45 | Hennepin County Foster Parent Guide
There are a few different ways that a child may be
matched with a foster home.
• Relative placements — Frequently, children
are placed in the home of a relative or kin.
The relative or kin family then works to
become licensed to care for those children.
Most frequently, a child protection worker,
investigator, or kinship worker works closely
with the relative provider to coordinate
placement. A licensor is assigned after
placement in most cases.
• Initial non-relative placements — Some
children will be placed in a licensed non-relative
home when they enter out of home placement.
Often, children will need placement quickly and
workers may have limited information about
the children. Workers will be gathering as much
information as possible in order to appropriately
match children with foster homes that can
meet their needs.
In these situations, you may be contacted
by your licensor or by someone from our
placement coordination center to discuss the
potential placement.
• Some foster parents choose to be open to
contact about potential placements at any time
of day or night. Discuss this possibility with your
licensor. While not a frequent occurrence, there
are times when placement may be needed
immediately and during non-business hours. In
these situations, you would likely be contacted
by a child protection investigator about the
potential placement.
If you are interested in being available for
immediate placement during non-business
hours, you will need to have some basic
supplies ready. Consider what you may need.
For example, for an infant placement, do you
have a car seat? Do you have basic feeding
supplies, appropriate sleeping space, a minimal
amount of clothing, etc.?
• Other non-relative placements — Our goal
is to ensure that children do not need to
experience changes in placement while in out
of home care. However, sometimes placements
do disrupt and a new foster home is needed.
In these situations, you will be contacted by
your licensor or someone from our placement
coordination center to discuss the potential
placement. There may be more information
available about the children immediately
in these cases, because their workers and
previous foster parents have had more of an
opportunity to get to know them. In some
limited circumstances, a preplacement visit may
be possible. See Preplacement visits.
Making a decision
It is important that you gather the information
you need to make an informed decision about
whether a particular placement is the right fit.
It is everyone’s hope that children will not have
to experience placement changes. We know
everyone has different strengths, abilities, and
responsibilities. So, if you do not feel confident
that you and your family have the time, energy,
skills, and commitment to care for a particular
child at a particular time, it is appropriate to
decline taking a placement and you will be
supported in that decision.
Following is a list of questions you may want to
ask when talking with a worker about a potential
placement. Keep in mind that, depending on the
situation, they may not know all of the answers
right away.
1. Has the child been in previous placements?
2. What is the child’s relationship to his or her
family? Who are important people that he or
she may need to have contact with?
3. What are the circumstances that led to the
child’s placement?
4. What are the child’s strengths, interests
and hobbies?