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Foster Care

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Family Support and Placement Services Unit offers support and guidance on policy and practice about case and permanency planning, recruitment and retention of foster homes, relative search and placement, placement decisions, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)/entry of placement, Northstar Care for Children foster care maintenance payments and clothing allowance and caseworker visits with foster children, their parents and foster families.

How to contact us

Foster care policy and practice: dhs.csp.fostercare@state.mn.us
Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) or Qualified Individuals (QIs): ffpsa.qualifiedindividual.DHS@state.mn.us
Foster care licensing: dhs.fostercarelicensing@state.mn.us
Adoption, kinship and permanency: northstar.benefits@state.mn.us

Introducing Foster Care Community of Practice meetings

Beginning in October 2024, the Foster Care team will be hosting Community of Practice meetings. These virtual meetings will be held quarterly in January, April, July and October. Meetings will be on the last week of the month on Tuesday and Thursday. Registration and additional details of these meetings will be sent the month prior via GovDelivery. Information provided at the meetings will be shared on the Community of Practice webpage.

The goals of the Foster Care Community of Practice meetings are to:

  • Provide a space for Tribal and county workers to share their knowledge and engage in meaningful discussion on various topics pertaining to child welfare
  • Deliver sessions that are useful for attendees, and provide them with support to develop and enhance their upstanding of child welfare practice
  • Engage Tribal and county workers to develop ongoing foster care placement and permanency discussion topics that support outcomes for children and families.

Minnesota Rules and Statutes pertaining to foster care

Minnesota Statutes 260 – Juvenile Court, Child Placement, Compacts

  • Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 260 includes statutes pertaining to: placement prevention, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA).

Minnesota Statutes 260C – Juvenile Safety and Placement

  • Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 260C includes statues pertaining to: Sibling Bill of Rights, jurisdiction, Safe Place for Newborns, emergency removal, out-of-home placement plans (OHPP), recruitment of foster families, relative search and engagement, concurrent permanency planning, voluntary foster care, permanency proceedings, adoption and Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs).

Minnesota Statutes 260D – Child in Voluntary Foster Care for Treatment
Minnesota Statutes 245A.035 – Unlicensed Emergency Relative Placement
Minnesota Statutes 256N – Northstar Care for Children
Minnesota Rules 9560 – Social Services for Children

Practice Guides and Additional Resources

Foster care and case planning

Foster parents

Relative search and engagement

Permanency

Working with adolescents and youth in foster care

Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) and Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)

GovDelivery communications

GovDelivery communications

Bulletins

To sign up for bulletins or view all available bulletins, visit the Minnesota Department of Human Services webpage.

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