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Home · Blog posts

Blog posts

March 26, 2024 by Amber Buer

What is Permanency?

Permanency is not a word most people think about often; the general public does not always understand the significance of the supportive connections they have access to.  In our work, permanency is a topic we talk about every day and engage youth in conversation about.  We typically look at permanency in three ways: legal, physical, and relational/emotional.  Legal Permanency When we think of legal permanency, we are thinking about the relationship Continue Reading

Filed Under: Permanency Tagged With: #adoption, #ampersandfamilies, #fostercare, #permanency

March 4, 2024 by Grid Larson

It really does take a village. Become a Buddy Family!

Community, whether we are aware of it or not, is something we all seek out in our daily lives. It can look a lot of different ways such as: game nights with friends, joining a workout class or social sport, talking with folks at a coffee shop or joining a religious community. Seeking community is a way that we build connection with others and get support when we need it. When I think about the Buddy Family Program, that is what I think about: community, connection and Continue Reading

Filed Under: Buddy Families Tagged With: #adoption', #buddy family, #foster care, #teen adoption, #volunteer

January 10, 2024 by Danielle Brown

Seeking African American adoptive families

My name is Danielle Brown and I have worked with Ampersand Families as a Youth Permanency Specialist for more than five years. Last year, I humbly accepted an additional role with a new program offered at our agency. This program is called Innovative Targeted Recruitment for African American Youth. Innovative Targeted Recruitment for African American Youth works to establish community partnerships that engage in targeted recruitment to meet the needs of African American Continue Reading

Filed Under: Child-Specific Recruitment Tagged With: #adoption #african american youth, #ampersandfamilies, #child specific recruitment, #foster care

December 5, 2023 by Jory Miller

Recruiting adults to meet youths’ unique needs

When you consider lives that have experienced trauma, time involved with the child welfare system, and on top of this, the natural confusion of development and growing up, it seems perfectly clear that some youths’ views of the world, and the skills they cultivate, are not the same as their peers who have a more supported and secure upbringing. This understanding leads to much greater conversation as to why the need for connection and family is so important, but Continue Reading

Filed Under: Child-Specific Recruitment Tagged With: #adoption', #ampersandfamilies, #child specific recruitment, #foster care

October 17, 2023 by Margaret Rog

Happy 15th Birthday, Ampersand Families!

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

Filed Under: News

March 24, 2023 by Renee Banas

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 statute, 260C.221, which give Continue Reading

Filed Under: Relative/Kin topics

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