North Dakota Foster Care
and Adoption Guidelines

Things You Should Know

• Foster Care and Adoption Licensing Requirements
• Costs to Foster and Adopt
• Parent Support Groups
• Agency Contact and Orientation Information
• Information on North Dakota's Waiting Children

Foster Care and Adoption Licensing Requirements

Foster Parenting

Foster parenting requires no extraordinary talent - just patience, flexibility, and the ability to provide a stable family life during a time of crisis and until a permanent living plan can be arranged.

The North Dakota foster care system does not exclude anyone interested in becoming a foster parent because of race, creed, religious belief, or marital status. Some important characteristics are good parenting skills (or the willingness to learn them), the time and energy to invest in a child's life, and a genuine concern for the well-being of children and families.

Please visit the North Dakota Department of Human Services foster care website for more information on foster care.

Adoption

Who Can Adopt?

• Adoptive parents may be married or single, childless or already parenting other children.
• Having a disability does not automatically disqualify anyone from adopting a child; rather, agencies want to ensure that a prospective adoptive parent can care for a child and meet the child's needs throughout childhood.
• Divorce or a history of marital or personal counseling does not automatically eliminate individuals as candidates.
• People are not required to own their own homes or to have high incomes in order to give children what they need - permanence, stability, a lifetime commitment, and a chance to be part of a family.
• Children do not need "perfect" parents. They need one or more caring and committed individuals who are willing to meet their needs and to incorporate them into a nurturing family environment.

Agencies placing children for adoption will discuss their specific eligibility regulations and placement options with prospective parents.

Please visit the North Dakota Department of Human Services adoption website for more information on adoption.

Adoption Agencies

In North Dakota, private agencies facilitate "public agency adoptions" (i.e. the adoption of children from the foster care system). North Dakota contracts with private agencies to provide adoption services for children being adopted from the foster care system and the families that adopt them. This unique collaborative is called the Adults Adopting Special Kids (AASK) Program.

Costs to Foster and Adopt

The costs for adopting a child through the AASK program are very minimal. At the most a family will pay several hundred dollars for these services.

Federal or state subsidies may be available to assist families adopting a child with special needs.

Parent Support Groups

For a list of Parent Support groups please contact the AASK representative in your area.

• Post-Adoption Resources
  Contact: Julie Hoffman
  State Adoption Specialist
  Phone: 701-328-4805

Agency Contact and Orientation Information

Private and Nonprofit Agencies

• Contact: Leanne Johnson
  AASK Director
  Email: ljohnson@catholiccharitiesnd.org
  Phone: 701-356-7986
• Contact: Tanya Stuhaug
  AASK Supervisor - Eastern North Dakota
  Email: tstuhaug@catholiccharities.org
  Phone: 701-356-7987
• Contact: Joan Allen
  AASK Supervisor - Western North Dakota
  Email: jallen@catholiccharitiesnd.org
  Phone: 701-224-6840 (ext. 6398)

County Social Services Offices (foster care/adoption)

To access the contact information for your county social services office, view the online map.

Therapeutic Foster Care

View a list of therapeutic foster care contact information.

Tribal Contacts

• Three Affiliated Tribal Child Welfare
• Turtle Mountain Tribal Child Welfare
• Standing Rock Tribal Child Welfare
• Spirit Lake Tribal Social Services

Information on North Dakota's Waiting Children

There are 1,364 children in foster care in North Dakota; 341 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.