Ampersand Families

WE KEEP PROMISES By creating permanency. One youth at a time. WE KEEP PROMISES By creating permanency. One youth at a time.

[ The Challenge ]

TRAUMA, ABUSE, NEGLECT.
Through no fault of their own, hundreds of Minnesota teens await adoption. But they have little chance of finding a family before aging out of foster care. What’s ahead? Loneliness . . . and worse. A high risk of experience homelessness, unemployment, and crime — as offender or victim.

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WE ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION

WE — WITH YOUR HELP — ARE KEEPING THE PROMISE. We're doing everything possible to restore these youth to loving, permanent families as quickly and as safely as possible.

And then we're there for our families — forever — with post-adoption support services when the going gets rough ... and when it's time to celebrate.

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75%

of the youth we
work with find a stable,
loving home.

We’ve helped

180

older youth
find permanent families
since 2008.

YOU ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION, TOO

Considering adoption? Find out if your family is a good fit for adoption from foster care. Or learn more about the many, many other ways — big and small — in which you can support the lives of these resilient yet vulnerable young people.

Learn How

CATCHING THE DROPS, FIXING THE ROOF

You may be surprised to learn

that each year in Minnesota about 50 youth leave our foster care system without legal membership in any family. When a youth's parents' rights are terminated due to abuse and neglect her legal relationship to grandparents, siblings and all other family members also disappear.

Moreover, only about 50% of youth who age out of care have graduated high school, and their odds of being victims, offenders, parents too early or homeless are unconscionably high.

Not only are we solving this problem teen by teen, we’re addressing systemic barriers and practices that are creating this situation in the first place.
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Research, policy and outreach

initiatives will help our community solve the issues related to permanency for older youth.

Working side by side with local and national thought leaders, we're examining the issues, identifying solutions and calling for change.

We are championing the first-ever longitudinal research into the outcomes of teen adoption, and we're leading on system improvements that will shift child welfare practices.

At the same time, we're developing young people and parents whose stories inspire community members to get involved.
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Learn – Talk – Create Change

with us and with your own friends and family. Adoption is just one option when it comes to helping our community fulfill the promise of permanency to youth in foster care.

Join us out in the community and help give voice to teens whom our community has forgotten.

We also provide a wide-range of training that raises awareness across the board — from prospective adoptive or buddy families to national human services professionals.

Knowledge is power. Will you use your power to fulfill the promise of permanency for our teens in foster care? [ LEARN MORE ]

Posts & Stories

In memory of George Floyd

Posted by

Engaging Relatives and Kin throughout the Child Welfare Process

Posted by

Parent Reunification as a Form of Permanency

Posted by

Be a Buddy Family

Posted by
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Why choose Ampersand Families?

I am the oldest of six kids born into a loving and supportive family. We were our parents top priority and our parents poured themselves into nurturing us and being present for us. I am involved with ampersand because it is unconscionable that there are kids in the world that don’t get what I had.

― Steve, Board Member

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