Ampersand Families provides permanency and adoption services to older youth and families who face barriers to equity in child welfare, and champions systemic changes that advance belonging, dignity and hope.
Ampersand Families was formed in 2008 to help older youth and teens in foster care join safe, loving, permanent families through adoption. Over time, our work has evolved to prioritize family preservation and relative/kin connections whenever possible. We work downstream with older youth who have spent years in foster care, and we work upstream with kids of any age immediately after they are removed from their parents, finding and engaging relatives and kin who can safely care for a child or sibling group while they are away from their parents, with family reunification as the goal. If you are interested in exploring the possibility of adopting a sibling group, youth older than age 10, or being a relative/kinship permanency resource for a youth from Minnesota’s foster care system then we might be the right place for you. Every family is unique and has gifts to share. We believe that each child is deserving of the safety and care of a family, throughout childhood and beyond. Parenting is joyful and at times incredibly tough. Our approach to family work is that we listen, guide, and support family through the home study process and in the hard work of parenting.
Contact us to set up an individual orientation during which you can have your questions answered about the adoption process and about what working with Ampersand Families is all about.
All families working with a PPPC agency to complete the adoption process must attend the initial 16 hour pre-adoption training, provided by Children’s Home Society, prior to beginning the home study process at their respective agency. Ampersand Families provides additional required training to families completing the adoption process with us.
Please visit www.ampersandfamilies.org to learn more about us. You may call 612.559.2263 or email us at info@ampersandfamilies.org to get things rolling.