If you are interested in better understanding your history, stories, photos, and medical information by putting together a Lifebook with Power of Story, complete the application below to work with us for FREE.
Fund-A-Story Application – **Scholarships available to current and former Minnesota foster youth aged 18-28 years old.
To help foster youth, adoptees, and their families gather, compile, and process their stories, Power of Story offers training, consulting, and the resources below.
DNA and Search Services
When information is missing or is just not enough, check out these free DNA tests for adoptees, foster youth search services and DNA based search organizations.
Advice to Fosters Who Want to Request Their File
Advice, cautionary tales, real encouragement and things to consider for care experienced young people, from a 2022 survey for current and former foster youth.
Accessing Your Minnesota Foster Care Records: A Guide for Fosters
Hey there—welcome. If you spent time in foster care in Minnesota and you’re looking for information about your story, you’re in the right place. At Power of Story, we know how important it can be to understand your past—and how hard it can be to get the answers you deserve. Looking back on tough times can bring up a lot. Before you start, take a breath. Think about how this might affect you—emotionally, mentally, even physically. You get to decide when and how to begin. As you go through your records, you might find missing pieces, new facts, or pages…
Lifebooks A Powerful Tool
The ultimate resource for FREE downloadable, lifebook templates, recommended versions to purchase and guides for parents and workers on creating lifestory books.
Tough Stuff Plan for Sharing The Hard Stories
Each birth, foster or adoptive family has challenging items in their child’s history. Use this resource to make a thoughtful plan for impactful conversations.
Practical Tips to Preserve Kids’ History: Training for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Experience this interactive, transformational, hands-on Lifebook workshop for foster and adoptive parents to help children understand their history and stories.
Ways for First Parents Share History with Their Child
The best options for first parents to share their story with the child, by writing a letter, completing a Medical History, guided journal, video or memory book.
State By State: Foster Care File Retention
Having access to your personal information is a basic human right, however, foster care records are not forever. See the laws that govern retention and destruction.
Capturing the Essence of Youths’ Stories: Training for Child Welfare Staff
Best practice, research, and good social work come together in this interactive and data-driven Lifebook training for permanency and child protection staff.
Is Getting Your Foster Care File a Want or a Need?
Is foster youth having access to their “file,” medical history, birth parent info, placement history and sibling details NECESSARY, a need or just nice to have?
Fosters Speak About Getting Their “File”
Over redaction, lost and sealed records, incomplete, hurtful, and false information. Foster youth share about requesting their foster care file and give advice to other youth.
State By State: Fosters Information
Each state varies in the documentation of foster youth’s medical info, social history and life stories. To work together, we must understand these differences.
Check out this guidance on lifestory work, for everyone involved in child welfare, through templates, lifebook tips, workshops, and book recommendations.
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