About Us

Policy

Children’s Home Society of Minnesota (hereinafter “CH”) will respond to all grievances in a fair and efficient manner for all parties involved. There will be no adverse action or retaliation taken against a client or prospective client as a result of filing a complaint or grievance, regardless of the outcome.

Procedure

Children’s Home Society of Minnesota (hereinafter “CH”) will respond to all grievances in a fair and efficient manner for all parties involved. There will be no adverse action or retaliation taken against a client or prospective client as a result of filing a complaint or grievance, regardless of the outcome.

1. Attempt at Resolution. Client should first take their question or concern to the identified CH team member and attempt to resolve the matter directly. Team member is responsible for responding to the client within ten (10) business days and informing their supervisor of the complaint immediately following notification of the concern. If the matter cannot be resolved, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the team member and take no further action, or (2) address the grievance to the Program Manager/Supervisor.
2. Address a Grievance. A request to address a grievance must be made to the Program Manager/Supervisor within ten (10) business days from receipt of the CH team member’s response to the grievance. The Program Manager/Supervisor will conduct an investigation to determine and attempt to understand the point of view of the Client and that of the CH team member. Based on the results of the investigation, the Program Manager/Supervisor will make a decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the Director is to uphold the CH team member’s decision, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the Director and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to appeal the decision for review by the Program Director.
3. Appeal to the Director. The request to appeal the Program Manager/Supervisor’s decision must be made to the Program Director within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Program Manager/Supervisor’s response. The Director will consider all relevant information and then will make a decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the Director is to uphold the Program Manager/Supervisor’s decision, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the Director and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate the grievance for review by the Adoption & Foster Care Program’s Leadership Team.
4. Appeal a Decision. The request to appeal the Director’s decision must be made to the Adoption & Foster Care Leadership Team within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Director’s response. The Adoption & Foster Care Leadership Team will consider all relevant information and then will make a decision within ten (10) business days regarding the elevated appeal. If the decision of the Adoption & Foster Care Leadership Team is to deny the elevated appeal, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the Adoption & Foster Care Leadership Team and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate a grievance for review by the Senior Director of Adoption & Foster Care.
5. Elevate a Grievance. The Client must elevate their request for review by the Senior Director within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Program Leadership Team’s response. Client must submit the appeal in writing to the Program Leadership Team, who will then forward it to the Senior Director. The Senior Director will review all relevant information and prior recommendations and then make and notify the Client in writing of the decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the Senior Director is to deny the elevated appeal, Client has two options: (1) accept the decision of the Senior Director and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate a grievance for review by the CH President.
6. Request a Formal Grievance Review. After receipt of the Senior Director’s decision, if the matter is not resolved, the Client may submit a Request for a Formal Grievance Review within five (5) business days to the Senior Director, who will then forward it to the President. The President will review all relevant information and prior recommendations and then make a final decision and notify the Client in writing of the decision within ten (10) business days.
7. Request a Final Review. After receipt of the President’s decision, if Client believes the concerns are not sufficiently addressed, the Client may request a final review by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors within five (5) business days to the President, who will then forward it to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will review all relevant information and prior recommendations within ten (10) business days and then make a final decision and notify Client in writing of the decision within thirty (30) days. The decision of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will be final and binding.
8. Withdraw an Appeal.  Client may withdraw an appeal at any time during the process.
9. Limitations of Liability.  In consideration of CH ’s efforts to assist Client with an adoption, Client hereby waives any and all claims which Client may have now or in the future against CH and its directors, officers, staff and agents for any of its actions which may arise out of this application, receipt of services from, or adoption through CH , pertaining to any of the risks discussed in this document, to the extent enforceable by applicable state law.

ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES: Intercountry Adoption Program Team Members and Clients

1. Hague Complaint Registry.Any birth parent, prospective adoptive parent, adoptive parent or adoptee who believes CH (or any of its supervised providers) is in violation of the standards set forth in the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA), the Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (UAA), or the regulations implementing them, may initiate directly with CH  a signed and dated complaint.  If dissatisfied with CH ‘s response, the individual(s) may register a complaint through the Hague Complaint Registry at the U.S. Department of State at https://adoptionusca.state.gov/HCRWeb/Welcome, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (b).
2. Grievances involving an allegation of fraud, trafficking, or child buying, or that involve allegations regarding compliance with the standards set forth in the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, the IAA, the UAA or the regulations implementing them, must be communicated to the President immediately and the investigation process is expedited. A written response to such complaints must be provided within thirty (30) days of receipt. Information about such allegations will be provided to the accrediting entity or Secretary, as may be requested, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (c).
3. CH will maintain a written record of each complaint and the steps taken to investigate and respond. The record will be made available to the accrediting entity or the Secretary upon request, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (d) (g).
4. Team members involved in assisting clients with complaints and resolving client complaints should document all related activities, including the content of the complaint, details of the investigation into the complaint and resolution of the complaint in the client’s case notes.
5. A Critical Incident Report regarding the grievance is completed by the team member(s) directly involved. As is required with all incident reports, it is forwarded to the Director. The Director is responsible for 1) recording the incident in the database and forwarding the report to 2) the Senior Director, and 2) the Hague Contact.
6. Additionally, the Senior Director or their designee submits a copy of the Critical Incident Report to the Critical Incident Executive Team for their review. The team will present information about all incidents reported, including client complaints, to the Executive Leadership Team on a quarterly basis as part of the agency-wide quality improvement program.
7. A summary of all signed and dated complaints about any of the services or activities of the agency that raise an issue of compliance with the Convention, the IAA or related regulations through the Accrediting Entity for the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, as well as an assessment of any discernible patterns in complaints and the changes and/or improvements implemented by the agency to address those concerns, will be provided to the President and Hague Contact for submission to the Accrediting Entity or Secretary on a semi-annual basis, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (f).
8. CH has a quality improvement program through which it makes systematic efforts to improve its services by reviewing complaint data, using client satisfaction surveys, and other methods, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (h).

Policy:

LSS will respond to all grievances in a fair and efficient manner for all parties involved. There will be no adverse action or retaliation taken against a client or prospective client as a result of filing a complaint or grievance, regardless of the outcome.

Procedure:

To ensure that LSS does not take any action to discourage a Client from, or retaliate against them for, making a complaint; expressing a grievance; providing information in writing or interviews to an accrediting entity on the agency’s or person’s performance; or questioning the conduct of or expressing an opinion about the performance of an agency or person, and that all complaints/grievances are considered and addressed in a timely fashion and are reviewed for ongoing quality improvement, LSS will comply with the following procedures:

1. Attempt at Resolution. Client should first take their question or concern to the identified LSS team member and attempt to resolve the matter directly. Team member is responsible for responding to the client within ten (10) business days and informing their supervisor of the complaint immediately following notification of the concern. If the matter cannot be resolved, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the team member and take no further action, or (2) address the grievance to the Program Manager/Supervisor.
2. Address a Grievance. A request to address a grievance must be made to the Program Manager/Supervisor within ten (10) business days from receipt of the LSS team member’s response to the grievance. The Program Manager/Supervisor will conduct an investigation to determine and attempt to understand the point of view of the Client and that of the LSS team member. Based on the results of the investigation, the Program Manager/Supervisor will make a decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the Director is to uphold the LSS team member’s decision, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the Director and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to appeal the decision for review by the Program Director.
3. Appeal to the Director. The request to appeal the Program Manager/Supervisor’s decision must be made to the Program Director within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Program Manager/Supervisor’s response. The Director will consider all relevant information and then will make a decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the Director is to uphold the Program Manager/Supervisor’s decision, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the Director and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate the grievance for review by the Senior Director of Adoption & Foster Care.
4. Appeal a Decision. The request to appeal the Director’s decision must be made to the Senior Director within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Director’s response. The Senior Director will consider all relevant information and then will make a decision within ten (10) business days regarding the elevated appeal. If the decision of the Senior Director is to deny the elevated appeal, Client has two options: (1) accept the decision of the Senior Director and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate a grievance for review by the Associate Vice President (AVP).
5. Elevate a Grievance. The Client must elevate their request for review by the AVP within ten (10) business days from receipt of the Senior Director’s response. Client must submit the appeal in writing to the Senior Director, who will then forward it to the AVP. The AVP will review all relevant information and prior recommendations and then make and notify the Client in writing of the decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the AVP is to deny the elevated appeal, Client has two options: (1) accept the decision of the AVP and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate a grievance for review by the Senior Vice President of Services (SVP).
6. Request a Formal Grievance. The Client must elevate their request for review by the SVP within ten (10) business days from receipt of the AVP’s response. Client must submit the appeal in writing to the AVP, who will then forward it to the SVP. The SVP will review all relevant information and prior recommendations and then make and notify the Client in writing of the decision within ten (10) business days. If the decision of the SVP is to deny the elevated appeal, Client may: (1) accept the decision of the SVP and take no further action, or (2) file a written request to elevate a grievance for review by the LSS President.
7. Request a Formal Grievance Review. After receipt of the SVP’s decision, if the matter is not resolved, the Client may submit a Request for a Formal Grievance Review within five (5) business days to the SVP, who will then forward it to the President. The President will review all relevant information and prior recommendations and then make a final decision and notify the Client in writing of the decision within ten (10) business days.
8. Request a Final Review. After receipt of the President’s decision, if Client believes the concerns are not sufficiently addressed, the Client may request a final review by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors within five (5) business days to the President, who will then forward it to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will review all relevant information and prior recommendations within ten (10) business days and then make a final decision and notify Client in writing of the decision within thirty (30) days. The decision of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will be final and binding.
9. Withdraw an Appeal.  Client may withdraw an appeal at any time during the process.
10. Limitations of Liability.  In consideration of LSS’s efforts to assist Client with an adoption, Client hereby waives any and all claims which Client may have now or in the future against LSS and its directors, officers, team members and agents for any of its actions which may arise out of this application, receipt of services from, or adoption through LSS , pertaining to any of the risks discussed in this document, to the extent enforceable by applicable state law.

ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES:  Intercountry Adoption Program Team Members and Clients

1. Hague Complaint Registry.  Any birth parent, prospective adoptive parent, adoptive parent or adoptee who believes LSS (or any of its supervised providers) is in violation of the standards set forth in the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA), the Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (UAA), or the regulations implementing them, may initiate directly with LSS a signed and dated complaint.  If dissatisfied with LSS’s response, the individual(s) may register a complaint through the Hague Complaint Registry at the U.S. Department of State at https://adoptionusca.state.gov/HCRWeb/Welcome, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (b).
2.  Grievances involving an allegation of fraud, trafficking, or child buying, or that involve allegations regarding compliance with the standards set forth in the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, the IAA, the UAA or the regulations implementing them, must be communicated to the President immediately and the investigation process is expedited. A written response to such complaints must be provided within thirty (30) days of receipt. Information about such allegations will be provided to the accrediting entity or Secretary, as may be requested, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (c).
3. LSS will maintain a written record of each complaint and the steps taken to investigate and respond. The record will be made available to the accrediting entity or the Secretary upon request, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (d) (g).
4. Team members involved in assisting clients with complaints and resolving client complaints should document all related activities, including the content of the complaint, details of the investigation into the complaint and resolution of the complaint in the client’s case notes.
5. A Critical Incident Report regarding the grievance is completed by the team member(s) directly involved. As is required with all incident reports, it is forwarded to the Director. The Director is responsible for 1) recording the incident in the database and forwarding the report to 2) the Senior Director, and 2) the Hague Contact.
6. Additionally, the AVP or their designee submits a copy of the Critical Incident Report to the Critical Incident Executive Team for their review. The team will present information about all incidents reported, including client complaints, to the Executive Leadership Team on a quarterly basis as part of the agency-wide quality improvement program.
7.  A summary of all signed and dated complaints about any of the services or activities of the agency that raise an issue of compliance with the Convention, the IAA or related regulations through the Accrediting Entity for the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, as well as an assessment of any discernible patterns in complaints and the changes and/or improvements implemented by the agency to address those concerns, will be provided to the AVP and Hague Contact for submission to the Accrediting Entity or Secretary on a semi-annual basis, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (f).
8. LSS has a quality improvement program through which it makes systematic efforts to improve its services by reviewing complaint data, using client satisfaction surveys, and other methods, pursuant to Hague §96.41 (h).

Children’s Home and LSS strive to provide the best possible service while working to find families for children.  Occasionally, clients will have a reason that they are not able to complete the adoption process and will ask for a refund of the fees paid to Children’s Home or LSS.  Please be aware that refunds cannot be given for work that had been completed. When client service fees are paid, but the service is not provided, CH/LSS may refund the unused portion to prospective adoptive parents within sixty days of request.

Children’s Home and LSS are compliant with:

• the Indian Child Welfare Act
• the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act
• the Heritage Act,
• the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children