Child Foster Care
McLeod County Foster Care Licensing operates as an agent of the Minnesota Department of Human Services and is responsible for licensing Child Foster Care homes in McLeod County.
What is Foster Care?
When children can no longer live safely with their families, another family gives them love and care through foster care and adoption.
Foster and adoptive parents provide the stability children need. Day after day, foster and adoptive parents’ dedication, commitment and efforts make a profound difference in the lives of children and their families.
Most children in out-of-home care have been abused and neglected. They have been traumatized. Some are coping well, given the circumstances, and others are in great emotional pain and may show that through their behavior.
Some of these children have physical, mental, or emotional disabilities; these special needs may keep them from making friends, coping with emotions, feeling successful in school and feeling like a member of a new family.
Of all the children in out-of-home care, most are older children or sibling groups who need to be placed together while fewer are young children or toddlers.
All children have one thing in common: they want to be part of a permanent family.
All children have one thing in common: they want to be part of a permanent family.
How to Become a Licensed Foster Care Provider
- Contact the Child Foster Care Licensing Social Worker at 320-864-3144 to express your interest in becoming a McLeod County Foster Parent.
- Prospective applicants must attend Foster Parent Orientation, which is typically offered twice a year.
- After Foster Parent Orientation, background studies on all household members, ages 13 and older, will be initiated. Other requirements include; physical health forms for all persons in the household, personal questionnaires, application, home safety checklist, and three personal references.
- Once the application and background studies have been completed, an appointment will be made for a home-site inspection. A visit from the state fire inspector may also be required.
- The licensor will conduct a home study, which 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 ages and types of foster children desired.
Resources for Prospective Foster Parents:
- ”Will You Care for the Children” Brochure
- Foster Care: Caring for Children in Out-of-home Placement
- Paths to Permanency
- Family Matters: Information for Relatives Considering Becoming Foster Parents
If you have questions about becoming a licensed child foster parent, please contact:
Maddie Ragnow, Social Worker
320-864-3144 (Glencoe),
320-484-4330 (Hutchinson)
1-800-247-1756 (Toll Free)
Maddie.Ragnow@mcleodcountymn.gov.
Maddie Ragnow, Social Worker
320-864-3144 (Glencoe),
320-484-4330 (Hutchinson)
1-800-247-1756 (Toll Free)
Maddie.Ragnow@mcleodcountymn.gov.
Child Foster Care Rules & Regulations