Thank you for your inquiring about our waiting children. My name is Marilyn Gow, and I have adopted seven children from the foster care system. I will be following up with you throughout your homestudy process. I will be happy to answer any questions or concerns that you may have on foster and/or adoption related issues.

I want to be sure that you are receiving the necessary information and assistance for a successful foster care and/or adoption experience. If you have any concerns during this process, please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail. I am available during the day and also in the evenings.

The adoption and foster care process may take some time, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Children are our greatest resource and our future.

Marilyn Gow

Contact Information

Marilyn Gow

(218) 348-0468

marilynmnadoptuskids@gmail.com

Para información en español, contacte:

Marilyn Gow

(218) 348-0468

marilynmnadoptuskids@gmail.com

Licensing Requirements for Foster or Adoption

To foster or adopt, you can:

• Be married, single or divorced
• Experienced in parenting or not
• Own or rent where you live

We need all kinds of families!

Specific requirements for homestudies varies by agency, so be sure to ask for a list of the items and information your agency needs.

The following items are commonly required during the homestudy process to foster or adopt:

• An autobiographical statement--a statement you create about your life history;
• Certified copies of birth certificates for you, and, if applicable, your partner and any children;
• If you are married: a certified copy of your marriage license;
• If you have ever been divorced: certified copies of divorce decrees;
• If applicable: the death certificate of a former spouse;
• Certified copies of the finalization or adoption decrees for any adopted children;
• Child abuse and criminal record clearances, or a notarized statement from the police declaring that you and other adults in your home have faced no felony convictions;
• Income verification (may include tax returns, W-2 forms, and paycheck stubs) to show that your current income is meeting your current needs;
• A statement of health provided by a physician, which might include lab test results;
• Written references from friends, employers, neighbors, etc.; and
• Fingerprints.

View more information about fostering. Or, call the National Foster Parent Association at 1-800-557-5238. You can also visit: www.nfpainc.org.

For more information about adopting specifically, please contact me at (218) 348-0468 or at marilynmnadoptuskids@gmail.com.

Does it Cost to Foster or Adopt?

Public agencies do not charge fees for adoption of Minnesota's waiting children, nor do those private agencies that are part of the Public/Private Adoption Initiative.

If you adopt a child who is waiting in foster care in another state, there will be a fee, but it is possible that the child’s state will pay the fee or reimburse you. After you have completed your homestudy and started searching for the child whom you will adopt, you will be able to talk to individual children’s case workers about whether or not the child’s state will be able to pay the fee/reimburse you.

Other nonprofit agencies (i.e. those who are not part of the Public/Private Adoption Initiative) may have fixed fees or a sliding fee scale based on family income.

Public or county social service agencies only place children who are in foster care.

When adopting a child with special needs, an adoptive family may qualify for reimbursement of some expenses. These “non-recurring expenses” include agency placement fees, agency fees for supervision of the adoptive placement, court and attorney fees and transportation and lodging costs for the child and the adoptive family.

Parent Support Groups

The website, www.mnasap.org, lists support groups in Minnesota. You can also subscribe to a free quarterly newsletter on this site.

Agency Contact and Orientation Information

Orientation Information:

Please use the agency information below to contact agencies and find out when they are holding their next orientation.

Agency Contact Information:

County social service agencies

County social service agencies are responsible for providing adoption services to children under state guardianship and to families who hope to adopt children understate guardianship by:

• Recruiting adoptive parents;
• Completing adoption studies and adoption study updates for families;
• Locating and placing children in adoptive homes; and
• Providing services to families before and after adoption.

For more information, contact the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Family and Children’s Services at (651) 296-0584 or go to: www.dhs.state.mn.us/cfs/programs/Adoption/default.htm. This information is available in other forms to people with disabilities by calling (651) 282-5329. TDD users can call the Minnesota Relay at 711 or (800) 627-3529. For the Speech-to-Speech Relay, call (877) 627-3848.

Public/Private Adoption Initiative

The Public/Private Adoption Initiative (PPAI) is a partnership comprised of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, county social service agencies and licensed private adoption agencies to place children under Minnesota state guardianship in permanent homes with adoptive families. The department has contracted with eight private adoption agencies that work with county social service agencies to enhance existing adoption resources to ensure this happens.

Private Agencies that work with adopting children from foster care:

View a list of all agencies in Minnesota: Select the state of Minnesota. Under “Categories of Information,” choose “Public Foster Care and Adoption Agencies” and “Foster Care and Adoption Support Groups.”

Information on Children

Slightly more than 14,700 children were in out-of-home placements in 2006.

Information about the children in out-of-home care:

• Average Age: 11.1 years
• Male: 54%
• Female: 46%
• Black (non-Hispanic): 21%
• White (non-Hispanic): 54%
• Hispanic: 8%
• Am. Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic): 12%
• Asian/Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic): 2%
• Unknown: 2%
• 2 or More Races (non-Hispanic): 8%

About 10,500 of the children were in foster homes. For 2006, 73 percent of children who left out-of-home care were reunited with their birth parents, primary caregiver or other relatives.

When children cannot be reunited with their birth family, they become legally free for adoption. Almost one-third (32 percent) of the children available for adoption were adopted by their foster parents or relatives.

As of September 2007, 650 children were waiting to be adopted. Of the 650 children waiting to be adopted:

• 58% are siblings who need to be adopted together
• 38% are 12 to 18 years old

Upcoming Events

View a list of training available in Minnesota. This site lists trainings available through Minnesota Adoption Support and Preservation and other agencies.

For other event information, please call or email me.