Foster Advocates

During this time of giving, please consider partnering with us at Foster Advocates by offering financial support! Your generosity will demonstrate to Fosters that you believe that their voices indeed are the centerpiece for the needed transformation in Minnesota’s child welfare system. https://lnkd.in/e2UeGwru #mnpromise #mnpromisetoFosters #FosterMovementMN

We are very excited to share that (as part of our BIG plans for 2025!) we are moving into EquaSpace! We are excited for this home base as a space for team and partner collaboration and, most importantly, a space to host Fosters for leadership opportunities, mentoring and support, and community gatherings. While we will always stay grounded in meeting Fosters where they are at (both in readiness, needs, and location), it will be great to have a Foster-centered space to call our own, and we are so grateful to be in community with the other partners at Equaspace!

Call for public comments on Foster federal benefits! The federal DHHS Administration for Children and Families is seeking public input to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system who are eligible for Federal benefits (like Social Security disability or survivor benefits). While Foster Advocates is still working to address this issue in MN, we have also been consulting nationally on ways to protect Fosters’ benefits - this is a great opportunity to advocate for federal guidance on these efforts! Swipe for more information. Read the full request for information and example questions to address at: bit.ly/ACF-SSIRFI

At our recent MN Promise feedback sessions, previewing report data with participants from across the state, we asked Fosters what they hope comes out of this campaign. Over and over, we heard statements with a similar message: "I hope that the change we envision for the youth after us becomes reality." It can be hard looking into the future and worrying about how government systems may harm the communities we care about. But for Fosters, that worry has been the norm. The child welfare system was not built to and has never truly supported families or allowed Fosters to thrive. And - it doesn't have to stay that way. Through our MN Promise campaign, Fosters envisioned hundreds of answers for how to solve the current and future problems of the child welfare system. Fosters are choosing every day to envision a better future for their peers, despite the odds. You can join them in building a Foster Rights movement in Minnesota. Sign up for our newsletter to stay tuned about our MN Promise launch and opportunities to get engaged! https://lnkd.in/g24Vb_hD

Great to be a part of this conversation with Vu Le and EquaSpace last month!

We've been having fun this month! A big thanks to all of our filming partners and interviewees. Countdown to MN Promise updates coming soon... #mnpromise #mnpromisetoFosters #fosters #fosterrights #fosterrightsmovement

What a great day of filming! A huge thanks to all our partners and interviewees as we get ready to launch some exciting MN Promise updates soon... #mnpromise #mnpromisetoFosters #fosters #fosterrights #fosterrightsmovement

Foster Advocates is hiring for an Education Manager through our OHE Foster Success grant! This position will join our Foster-designed Support Program to continue and strengthen our mentoring work with Fosters across the state on their journeys to get to and through college. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gDvnGCuG Priority deadline is August 25th! People with lived experience in foster care, BIPOC individuals, and LGBTQ2S+ individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. If you know someone who would be a great fit for this position, please send the posting their way. We are excited to find the right candidate to join our team! #hiring #fosteradvocates #fosters #mnpromise #fostercare #childwelfare #joinourteam

ICYM the news from May: the Fostering Independence Grants are fully funded for the 2024-2025 school year! Because of the advocacy and organizing of our team, network of Foster leaders, and members of our Village, legislators took the funding gap seriously and passed a solution during the final hours of the 2024 legislative session. Thanks to Minnesota fulfilling this part of its promise to Fosters, our community will not face interruptions to their higher education dreams and journeys. Star Tribune: https://bit.ly/4exurIb Imprint: https://bit.ly/4b7tJi4 MPR: https://bit.ly/4dt9qhb #fosters #mnpromise #college #minnesota #fostercare #childwelfare

Are you a Native Foster in Minnesota? Join our upcoming virtual Minnesota Promise session on March 22nd! Minnesota Promise is an opportunity to turn experience in the Minnesota child welfare system into true change. Recognizing the unique and compounding experience foster care has had on the Indigenous community in Minnesota, this specific session is only for Native Fosters and is open to any Native Foster regardless of tribal citizenship, both ICWA and non-ICWA eligible cases. RSVP by March 15th at https://lnkd.in/e2UeGwru #fostercare #mnpromise #minnesota #childwelfare #icwa