Foster Care

Orientation

The first required step in the process is to attend one of our free Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Sessions. The goal is to provide you with an in-depth overview of foster care and the children in need of support from Minnesota foster care. This orientation will help you decide if this may be a good program for you before you formally begin the foster care or adoption process. Orientation Sessions are offered twice a month either in-person or online.

Find and Register for a Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Session

Education

After completing the Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Session, you may register for the two-day Foster Care & Adoption Education Classes. The goal is to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the issues and needs children in foster care bring to families. Topics covered include: separation, grief and loss, mental health, attachment, abuse and neglect, child development, reunification, cross-cultural parenting and openness. You will have the opportunity to ask questions of not only staff but also an adoptive parent panel and a teen panel.

Find and Register for a Foster Care & Adoption Education Class

Registration

Once you attend the Foster Care & Adoption Education Classes and decide this program is a good fit, you may complete the registration. Our staff will assist you with this step and the required documents.

Application

After registration, you will complete an application. Our staff will guide you through the application process, letting you know what documents are required of which household members.

Background Checks

As you work on your application, anyone pursuing foster care or adoption will need to complete the appropriate background checks. Possessing a criminal record does not automatically disqualify someone from becoming a foster parent. Please contact us if you have questions about your particular circumstances.

Home Study

This part of the process includes several meetings with your social worker and a visit to your home. A comprehensive document is created by your social worker, which includes information about your motivation to foster or adopt, your health, home, personal history, familial lifestyle, interests, parenting style, income and the type of child you are open to parenting. Once you are assigned to a social worker, the home study process takes about 3-4 months to complete.

Licensing

You will need to become a licensed foster home as part of your process. This allows the placement of a child into your home. You may be licensed to provide more than one service depending on your openness. For example, a family pursuing adoption from foster care may also be licensed to provide respite care while they wait for an adoptive placement.

Placement

Placement occurs when the child moves into your home. Your social worker will remain in regular contact to assist in supporting your caregiver role. Foster care placements may last a short time or be more long-term depending on which track you are pursuing and each child’s situation. While the child is placed in your home, it is likely that there will be ongoing birth family reunification efforts.

Permanency

Permanency may look different depending on each child’s situation. For some this will mean reunification with birth family. For others it may mean placement with kinship or relatives. Others may find permanency through adoption after a termination of parental rights. Permanency for the child occurs after you have provided foster care services.

As a foster parent you provide stability and structure for a child or sibling group in need. Typically foster care placements last 6 months to 2 years while the child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) work toward reunification. There is a particular need for families open to caring for sibling groups, school-age children and teens.

Learn More at a Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Session

Our sessions are held twice a month, either in-person or online.

All families can use a break sometimes. Respite care provides periodic weekend or short-term care with the intention of the child returning to prior placement. This is a great option for experienced parents and those who are not sure if full-time parenting through foster care or adoption is the right fit. It may be possible for you to be licensed to provide respite care along with pursuing another track or service.

If you are currently working with CH/LSS, let your social worker know you are interested in becoming a respite resource.

Learn More at a Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Session

Our sessions are held twice a month, either in-person or online.

Throughout Minnesota there is an increased need for families to provide emergency shelter care. Through this track, you will become licensed to provide care for a child who is entering care for the first time or is experiencing a change in placement where there hasn’t been a new foster home identified. Children needing emergency shelter care have likely experienced recent trauma. A typical shelter care placement ends within 30 days. It may be possible for you to be licensed to provide emergency shelter care while also pursuing another track or service.

If you are currently working with CH/LSS, let your social worker know you are interested in emergency shelter care.

Learn More at a Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Session

Our sessions are held twice a month, either in-person or online.

We strongly believe that whenever possible children should remain within their family of origin. It can be overwhelming to unexpectedly care for children who you care about. The system can be difficult to navigate. We are here to help provide kinship and relative services based on your unique situation.

Contact Us to Learn About Our Relative/Kinship Support Services

In our Concurrent Track, you provide foster care for a child(ren) as the county works toward reunification with birth family. Concurrent permanency planning is for families who can commit to working with the birth family and other professionals to help the child reunify, while at the same time committing to adoption in the event that reunification is not possible. One of the goals of this track is to minimize the amount of moves and transitions for the child(ren). Additional training is required for families in this track. This track differs from foster care in that families are committing to being a permanent resource for the child if reunification efforts are unsuccessful.

You can learn more about this track at our Foster Care & Adoption Orientation Sessions and Foster Care  & Adoption Education Classes.

Find an Orientation Session or Foster Care & Adoption Education Class

LSS provides Therapeutic Foster Care services, which differ from traditional foster care. Families who possess therapeutic skills and are open to obtaining additional training may be a good fit for this program.

Learn More by Visiting the LSS Foster Care Website

As of September 2017, there are 766 children in Minnesota in need of adoptive families immediately. Children waiting for adoption from foster care have been permanently removed from the homes of their biological families and have been placed under the temporary care and supervision of the state. If your family can commit to becoming a lifelong, loving support to a child, youth, or sibling group, foster care adoption may be the right fit for you.

Learn More About Foster Care Adoption