Minnesota Adoption Guide

Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.

Source

Kids in foster care available for adoption in 2012: 1,506
Foster adoptions completed in 2012: 523      
International adoptions completed in 2012: 294

Source and source.

Adoption requirements in the state of Minnesota are as follows:

Age: Must be 21+, must live in Minnesota for at least 1 year before adopting a child
Marital Status: You can be married, single, or divorced.  
Finances:  You need to be able to financially support the child.    
Housing:  Can rent or own your home.    
Work: Can work or stay-at-home  
Personality:  Loving and understanding   
Experience:  No experience needed.     
Other Requirements in State:      
DISQUALIFYING CRIMES:  As part of the adoption process, you will undergo a home study. You will need to pass a background check and prove that your home will be a safe place for a child.

It’s essential to have a good network of family, friends, and neighbors to support you through your adoption process.

It’s also important to connect with other adoptive parents. You can begin making these connections in our forums. You may also want to consider joining a support group for adoptive parents.

Before you get started, click here to learn more about the overall process of adopting an infant in the United States. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back to get the details about adoption in Minnesota.  

In Minnesota, you can adopt through a public or private agency, or through an adoption attorney.

Some people pursuing a private adoption find it beneficial to work with a professional adoption facilitator, an individual or organization that matches birth parents with adoptive parents in exchange for a fee. Only parents, legal guardians, and agencies can place children for adoption in Minnesota.

Adoption facilitators are allowed but only the commissioner or a child-placing agency may act as an adoption facilitator. The child’s birth parent may aid in the placement of their child in a preadoptive home, but can’t accept payment.  

You can browse and read reviews about adoption service providers in Minnesota here.     

For more information about picking an adoption agency, learn about the Top Fifteen Things to Look for In An Adoption Agency.

SOURCE: buildingyourfamily.com

Regardless of whether you complete your adoption, you will need to complete an adoption home study.

Your home study social worker will help educate you about adoption and ensure that you (and your partner, if applicable) meet the requirements outlined on slide four.

Click here to learn more about the Home Study process.

Advertising is allowed in Minnesota.  

One of the most important things you can do while waiting for an adoption match is to let everyone know about your hope to adopt. Many adoption connections are made through word-of-mouth referrals.

If advertising is allowed in your state, creating a profile on Adoption.com Parent Profiles allows you to easily share your story with those considering placing their child for adoption. Features like videos and photos, posts, Pinterest-like favorites, and recommendations and endorsements make it easy to create a profile as unique as you are, increasing the likelihood that you will stand out and connect with that right person.

Rich communication options like video chat and instant messaging make connecting easy. A mobile-responsive design means that you will never be out of reach.
What’s more, Adoption.com receives over 650,000 monthly visits, which means your profile will receive unparalleled exposure. You can even view and monitor your progress through a detailed statistics page.

Ready to get started? Click here

Adoption Navigators provides you with quality expertise in sharing your dream of adopting. We provide unparalleled adoption marketing and one-on-one coaching to beautifully show expectant parents who you are and tell your story. With Adoption Navigators you receive premier advertising exposure on Adoption.com, assistance building your profile and creating a video, and expanded reach through social media and search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Adoption.com has more than 16 years of experience helping families connect with potential birth parents.

Let us help you increase your exposure to potential birth parents and decrease your adoption wait time.

Click here to get started.

Creating a listing on Adoption.com Parent Profiles is an excellent way to connect with potential birth parents across the country. If you want to maximize your exposure to potential birth parents and receive personalized coaching and support, consider using Adoption Navigators. Coordinate these services with your adoption professional.

Consent to adoption can be given 72 hours after birth. Relinquishment of rights can happen at this same time.

Birth parents have 10 days from signing (excluding holidays and weekends) to revoke consent. After this 10 day period the consent becomes final unless proved in court that the consent came under fraud or duress.

SOURCE: § 259.24

Minnesota has a putative father registry.  This allows fathers to be notified when their child is placed for adoption. Unmarried fathers have 30 days after the child's birth to register in order to receive notice and take part in adoption proceedings.

SOURCE: § 259.52

Hopeful adoptive parents and/or an adoption agency may provide legal and living expenses for an expectant mother. There are, however, requirements governing such support.

Reasonable medical, legal, and travel expenses are allowed.

Living expenses longer than 6 weeks after the child's birth are not allowed.

 

A post-adoption contact agreement is a voluntary agreement that can be entered into by adoptive and birth families. The agreement outlines details about how much contact the birth and adoptive families will have after the adoption is finalized.

In instances in which the child’s biological parents’ rights have been involuntarily terminated, the well-being of the child needs to be first and foremost in everyone’s minds if a post-adoption contact agreement is created. Caseworkers and therapists should be consulted in making decisions about contact after adoption.

These agreements are not legally enforceable.
    

You can finalize your adoption no sooner than 3 months after placement.

SOURCE: § 259.53 Subd. 4

With private (usually domestic infant) adoptions, it is always possible to adopt a child within Minnesota, even if you live in a different state.

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) was adopted in the 1960s to provide for oversight and protection of children placed for foster care or adoption between states.

If you are adopting a child from another state, you will need to receive permission from the ICPC office in the state where the child is from. Your agency or attorney will send the office copies of your home study and some other paperwork. They will need to approve your packet before you can bring your child home.

Read more about the ICPC here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of adopting children through foster care. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about foster adoption in Minnesota.

There are hundreds of children currently in foster care who are waiting to be adopted.        

Minnesota does not currently feature children in adoption.com's photolisting.

You can complete a foster adoption either through a private agency that is licensed to provide foster care services or directly through your county's family services department. You can find a listing here       

To find adoption agencies in Minnesota and to read reviews, check out Adoption.com's review page for Minnesota.     

You will still need to complete a home study as part of this process.

You must go through training in order to receive foster placements in your home. As part of the foster care system, you might receive children who are considered legal risk placements in your home. These are children whose parental rights have not yet been terminated, and are therefore not yet legal for adoption.

You can finalize your adoption no sooner than 3 months after placement.

SOURCE: § 259.53 Subd. 4

A post-adoption contact agreement is a voluntary agreement that can be entered into by adoptive and birth families. The agreement outlines details about how much contact the birth and adoptive families will have after the adoption is finalized.

In instances in which the child’s biological parents’ rights have been involuntarily terminated, the well-being of the child needs to be first and foremost in everyone’s minds if a post-adoption contact agreement is created. Caseworkers and therapists should be consulted in making decisions about contact after adoption.

These agreements are not legally enforceable.

You may be able to receive some adoption assistance to help offset the cost of adoption if the child meets certain requirements.   

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) was adopted in the 1960s to provide for oversight and protection of children placed for foster care or adoption between states.

If you are adopting a child from another state, you will need to receive permission from the ICPC office in the state where the child is from. Your agency or attorney will send the office copies of your home study and some other paperwork. They will need to approve your packet before you can bring your child home.

Read more about the ICPC here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of international adoption. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about international adoption in Minnesota.

There are millions of beautiful children across the world who are hoping to find a forever family.

Click here to meet some of them through our Photolisting.

With international adoptions, your only choice is to complete your adoption through an agency. Because of the Universal Accreditation Act, all adoption agencies completing international adoptions are required to be credentialed according to federal standards. Make sure to check with any agency before working with them to ensure they have this accreditation in place!

In selecting an international adoption agency, there are Four Essential Criteria you should probably consider. Click here to browse through reviews of adoption agencies in Minnesota.

In order to be approved to adopt internationally, you will need to complete an international adoption-specific home study.

Adoptions finalized abroad will be recognized in Minnesota.  

You will also need to request a U.S. birth certificate for your child.

Read more about post-adoption requirements here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of stepparent adoption. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about stepparent adoption in Minnesota.

In order for you to adopt the child of your spouse, the corresponding biological parent’s rights will first need to be terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

You will need to consult with an adoption attorney about your desire to adopt. He/she can help you decide if it’s likely that the biological parent would be willing to relinquish rights OR if it would be feasible to pursue involuntary termination of his/her parental rights.

Once parental rights have been terminated, you can file a petition to adopt with the courts. You and your spouse will both testify in court regarding the stability of your marital relationship, the bond you’ve developed with your stepchild, and your desire to become the legal parent of your stepchild.

You will generally not be required to complete a background check or home study as part of the stepparent adoption process.

Adoption Forums           

Minnesota Wiki  

Parent Profiles

Adoption Stories

Minnesota Department of Human Service

Minnesota Adopt

Minnesota Adoption Laws

Adoption.com

Child Welfare Information Gateway