Become a Foster Parent in Minnesota

A person who: 

• Is single, married, divorced, or partnered. 
• Has or does not have children.  
• Owns or rents their home.  
• Is age 21 or older. 

Foster parents are as varied as the kids needing care! Children’s Home Society and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (CH/LSS) is a welcoming organization offering services and support to all people.

1. Applications: You can complete the free Application Part 1 any time you are ready. This helps us get to know you better and build your record. Application Part 2 contains more paperwork specific to Foster Care and paperwork to complete required background checks. Please note: possessing a criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from being a foster parent. Contact us with any specific questions. 
2. Education & Training: This can begin any time! You will need to complete our Foster Care Adoption Session and Foster Care Adoption Education Classes prior to completion of Application Part 2. Additional free trainings and supports will be available throughout your foster journey. 
3. Home Study: After completion of Application Part 2 you will be assigned to a worker who will be your main CH/LSS contact throughout the remainder of your process. During the home study process, you will have several visits with your assigned worker and a visit to your home. Your worker will create a comprehensive document that includes information such as: your motivation to foster or adopt, your health, home, personal history, familial lifestyle, interests, and the type of child you are open to parenting. This process typically takes 3-4 months to complete. 
4. Licensing: Once your home study is complete, your home will be licensed to provide foster care. 
5. Placement: This is the term for a child entering your home for care. Foster care placements may last a short time or be more long-term depending on which type of care you are providing and each child’s situation. When a child is placed in your home, you should expect ongoing birth family reunification efforts. 
6. Permanency: This can look different depending on each child’s situation. For some, this will mean reunification with the birth family, for others it may mean placement with relatives or kin. Others may find permanency through adoption, after a termination of parental rights.  

Here at CH/LSS we can license you to provide care through a variety of ways. You may be open to one or more, this will be discussed in more detail during the home study process and can be revisited later in your journey. Sometimes a placement may start as one type and evolve to another over time. 

• Traditional Foster Care: Placements vary in length, need, urgency and outcome.  
• Emergency Shelter Care: Short-term, immediate placements that can happen any time of day or night. These placements are typically shorter-term than traditional foster care.  
• Respite: Short-term (such as several hours, overnight or weekend), generally pre-arranged care for kids experiencing foster care or who were adopted from foster care.  
• Treatment Foster Care: Placements vary in length and outcome but require a higher level of care. To be licensed as a Treatment Foster Home, you must have provided Traditional Foster Care for 2 years and meet additional training requirements. 
• Host Homes: In coordination with LSS’s Host Homes, we can license caregivers who are providing support to youth with 245D waivered services.  

Yes! We can assist Minnesota residents to adopt from Minnesota foster care. Adoption from foster care can occur only after unsuccessful reunification efforts, and the termination of parental rights. You can be open to either providing foster care, or adoption, or both. If you are interested exclusively in adopting, please visit our Foster Care Adoption services. 

Children of all ages and backgrounds can experience foster care. According to the MN Department of Human Services, the three most common reasons why children are removed from parental care in Minnesota are: caretaker drug abuse (27%), allegations of neglect (14%), allegations of physical abuse (11%), child psychological or emotional health (9%); read the full MN DHS Fact Sheet.  

While every child and situation is unique, the children experiencing foster care in Minnesota may have shared needs and characteristics including: 

• Experience of emotional injury, abuse, neglect, grief, loss and disrupted attachments with caregivers. 
• Behavioral, emotional and psychological health needs. 
• A need for mentorship and guidance in building life skills, independence and creating healthy relationships as they launch into adulthood. 

Through our Child-Specific Recruitment Services we help advocate for children awaiting adoption from foster care.  

You can work with either a public (county) or private (agency, CH/LSS) provider to become foster care licensed. When CH/LSS licenses a foster home, we work cooperatively with counties for the matching/referral and placement of children. In Minnesota, foster care and adoption services are administered at the county level.  

We believe in support before, during and after placement. Our organizations have a long history that began with the mission of providing care for orphaned children in 1865 (LSS) and 1889 (Children’s Home).

When working with CH/LSS, there are a variety of support services available:  

• Monthly in-home post-placement supervision, providing support & offering resources (if needed). 
• Family Support Coach that offers attachment-focused, holistic parent coaching. 
• Access to our Community Closet for items that a child placed in your home may need. 
• Support Groups for during and sometimes long after placement.  
• Connect2Connect community events and other family-friendly opportunities to gather and connect throughout the year.