Range of recruitment efforts needed to address Hennepin County foster care crisis

“There is a significant crisis in (our) foster care system,” Rep. Mohamud Noor (DFL-Mpls) told the House Health and Human Services Finance Division Thursday.

HF399, sponsored by Noor, calls for a $75,000 appropriation in Fiscal Year 2020 for Hennepin County to recruit and support foster families while developing a strategic planning model to meet its needs moving forward.

The division held over the bill as amended for possible inclusion in the omnibus health and human services finance bill. A companion, SF190, is sponsored by Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Mpls) and awaits action by the Senate Health and Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee.

Hennepin County has the largest number of foster care cases in the state – almost 1,700 – and more foster families are needed to place children in “culturally appropriate” settings where caregivers understand their backgrounds and needs, Noor said.

Additional funding would allow the county to simplify the daunting administrative process, pursue nontraditional recruitment models, and provide incentives and training. The program would follow initiatives modeled in Anoka County, but also build on that success, Noor said.

Kin – which can include family friends as well as relatives – would also be included in these initiatives. Placement with kin generally means better outcomes for children, with a more positive sense of self, fewer conflicts, less stress, improved mental health, and better education outcomes, said Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat.

Some people have assumed that if someone is related to the child placed in their care the process will be easy and appealing. But bringing someone into your home and your life, and taking on a parental role “is a big thing” that can be incredibly disruptive as well as rewarding, he said.

We need to “appreciate better what we’re asking kin to do” and provide supports available to other foster families, Opat said.

Incentives covered by the funding might include bus tokens or child care to make attending training sessions easier, Rep. Diane Loeffler (DFL-Mpls).

“It’s just all those little things that can create barriers,” she said.