St. Louis County Foster Care helps provide temporary homes for children who cannot live safely in their own.  When kids cannot live with someone they know, they are matched with a licensed foster care provider.

The goal of foster care is to keep children safe while supporting families efforts to reunite. Most children who enter foster care return to their families.

Foster parents make a difference every day. The biggest reward is seeing the children develop, grow and return to their family, relatives, or other people with whom they have a significant relationship..

See All Foster Care FAQs

Steps to Becoming a Licensed Foster Care Provider

Step 1: Sign Up Online 

After reviewing the information provided on this page, the next step is to click the link below. You will be directed to our online application program called BINTI. You will be asked to enter your email address, create a password and to complete a short questionnaire. Once submitted, St. Louis County Child Foster Care Licensing is notified and a licensor will be assigned to you. The licensor will contact you and set up a time to meet.

Binti logo

Step 2

Complete the Application Your licensor will give you a password which allows you to move onto the first set of required documents. These documents include a Minnesota Adoption and Child Foster Care Application, Individual Fact sheet(s) completed by each member 18 and older, and Background Study Data Collection form(s).

Step 3: Initiate a Background Study 

Background studies on all household members, ages 13 and older, will be initiated. Your licensor will assist you to get fingerprints for the individuals in your home who are age 18 and over for the background study. Background studies are conducted by the Minnesota Department of Human Service. These background checks include social services, juvenile and adult court records.

Step 4: Home Study 

The licensor will do a home study. This will include several interviews with prospective foster parents and their children. The contents of the home study will include family relationships, family activities, discipline techniques, communication skills, expectations of foster care, and age and gender preferences.

Step 5: Participate in Training

Prospective applicants must attend Foster Parent Orientation, which is typically offered every other month for open home applicants and every month for relatives in Southern St. Louis County. Open Home Orientation is offered twice a year and every month for relatives in
Northern St. Louis County.

Step 6: Receive Foster Care License

The agency licensing process on average takes up to 3 months. When all the licensing
requirements have been met and the agency is recommending licensing, the agency shall
forward its licensing recommendations to the Department of Human Services within 20 working
days.

For More Information

For more information, please visit the resources tab or contact St. Louis County Foster Care
Licensing.

North St. Louis County
Michelle Brown
(218)471-7793
Email

South St. Louis County
Mary Gunnarson
(218)725-5036
Email

 

Keeping Families Connected

Foster care provides the child a safe place to heal while the family of origin works to heal themselves. Foster care provides a support network of caring and stable people who are not only willing to help the child, but also the child’s family, to support the child returning home. Most children removed from their homes return to their parents, relatives, or close friends.  The support you provide to the child and family allows this to occur.

Co-Parenting in Foster Care | How to Establish a Relationship with Birth Parents - CHLSS

Comfort Calls  -information guide for foster parents

Comfort Call Resources — QPI - MN (qpimn.org) - training for foster parents

 

 

Initial Licensing Training

Initial Training

Child Foster Care Orientation

Applicants will complete 3-6 hours of orientation training prior to being licensed. 

Child passenger restraint systems training (CARS)

Prior to transporting children under the age eight, you must satisfactorily complete at least a three (3) hour training on the proper use and installation of child restraint systems.  This training must be provided by instructors certified and approved by the Department of Public Safety - office of Traffic Safety and be repeated every five (5) years.  Class does not need to be taken in the county in which you are licensed.  The three-hour child passenger safety training curriculum is approved by the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety.

Children's Mental Health

This video training is presented by Deena McMahon. This video defines mental health and specifically addresses how it impacts children's development. This training had been approved and will meet the children's mental health requirement for Foster Care initial and on-going training. 

Introduction to Children's Mental Health for Resource Families

Introduction to Children’s Mental Health training discusses a number of common mental health diagnoses that foster and adoptive children often present within the child welfare system. Each diagnosis is discussed in terms of origins, symptoms, behaviors, treatment, interventions, and cultural considerations. It includes information and helpful tips about common co-occurring or dual diagnoses. This course has been approved for 2 hours of the initial Children's Mental Health requirement. You must complete all modules and submit your certificate to the licensor upon completion of the quiz.

Prudent Parenting

The Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act amended Title IV-E requiring states to support normalcy for all children in foster care. Children and youth in foster care need to experience the same types of developmentally appropriate and social activities that their friends, families, and classmates who are not in care experience. This new law permits foster parents, designated corporate foster care staff, and residential staff to allow foster children to participate in normal childhood activities by applying the reasonable and prudent parent standard. 

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

The Department of Human Services has approved the following series of videos to meet the SUID component when individuals are not receiving face-to-face, classroom, or online SUID training. All videos must be viewed to meet the SUID training requirement.  

SUID/AHT Training Videos
SUID/AHT Training Verification Form 

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

The Minnesota Department of Human Services mandates that all foster parents complete at least one hour of training on FASD with in their first year of licensing.  This training has been approved to meet this requirement.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Training Video
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Post-Test

 

Additional Trainings and Resources

Additional On-line Video Training

Overview of Mental Health Issues

This training is a three part series by the Minnesota Department of Education and it provides a better understanding of children's mental health disorders and its impact on learning and functioning. Included in this series are three videos which highlight anxiety, depression and attention and behavior disorders. When all three sections of this training are complete, this also will meet the mental health requirement for Foster Care on-going training.
 

Anxiety Video (WMV)
Depression Video (WMV)
Attention and Behavior Disorders Video (WMV)
Anxiety Information Packet PowerPoint (PDF)
Depression Information Packet PowerPoint (PDF)
Attention and Behavior Disorders Information Packet PowerPoint (PDF)

Safe Sleep For Caregivers

Safe Sleep Clip (You Tube)

Keeping Families Together Video

This video is a guide for families to understand intensive treatment options for children with mental illnesses. On completion of this video training, training hours can be given to fulfill the mental health requirement for on-going training.
 

Keeping Families Together Video
Keeping Families Together Information Packet PowerPoint (PDF)

Additional training resources or information:

MOFAS – Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – https://www.proofalliance.org/ 

NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness – www.nami.org

MACMH – Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health – www.macmh.org

MN Adopt – www.mnadopt.org

CEED – Center for Early Education and Development – www.cehd.umn.edu/ceed/

PACER Center – www.pacer.org

Minnesota Mental Health – www.mnmentalhealth.org

Foster Parent College – www.fosterparentcollege.com

Child Foster Care Rules and Regulations

Forms

Contact

Foster Care Licensing

North St. Louis County

Michelle Brown
Phone: 218-471-7793
Email

South St Louis County

Jenny Fick
Phone: 218-726-2309
Email