HOPE Adoption & Family Services International, Inc.

Mission

HOPE’s mission is as follows: HOPE (Helping Others with a Personal Emphasis) unites children with families through adoption and strengthens families by providing high quality information, counseling and support services. HOPE is an advocate for adopted persons, birth parents, waiting children and adoptive families, treating each situation as unique.

Our goal is for every child to grow up in a healthy, loving, well prepared family. We pledge to provide excellence in adoption services to achieve this goal.

Our guiding principles:

- Every child deserves a permanent family where they are loved unconditionally

- Adoption benefits not only the child and their parents, but society as a whole

- Children reflect many different cultures, backgrounds and experiences, as do loving families

- Adoptive families, birth parents and adopted persons deserve on-going support, resources and affirmation

- Every individual, family and situation deserves to be treated as unique, free from barriers and biases

- Excellence in adoption services requires continual review, evaluation and development

Programs

HOPE recruits families for adoption of children in foster care. According to the State of Minnesota, as of September 2010 there were 984 children under state guardianship; 348 of them were in immediate need of an adoptive family.[2] Of the children waiting for adoption, most have been traumatized during their critical developmental years. All will need additional educational, medical or psychological help as they grow toward maturity.

Since 1998, HOPE has worked with the Minnesota Department of Human Services to find loving, stable families for children who are under state guardianship in urgent need of permanent homes. The success of these collaborative efforts means that more children are growing up in adoptive families rather than in the uncertainty of the foster care system. In the past 13 years, HOPE has placed a total of 244 children through this program.

HOPE prepares youth for adoption. Many of the children waiting for a family have given up hope for their future. Through our counseling and advocacy work with these children, we help them – and the “system” – realize new possibilities for securing permanent, nurturing and encouraging families who can help them believe in themselves and unlock their true potential.

HOPE helps youth in foster care to become advocates on their own behalf. We work with the youth in a partnership to engage them in the process of identifying previous foster parents, coaches, church youth leaders or others who have had a positive influence in their lives and may be an adoption resource. We use numerous creative methods to help children understand their personal history, and help them to believe they can have a family of their own.

HOPE strengthens families throughout the adoption process. Families are provided with intensive training regarding the children and their needs. They participate in a 16-hour training course covering all aspects of adopting from the foster care system: loss and separation, birth family dynamics, abuse and neglect, attachment, and other aspects of parenting a “hurt” child. Families are given six hours of cultural diversity training to help them explore what children need from their parents, siblings and communities in order to grow up with strong self esteem, as well as training on children’s mental health. HOPE uses a small group process in order to give families the opportunity to build connections to other adoptive parents. Families also meet individually with their social workers to complete the adoptive home study.

HOPE provides a comprehensive menu of post adoption services. Adoption is not a one-time event, but an integral part of a family’s life. HOPE increases the likelihood of success by providing information and educational services and support after the child’s arrival. We encourage families to seek consultation at HOPE across the family life cycle.

In addition, we work with families adopting orphans from other countries, families adopting infants, and birth parents experiencing unplanned pregnancy.

[1] AFCARS data, U.S. Children's Bureau, Administration for Children, Youth and Families.

[2] Minnesota Department of Human Services Fact Sheet, www.dhs.state.mn.us – October 2010