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A copy of a letter that Minnesota sent to its state foster care providers indicates that if Minnesota parents are hospitalized for COVID-19 and they don’t have readily available alternate places for their children to live, the state will send the children to foster care.
If the foster care provider comes down with COVID, then the foster provider must make alternate arrangements with other providers for the children in their care. The letter, provided as a screenshot on National File’s website, was not posted on the state’s website.
However, the state does provide an easily accessible, downloadable PDF for parents, called “Make a Plan,” which instructs parents to make plans in advance for the care of their children, should the parents get sick or need hospitalization. It doesn’t mention foster care per se, but talks about “alternate” care in numerous places, which indicates parents may get a choice in where their children go, if the parents fill out the proper forms in advance.
Meanwhile, other states have come under scrutiny for similar type programs, including Washington, where a public job posting advertised for caregivers in Emergency Quarantine Centers.
SOURCES:
National File September 2, 2020
Make a Plan Minnesota