4 Keeps Adoption Support Group

Help Support Foster and Adoptive Families with Special Needs

4KEEPS is a Minnesota based organization that provides support for the special needs of adoption and foster families and those who serve them.   Founded in 2002, 4KEEPS was created by concerned parents of adopted and foster children in partnership with Anoka County Adoption Unit through a federal grant.  The primary focus was to provide much needed support for the emotional issues and physical disabilities of these unique families.

Children in adoptive and foster families experience unique needs. In many cases, our children have suffered from abandonment, neglect or abuse prior to placement. Also, this trauma may be combined with other issues such as pre-natal exposure to alcohol (FASD) or drug abuse, attachment and re-active attachment disorders (RAD), ADHD, physical disabilities, and multiple disruptions between birth and foster families. These emotional and physical challenges need special support and understanding that go beyond traditional parenting techniques.

4KEEPS recognizes these needs and offers support and education to any parent, caregiver or professional who is parenting or working with children who are exhibiting difficult behaviors. 4KEEPS helps this community by offering:

• Parenting Workshops
• Parent Networking
• Family Events
• Interventions including development of Horse Therapeutic EAGALA Program, support 4H Special Needs Club, present annual Speaker Series.

4Keeps obtained a grant and helped to develop a program for children with (or suspected) FASD.  Working with horses using the EAGALA therapy method, we have been able to successfully work with the child and parents.  Through research, we were able to measure achievement in the areas of self-regulation and social skills.