Becoming a Licensed Foster Family

Completion of training hours is part of the process of becoming a licensed family foster home. This is accomplished through orientation with your licensing worker, DVD, online, and in person. For non-relative applicants, pre-service training must be completed prior to being licensed. Once licensed, each foster parent is required to complete 12 hours of training a year.

The following are training topics that must be completed by each foster parent in order to become licensed:

1. Orientation

Once you have begun the licensing process, you are required to have at least 6 hours of orientation. This is accomplished through meetings with the licensor. During those meetings the licensor will discuss the foster care MN Rule requirements, required paperwork, the process and procedures for children being placed in your home, the county’s expectations of you as a foster parent and family, and information gathering to complete the home study. The licensor will also provide various informational handouts and training resources.

2. Children’s Mental Health & Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Training on both children’s mental health and FASD is required by statute. Watch the videos below and complete the post tests:

FASD video
Post Test (PDF)
Children’s Mental Health training Watch all the videos then take the quiz to receive a certificate to print off for your records

3. Sudden Unexpected Infant Death/Abusive Head Trauma (SUID/AHT)

SUID/AHT training is required if you are planning to care for children age 5 years and younger.
The link will bring you to the Department of Human Services (DHS) Family Child Care Training website. There are three videos listed under SUID and three under AHT- to comply with this training requirement you must watch all six videos.

Link to SUID/AHT training

Print off the form that is linked in the Training Verification description and fill out for each person watching the videos.

4. Car Seat Training

The 3 hour child restraint training class is required if you plan to care for children under the age of 9. Contact your licensor for a list of classes available locally.

5. Normalcy, Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standards

The Normalcy, Reasonable, and Prudent Parenting video is a mandated training by DHS for anyone wanting to become a foster parent. Watch the video below and complete the post test.

Normalcy & Reasonable & Prudent Parenting Standard Training
Training instructions & Post test

Handouts:

Normalcy & Reasonable & Prudent Parenting Standard Training handout (PDF)
Minnesota’s Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard Guidance Sheet