Information & Training links

Training Requirements & Resources

Foster parents are required to each complete 12 hours of training a year to meet ongoing licensing requirements. The following are the mandatory training topics required once licensed. For any online training- if you do not receive a certificate or complete a post test, be sure to document on your training log the name and date you completed the training.

Children’s Mental Health

Statute requires at least 1 hour of training a year be on children’s mental health. Both video options below meet this training requirement:

1. ADHD video
2. Children’s Mental Health training Watch all the videos then take the quiz to receive a certificate to print off for your records

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Statute requires at least 1 hour of training a year be on FASD. The FASD video and post test meets this requirement.

FASD video
Post Test (PDF)

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

Training on SUID/AHT is required every 5 years when caring for children age 5 and younger. You have 2 training options:
1. Develop - Use the search tool to locate online and in-person SUID & AHT classes. There is a fee to take these classes
2. Department of Human Services (DHS) approved videos - be sure to complete the training verification form located at the bottom of the page

Children And Restraint System (C.A.R.S.)

Child passenger safety C.A.R.S. training is required every 5 years if you are caring for children under age 9. Contact your licensor for a list of classes available locally.

Normalcy & Reasonable and Prudent Parenting

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 law permits foster parents to allow foster children to participate in normal childhood activities by applying the reasonable and prudent parent standard.
Normalcy & Prudent Parenting video link
Normalcy & Reasonable, Prudent Parenting handout
Reasonable & Prudent Parent Standard Guidance Sheet

Smoke-Free Child Foster Home

In Minnesota, all child foster care homes must be smoke free and prevent second hand exposure to children per Minnesota Statute 260C.215, Subd. 4, 6 & 9. This includes inside the home as well as any space connected to the home, such as a garage, porch, deck, or similar space; all outdoor areas on the premises of the home when a foster child is present; and in a motor vehicle in which a foster child is transported. If a foster parent fails to provide a smoke-free environment for a foster child, the child-placing agency must ask the foster parent to comply with a plan that includes training on the health risks of exposure to secondhand smoke. Below is a link to the training video and the self study test to show completion of the video.

Smoke Free Foster Care Video
Post Test (PDF)

When Serving Children Age 18 and Over

When an individual age 18 is placed or an existing child in placement turns 18, Minnesota legislation requires child foster care providers to meet certain training requirements and have certain policies, procedures, and forms in place.

MN Statutes

Reporting of Maltreatment of Vulnerable Adults

Training

Vulnerable Adults Mandated Training

Policy/Procedure/Forms

Policy & Procedure requirements
Program Abuse Prevention Plan
Individual Abuse Prevention Plan

Other Possible Training Options

The following websites are not necessarily endorsed by Stevens County. Contact your licensor to verify if the training is appropriate and would be approved toward training hours.