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Where can I get more information about adoption?

Each year approximately 2,000 children are adopted in Minnesota. Of these, over one-third are stepparent or relative adoptions, while the others include international adoptions, children under state guardianship adoptions and infant adoptions.

Generally speaking, licensed adoption agencies work with families on international and infant adoptions and county social service agencies focus on the adoption of children under state guardianship, relative and stepparent adoptions. For more information about adoption, contact one of these agencies.

If you are interested in adopting a child under State guardianship, contact your County Social Service Agency or The North American Council on Adoptable Children at (651) 523-0963 or toll-free at (866) 665-4378.

How does the Minnesota Department of Human Services help?

The department provides consultation, technical assistance and training to county social service agencies and private adoption agencies. Additionally, the department administers the Adoption Assistance Program for Children with Special Needs (English), or Spanish), the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and the Minnesota Adoption Support and Preservation Program.

For more information on the department's services, see:

• Post Adoption Search

• A fact sheet on Minnesota children who are waiting to be adopted

• Adoption Archive

You may also be interested in the following:

• A listing of Minnesota's Waiting Children (children under state guardianship)

• Adoption Assistance in English and Spanish

• Answers to Your Questions about Adoption, in Spanish, in Vietnamese, in Hmong, and in Somali

• Being a Legal Father

• Coming Home: Invite a Child Into Your Home for a Lifetime

• Completing an Adoption in Minnesota: Rights and Responsibilities of Birth Parents, Prospective Adoptive Parents and Adoption Agencies, in Spanish, in Vietnamese, in Somali, in Hmong

• Training is available

• Relative Custody Assistance

• Will You Care for The Children?

To ensure children and prospective parents receive the full protection of applicable laws, the department must consent to an adoption whenever a child is brought into the state for adoption.

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