Ampersand Families turns 15 this year! And like most 15-year-olds, we’re growing and changing. Our agency was born of a passion for change – deep systemic change that would prevent older youth in foster care from aging out of the system without supportive adult relationships. That passion is authentic as our co-founder, Michelle Chalmers, herself aged out of care in the 1980s. Michelle and co-founder Jen Braun created what has become one of the most inclusive, Continue Reading
Blog posts
Kin Link – Connecting Kids in Care to Family
Restoring Belonging The pendulum is shifting in child welfare towards recognizing that given the information and tools, families can and will care for their own. The Kin Link team is on the front lines working to ensure kids stay connected to family, community, and culture every step of the way. Family Matters Our work with relatives/kin is guided by federal law through the Family First Prevention Services Act and Minnesota state Continue Reading
Engaging Relatives and Kin Throughout the Welfare Process
Reaching for Healing, Equity, and Permanency Being separated from birth parents or caretakers via the child welfare system is a traumatic experience for children and youth. Too often, being placed in out of home care means that children lose their connection to everything that is familiar to them; their belongings, neighborhood, friends, school, siblings, family culture and traditions. Research shows that relative/kin placement, which means children living with Continue Reading
Parent Reunification as a Form of Permanency
A couple of years ago a 16 year old young man, was referred to us for child specific recruitment. He had been in foster care since the age of 9, and his parents’ rights were terminated when he was 11. Over those years, he moved between foster homes and group homes. From the records we have, we know that he moved more than 15 times, including several hospitalizations. When his county worker referred him to us, they noted “the youth is strongly opposed to adoption and Continue Reading
Be a Buddy Family
Buddy Families – An Enriching Experience Have you heard of our Buddy Family program? Buddy families are just regular people in the community who step up to become part of the support network for an adoptive family. They get to know parents and their new kids, and help out by spending a couple evenings and one weekend a month with the youth, so that everyone can have a break from the intense work of family building. Here is what people are saying about the buddy family Continue Reading
