Crow Wing County recruiting to license foster parents

A news key is highlighted on a keyboard. — Contributed / Metro Newspaper Service

By Dispatch staff report

February 24, 2023 at 5:57 PM

BRAINERD — Crow Wing County Community Services staff are recruiting to license foster care parents. Foster parents are trained, dedicated people who open their homes to a child in need for as long as the courts deem necessary. The goal is to reunite the child with original family, if possible. In the meantime, the foster family is home for a child in need.

Foster parents must be at least 21 years old, pass background clearances, and be in good physical health. Crow Wing County’s most successful foster parents are open-minded, dependable, patient and willing to try different parenting styles for children with different needs. Having a flexible schedule, being tolerant and demonstrating the ability to work as a member of our team are all important qualities for success.

The process to become a foster parent includes visits to your home, completion of licensing paperwork, home safety checklists, orientation and training.

Children aged birth to 21 may need foster care for just a few days, or may be in placement for longer than a year. Foster families willing and able to accommodate sibling groups are in high demand, as are those who are able to take older children and teens.

Call Crow Wing County foster care licensor Nikki Alich at 218-824-1154 or email Nikki.Alich@crowwing.us to begin the process.

By Dispatch staff report

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

Hi, I'm the Brainerd Dispatch. I started working a few days before Christmas in 1881 and became a daily paper two years later. I've gone through a lot of changes over the years, but what has never changed is my commitment to community and to local journalism. I've got an entire team of dedicated people who work night and day to make sure I go out every morning, whether in print, as an e-edition, via an app or with additional information at www.brainerddispatch.com. News, weather, sports — videos, photos, podcasts and social media — all covering stories from central Minnesota about your neighbors, your lakes, your communities, your challenges and your opportunities. It's all part of the effort to keep people connected and informed. And we couldn't do it without support.