Anoka County is making a push for more foster care. There are currently 137 homes licensed for foster care in the county but they are far from alone as counties across Minnesota grapple with support.
George Borrell is with Community Social Services and Behavioral Health.
"Foster families provide homes for children whose families are unable to care for them," explained Borrell. "They ask to take someone else's child into their home to care for the child and treat the child as a member of the family."
But the care is typically on a temporary basis.
"We always need available foster families, sometimes at a short notice, and because it's temporary, we're always recruiting," he says. "We are interested in having families that are interested in caring for youth ages 14 to 21."
One of the reasons it is temporary? The success rate with reuniting children with their biological family is pretty high.
And although Anoka County isn't facing a crisis greater than other counties in the state, they're active in always recruiting foster parents. According to a 2023 report from MN Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), over 10,000 kids experienced foster care in Minnesota.
The need is great, especially for caregivers open to caring for sibling groups and school-age kids.
"Often, children are continuing to visit their families until they can be reunited," Borrell says. "In addition to food, housing, and clothing, they need emotional support, guidance, and above all, hope."
In Minnesota, the most common reasons for home removal are:
Caretaker drug abuse (27%)
Allegations of neglect (14%)
Allegations of physical abuse (11%)
Child mental health (9%); these were largely voluntary placements for children 12 years and older
In order to become a foster parent, families must be licensed and go through a short training process which includes one hour of a Children's Mental Health topic, one hour of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) training, and more totally 12 hours annually.
Although foster parents are not paid, they are reimbursed at an established rate for food, clothing, and supplies. Medical, dental, and therapy are covered for children in foster care.
Visit the Anoka County website for more info or the State of Minnesota's foster care page here for a deeper look at how it works across the state.