Child Safety and Permanency 

Family First Prevention Services Act News and Updates

February 29, 2024

New practice guides released

The Family Support and Placement Services area, including foster care and adolescent services, has published two new practice guides:

• Unlicensed Emergency Relative Placement Practice Guide (DHS-3799E)
• A Practice Guide for Caseworkers, Foster Parents and Facility Staff: Working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and two-spirit youth in the child welfare system (DHS-6500)

Additional resources

Foster Care

• Child foster care notice to relatives (DHS-3799)
• Basics for relatives of foster children (DHS-3799A)
• Practice Guide on Relative Search, Notice, Engagement and Placement Consideration for Children in Foster Care (DHS-3799D)
• Concurrent Permanency Planning Practice Guide (DHS-4778)
• Child and Family Visitation Practice Guide (DHS-5552)
• Minnesota Assessment of Parenting for Children and Youth (MAPCY) Practice Guide (DHS-7060)
• Initial Foster Care Phone Calls: Practice Guide for Social Services Agencies (DHS-7295A)
• Initial Foster Care Phone Calls: Information for Parent, Foster Parents and Facility Staff (DHS-7295B)
• Quality child care and early education for children involved with child welfare services (DHS-7353A)
• Minnesota’s Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard Guidance (DHS-7684)
• Children in Foster Care: Babysitting Guidelines (DHS-7830)
• Children in Foster Care Relative Visitation and Alternative Care Guidelines (DHS-7830A)
• Caseworker and Child Visits Best Practice Guide (DHS-7987)
• A guide to court proceedings for foster parents (DHS-8016)
• Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Social Service Information System (SSIS) Placement Guide (DHS-8119C)

Permanency

• Child foster care notice to relatives: Permanency (DHS-3799B)
• Northstar Care for Children Practice Guide (DHS-7024)
• Paths to Permanency – Adoption for Children in Foster Care (DHS-7024A)
• Paths to Permanency – Transfer of Permanent Legal and Physical Custody (DHS-7024B)
• Finding Permanency for Children in Foster Care: Transfer of Permanent Legal and Physical Custody to a Relative (DHS-7591)

Adolescent Services and Extended Foster Care

• Helping Youth Transition from Out-of-home Care to Adulthood (DHS-6530)
• Extended Foster Care Practice Guide for Youth Ages 18 up to 21 (DHS-7591A)
• Medical Assistance Benefits for Former Foster Care Youth (DHS-7678)
• Best Practice for Responding to Youth Who Run Away from Foster Care (DHS-8015)
• Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care Practice Guide (DHS-8119B)

Family First Prevention Services Act

• QRTP Assessment Flow Chart
• Qualified Individual Practice Guide: Standards for Qualified Residential Treatment Program Assessment
• FFPSA Specialized Residential Settings Overview and Decision Chart: Youth who experienced, or at risk of sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation (DHS-8119A)
• Juvenile Treatment Screening Team Practice Guide (DHS-8120A)
• Family and Permanency Team for Placements in a Qualified Residential Treatment Program Practice Guide (DHS-8120B)
• Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP): A Guide for Families (DHS-8442)

Resource highlight

The department contracts with Foster Adopt Minnesota to offer the HELP Program. Services are free and available to foster, kinship and adoptive families. Services include:

• Phone and email-based support
• Connecting families with adoption/trauma/attachment-competent therapists, community resources and educational offerings
• Assisting eligible families, including foster parents, with funding to help with the cost of therapy with HELP Program-vetted therapists, Foster Adopt Minnesota educational offerings and other eligible supports.

Upcoming training opportunities

Foster Adopt Minnesota

Foster Adopt Minnesota hosts a variety of learning opportunities for foster, kinship and adoptive parents and service providers that support them. Upcoming webinars include:

• Spring summit from March 7 – 19; check out the schedule here
• Independent Living Skills Planning and Youth Engagement.

Regional permanency trainings

The following regional permanency trainings are available for registration through the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy. Topics vary for each location (noted below) and are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• March 7, 2024 – MN Child Welfare Training Academy at the Southeast Regional Learning Center in Owatonna
  • Northstar Adoption Assistance
  • Social and medical history document and responsibilities
  • Permanency Support Unit contract services
  • State Adoption Exchange.
• April 11, 2024 – Carlton County Public Health and Human Services in Cloquet
  • Minnesota Assessment of Parenting for Children and Youth (MAPCY)
  • The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)
  • Northstar Kinship Assistance
  • Relative Search.
• June 27, 2024 – Wright County Government Center in Buffalo
  • Minnesota Assessment of Parenting for Children and Youth (MAPCY)
  • The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)
  • Permanency Support Unit contract services
  • State Adoption Exchange.

Training on demand

Webinars and resources on the Family First Prevention Services Act can be found on the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy website.

Questions

For foster care policy and requirements, contact dhs.csp.fostercare@state.mn.us.

For permanency policy questions, case consultations, Northstar eligibility process, training requests, training suggestions and requests for technical assistance, contact the permanency quality assurance team at northstar.benefits@state.mn.us.