Orientation & Training

Orientation

Goodhue County Social Services requires anyone interested in becoming a foster parent to attend an orientation session. Orientation will provide you with an overview of the foster care program along with information on the licensing and placement procedures. Application packets are available at orientation. Orientation will be provided on at least a quarterly basis throughout the year.

Topics Covered

Orientation will provide you with an overview of the foster care program, including how kids come into foster care. The licensing requirements and process of becoming a foster parent will be covered in this training. Additional information will be provided for on-going training. Please bring the assessment tool to the orientation.

Orientation will be held at Goodhue County Social Services located at:
426 W. Ave.
Red Wing, MN 55066

Pre-registration Required

Please call Dayle at 651-385-3200 option 4, to register if you are planning to attend an orientation class.

Training

The Minnesota Department of Human Services requires that prior to licensure, an applicant obtain 6 hours of pre-service training. Once you are licensed, each adult care giver in the household must complete 12 hours of training per licensing year. Some of the training is mandatory.

Mandatory Pre-Service Training Requirements

Children and Mental Health

This training will cover the following topic areas:

  • Causes, symptoms and key warning signs of mental health concerns in children
  • Effective approaches for dealing with a child’s behavior
  • Cultural considerations in children’s mental health
  • Common uses of medication

Training will be held at Goodhue County Social Services.

Pre-Service Training

This training is available in 3 options. The 1st option is to select a minimum of 2 classes offered through Olmsted County Social Services’ Foster Adoption Kinship (FAK) Series. There are 12 classes available in this series. The second option is to contact a private agency to complete the 2 day class. This class touches on each of the topic areas addressed in the FAK series. It is the most appropriate option for any family that is also interested in adopting. The 3rd option is to complete 12 hours of training available on the Goodhue County website. Your home study will not be started until the pre-service training requirement is completed.

The class schedules and registration information is available at: