Changing foster care through connection
Foster care in Minnesota is changing to become more connected, collaborative and focused on the relationships children need to thrive.
May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize the children, families, foster parents and professionals who are part of this system and reflect on how it is evolving to better support them.
When children cannot safely remain at home, foster care provides temporary support. In 2025, 5,570 children were in care, a decrease of 34% since 2020. For those who do enter care, they are more likely than ever to stay connected to their families and communities. Maintaining those relationships with a child’s parents and family remains critical to their well-being while they are in out-of-home care.
That understanding is changing how foster care is practiced in Minnesota. There is a growing focus on strengthening connections between children, their parents, and the foster parents who care for them.
Shifting how foster care works
DCYF is helping lead this work, alongside counties, Tribal Nations, and community partners. One of those partners is the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), a national model focused on strengthening relationships in foster care, which has played a key role in advancing a co-parenting approach across Minnesota.
“Co-parenting is about recognizing that children do best when the adults in their lives work together,” said Kate Rickord, Director of Quality Parenting Initiative of Minnesota. “Even when a child needs to be in foster care, their parents remain an important part of their life. This approach helps create space for those relationships to be prioritized and supported by everyone.”
Through this work, DCYF and its partners are shifting foster care toward more connection and collaboration between parents and foster parents. Efforts to strengthen co-parenting and family connections are happening in ways that reflect the diverse needs of communities across the state. Minnesota is supporting early communication to help establish a shared understanding of a child’s needs from the start.
Keeping relationships at the center
This shift reflects a broader commitment to keeping children connected to the people who know them best. It also recognizes that families bring important knowledge, culture, and relationships that support a child’s identity and sense of belonging.
“Supporting children and families means strengthening the connections that matter most in their lives,” said Tikki Brown, Commissioner, DCYF. “Through our partnerships, we work to ensure that even when children enter foster care, their relationships, culture, and family connections should be at the center of how we support them.”
Removing children from people they love and environments that are familiar to them can be traumatizing. When children must leave their homes, placement with relatives is considered first.
In 2025, nearly 68% of children in family foster care on any given day were placed with relatives, a substantial increase from approximately 36% in 2013. Children are placed in their communities and continue attending their home schools when possible.
Most children who experience foster care are reunited with their parents or live permanently with relatives. For children who left out-of-home placement during 2025, 53% lived with a parent or legal guardian, and 24% achieved permanency by living with relatives.'
Across Minnesota, DCYF is supporting this approach through strong partnerships. Counties, Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders all play a role in supporting children and families.
Lived experience shaping the system
QPI supports this work by providing training, developing best practices, and elevating the voices of those with lived experience. A key part of that effort is developing QPI Champions who bring personal experience as parents, foster parents, or youth who have been in foster care.
These champions help inform training, guide system improvements, and share what effective support looks like from their perspective.
For Aleesha German, a QPI Champion who experienced foster care as a young person, that opportunity has been meaningful.
“QPI gave me a safe place to voice the concerns I have for the system,” German said. “They gave me opportunities to speak about my truth and what I wish I had as a foster youth. They helped me understand the importance of relationships with youth and parents. QPI showed me how strong and resilient I am and made me realize that my story matters.”
That lived experience is helping shape how DCYF and its partners deliver services across Minnesota. It also reinforces the importance of listening to youth and families as partners in the system.
To learn more about foster care in Minnesota, read DCYF’s Foster care: Temporary out-of-home care for children fact sheet.
Continuing the work together
Foster Care Month is a time to recognize the important role foster parents and partners play in supporting children. It is also a time to acknowledge the continued work to improve how the system serves families.
By strengthening partnerships, elevating lived experience, and focusing on connection, Minnesota is building a foster care system that supports children, families, and the relationships that help them thrive.