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Winter 2026
Ada Smith and Christian Krump joined the Foster Youth Transitions Unit in November. They are both foster youth engagement specialists with lived experience in foster care.
Ada has a strong background advocating for youth for the past 10 years. Her passion is advocating for foster youth, pregnant and parenting youth and youth facing housing instability. Outside of work, Ada enjoys shopping and spending time with her kids.
Christian has a teaching license specializing in physical education from Minnesota State University of Moorhead with an emphasis in working with children with autism. His passion over the last six years has been working with foster youth, including testifying for the Fostering Independence Grant and working to create the new Office of the Ombudsperson for Foster Youth. Some of his hobbies include working out, playing video games and hanging out with his newborn son.
To ensure youth in foster care receive the required notice and planning before their 18th birthday, changes were proposed and passed in the 2025 legislative session to require a court review. (Laws 2025, chapter 3, article 10, sections 21-22.) This review process applies to all youth in foster care, including court-ordered placements and voluntary placements under Minnesota Statutes 260C and 260D. The responsible social services agency must report to the court the considerations, eligibility and planning with a youth in foster care. The responsible social services agency must complete a court review during the 90-day period before a youth in foster care turns 18.
The new court review process in Minnesota Statutes 260C.202 is administrative; however, it allows the youth or another party the opportunity to request an in-court hearing if they believe the agency did not make reasonable or active efforts. When the court receives the report, it issues an order and findings.
To assist social service agencies, the department has created an optional template for this court process. See the Court template for court review for foster youth before age 18.
An updated version of DCYF Bulletin 25-68-13 on human trafficking identification of children and youth in foster care has been published. Section V of the bulletin outlines practice guidance for identifying experiences of human trafficking for children and youth in care, and resources for workers to respond.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) revised the MA for Former Foster Care Youth: A Guide for Child Welfare and Community Agency Workers (DHS-7678) (PDF). This guide is for county, Tribal and community agency child welfare workers to learn more about Medical Assistance (MA) for youth over age 18 in Extended Foster Care and former foster care youth up to age 26 in Minnesota (MA-FFY). This guide was formerly titled “Medical Assistance Benefits for Former Foster Care Youth.” It was updated to incorporate the recent policy changes for MA-FFY enrollees and expanded to help child welfare agency workers support youth in maintaining access to health care services after they age out of foster care.
Please refer to and share the revised guide; all previous versions are obsolete.
Review the Eligibility Policy Manual 2.2.2.1.3 for more information about the policy for MA under the Former Foster Care Youth basis of eligibility.
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