A Social Medical History (SMH) is a comprehensive document that is required to be completed for all Minnesota youth experiencing foster care who are in care for six or more months.
Power of Story is able to work with MN Counties and Organizations to complete Social Medical Histories directly with young people, and goes above and beyond in HOW we complete them.
Our Social Medical histories include:
- A teamwork approach with professional and personal connections,
- Specialized training for workers in Therapeutic Life Story Work,
- A complete file review,
- Two interviews with each young person 6 years and older (as contracted)
- Phone and email contact with professionals, as well as birth, foster, and adoptive families,
- Youth-focused and strength-based completion of document, and
- Redaction of documents when required.
When complete, the referring worker will receive an electronic, updateable, and strength-based, Social Medical History (DHS-6754A-ENG PDF).
A Social Medical History includes non-identifiable information incluing:
- Placement locations and dates
- Addresses of schools and dates
- Diagnoses
- Contact info for doctors, therapists and professionals
- Information about the youth
- Their birth family
- Reasons for placement, and
- Copies of school, medical and mental health records.
A social and medical history should be started as soon as a child enters foster care and must be continuously updated…
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING A SOCIAL AND MEDICAL HISTORY FOR A CHILD IN FOSTER CARE
This document is used for a variety of purposes and has many benefits, including:
- Provides a required document for the court, that can also be shared with the youth after age 14.
- Provides life history + family, medical, and genetic information
- Provides a strength-based, overarching narrative of his/her life history before and during foster care.
- Guides appropriate interventions based on history
- Has helpful information for birth parents upon reunification.
- Aids in the adoption matching process
- Provides full disclosure to pre-adoptive parents upon adoption.
- Establishes eligibility for adoption assistance
Relevant Statues:
- 259.43 BIRTH PARENT HISTORY; COMMISSIONER’S FORM.
- 259.79 ADOPTION RECORDS.
- 259.83 POSTADOPTION SERVICES.
- 260c.212 Subd. 15.Social and medical history.
- 260c.212 Subdivision 1. Out-of-home placement; plan
- 260C.219 Subd. 5.Children reaching age of majority; copies of records.
- 260C.452 SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD
- 260C.609 SOCIAL AND MEDICAL HISTORY.
- 260C.623 ADOPTION PETITION.
- 260E.35 DATA PRACTICES.
Resources
- MN Social and Medical History Template (DOWNLOAD and save to edit/view)
- Instructions for Completing a Social and Medical History for a Child in Foster Care
- Obtaining Background Information on Your Prospective Adopted Child
- Providing Adoptive Parents With Information About Adoptees and Their Birth Families
Power of Story 