What it does
To amplify the voices of those with lived experience, support adoptive, foster, and kinship families, educate child welfare professionals, and champion the well-being of children and families. Whether you are seeking guidance or working to drive change, we are here to walk alongside you in your adoption, foster care, and kinship care journey.we are driven by a deep commitment to ensuring every child in foster care has the opportunity to grow up in a loving family. We believe in the power of family, the importance of identity, and the role of supportive communities in creating lasting change. We prioritize keeping children connected to their families whenever possible and support adoption when reunification is not an option. We are equally committed to helping children develop a strong sense of cultural and personal identity, including affirming lgbtq children and families, while building community and advocating for policies that strengthen and sustain families.
See schedule o.families rising minnesota -families rising minnesota continued to provide steady, relationship-based support to adoptive, foster, and kinship caregivers across the state in 2025. This year marked a period of both growth and stabilization, as we strengthened our staffing structure, expanded regional reach, and deepened the consistency of our programming. With the addition of two new team members serving northern and southern minnesota, we increased our ability to connect with families across geographic regions and respond more directly to local needs. This expansion allowed us to offer more in-person opportunities while maintaining strong virtual access points for caregivers statewide.throughout the year, families rising minnesota facilitated a mix of in-person and virtual support groups, including general caregiver groups, kinship-focused spaces, and transracial families support groups with a youth component. These groups remained a cornerstone of our work, providing caregivers with both practical strategies and meaningful connections. Caregivers consistently shared reflections such as, "I am not alone, and "met peers who are experiencing similar challenges," reinforcing the importance of peer-based support. Participation remained strong despite natural fluctuations related to seasonal travel, school schedules, and family demands, demonstrating the ongoing need for flexible and accessible programming.in-person gatherings and retreats continued to be a highlight of the year. Our caregiver retreat provided a space for participants to step away from daily demands, build relationships, and engage in learning alongside others who share similar experiences. Caregivers described these opportunities as "a much needed time to decompress, learn, and relax, and "spectacular," emphasizing the impact of creating intentional space for both connection and reflection. These events reinforced that belonging and community are essential components of caregiver support.f
See schedule o.center for workforce excellence and leadership -in 2025, the center for workforce excellence & leadership (cwel), operated by families rising, advanced a comprehensive, multi-state approach to addressing the national child welfare workforce crisis through strategies focused on recruitment, retention, leadership development, and workforce well-being. Key initiatives included the clinical bridge, which developed pathways to clinical licensure and produced tools, workgroups, and evaluation frameworks to strengthen retention; and coachup, which delivered structured coaching and supervision support to agency leaders, resulting in high satisfaction and reported improvements in supervisory skills, staff engagement, and retention practices. Cwel also implemented riseup, a leadership development fellowship supporting organizational change projects, and launched the culture keepers fellowship, successfully recruiting and preparing a cohort of tribal child welfare leaders. Across all strategies, cwel emphasized culturally responsive, evidence-informed approaches and strong partnerships with state agencies, tribal nations, and national stakeholders.additionally, cwel significantly expanded the child welfare workforce pipeline through its educational pathways strategy, awarding stipends to over 100 social work students across multiple states and strengthening agencyuniversity partnerships to support recruitment and onboarding of future professionals. The collective knowledge coalition ensured that individuals with lived experience informed program design, communications, and continuous quality improvement, while a national communications campaign and targeted site support enhanced recruitment messaging and public perception of child welfare careers. Cwel also established a robust evaluation framework, including logic models and outcome measures across all strategies, to guide continuous improvement and scalability. However, due to new federal administration priori
See schedule o.public education training and conference -in 2025, families rising continued to strengthen and expand its national training program, delivering approximately 28 training and coaching engagements across a diverse range of partners, including state agencies, universities, and child welfare organizations. These engagements included both virtual and in-person formats, as well as multi-session coaching and conference presentations, reflecting sustained demand for our expertise in caregiver support, workforce development, and child welfare practice.in addition to earned revenue, families rising secured a $41,625 grant from the o'shaughnessy foundation, which provided critical financial support to strengthen and expand training capacity. This funding contributed to key infrastructure investments and positioned the organization for future growth.a significant accomplishment in 2025 was the purchase and implementation of a learning management system (lms), marking a strategic shift toward scalable, technology-enabled training delivery. This investment enhances the organization's ability to offer on-demand learning, expand its national reach, and build a more sustainable and diversified training model.in february 2025, the coachup podcast achieved a significant milestone with its official launch, expanding families rising's approach to workforce development into the podcast space. Introduced as a new platform to support child welfare professionals, the podcast quickly established itself as a leadership resource by featuring high-level guests including federal leaders, national advocates, and organizational executives, helping to elevate coaching as a critical strategy for professional growth and systems change. In july 2025, the organization experienced a leadership transition with the resignation of the director of training, followed by the successful onboarding of a new national training manager to lead and strengthen the training program moving forward.overa