enacted omnibus health and human services bill includes changes to mental health services in Minnesota that could have an impact on children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system. Children's Mental Health Services to Adult Mental Health Services "Mental illness" ("MI") definition modified. Case management and community support services for adults [...]
Camp To Belong is a special summer camp. Along with swimming, hiking, and other fun summer activities, the children who attend get to participate in something many of us take for granted - they get to do these activities with their brothers and sisters who live in other foster or adoptive homes. Camp To Belong [...]
As of last Thursday, August 1 2013, the Family Reunification Act went into effect. This law allows foster youth 15 and older who were never adopted to have the option to reunite with their birth parents. The law stipulates that the birth parents must be able to demonstrate that they have resolved or addressed the [...]
DHS initiative: Reform 2020 Reform 2020 is a 2011 legislative directive for DHS to reform Minnesota's Medicaid program, Medical Assistance (MA), so as to improve outcomes for people with disabilities, seniors, and other enrollees. Specifically, Reform 2020 focuses on community integration and independence, improved health, reduced reliance on institutional care, attainment of housing and employment, [...]
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, otherwise known as the Baby Veronica case. The U.S. Supreme Court had been asked to decide what constitutes a "parent" under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), specifically if the definition includes an unwed biological father who had not complied [...]
Behind Sesame Street, there is Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization whose mission is "to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential." Sesame Workshop utilizes on-the-ground outreach and collaborations with partners and local agencies in order to have the most impact. Sesame Workshop's initiatives encompass many areas and [...]
One of the Minnesota legislature's areas of interest this past legislative session was mental health services, particularly school-based/school-linked services. Several of the bills that were introduced that focused on mental health services for children were included in either the education or health and human services omnibus bills. Funding for school-linked mental health services The education [...]