2025 Session Last amended: 2025 session

§ 142B.80 — Child Foster Care Training Requirement; Mental Health Training; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Training

Plain-Language Summary

This section requires child foster care license holders and caregivers in family and treatment foster care homes to complete two hours of mental health training before a non-emergency foster placement is made. At least one hour of annual in-service training must be on children's mental health, and at least one hour must cover fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), except for providers caring only for a relative child without FASD. Short-term substitutes are exempt, and training curriculum must be approved by the commissioner of children, youth, and families.

142B.80 CHILD FOSTER CARE TRAINING REQUIREMENT; MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING; FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS TRAINING.

Prior to a nonemergency placement of a child in a foster care home, the child foster care license holder and caregivers in foster family and treatment foster care settings must complete two hours of training that addresses the causes, symptoms, and key warning signs of mental health disorders; cultural considerations; and effective approaches for dealing with a child’s behaviors. At least one hour of the annual training requirement for the foster family license holder and caregivers must be on children’s mental health issues and treatment. Except for providers and services under chapter 245D and child foster care license holders who are individuals related to the child and who only serve a relative child who does not have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the annual training must also include at least one hour of training on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which must be counted toward the 12 hours of required in-service training per year. Short-term substitute caregivers are exempt from these requirements. Training curriculum shall be approved by the commissioner of children, youth, and families.

History:

2024 c 80 art 2 s 31; 2024 c 115 art 16 s 40; 1Sp2025 c 3 art 10 s 5

History: History: 2024 c 80 art 2 s 31; 2024 c 115 art 16 s 40; 1Sp2025 c 3 art 10 s 5

Practical Notes

Foster care providers must complete the mental health training before each non-emergency placement — it is not a one-time requirement. The FASD training counts toward the 12 required annual in-service training hours. Providers caring solely for a related child who does not have FASD are exempt from the FASD training requirement. Short-term substitute caregivers are fully exempt from this section’s requirements.

Source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes