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1. Do I have to own my own home to do foster care?

No. You may own or rent a home, apartment, condominium or trailer home. In addition, some premises may require a State Fire Marshal inspection. If you rent, the landlord's consent will be needed for the Fire Marshal inspection.

2. What kind of training or experience do I have to have?

In order to be a licensed foster parent you must complete the following training:

• 6 hours of Foster Care Orientation
• Car Seat Restraint Training-if caring for children under nine
• Children’s Mental Health
• Normalcy and Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard
• Sudden Unexplained Infant Death/Abusive Head Trauma (SUID/AHT) if caring for children under five

Each year you are licensed, you will be required to complete 12 hours of annual training, which will include one hour of mental health training and one hour of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome training.

While it’s not required, experience working with children is always a benefit.

3. Can I choose who I foster?

Children from infancy through age 17 are placed in family foster care. You are encouraged to request age, gender, LGTBQ, ethnicity, and duration of stay preferences. It would also be important for us to know if you are interested in providing care for children that are developmentally delayed or medically fragile.

4. How long is care needed?

The “average” stay in family foster care can range from three to nine months. Some placements can be much shorter or extended longer. Each child’s situation is different and determining the length of stay is difficult.

5. Will the family know where the child is placed?

The majority of the time families will know where their children are. If this information would endanger the child or foster family, the placement location would not be disclosed.

6. What is a concurrent home?

This is a licensed foster home that would be open to adopting the children should the children not be able to return home.

7. How do I become a licensed provider?

Call Isanti County Family Services at 763-689-1711 to begin the process.