Foster parents, foster youth, relative caregivers, county staff, and nonprofit leaders have enthusiastically embraced the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) launched recently by AspireMN — an association of child welfare nonprofits — and St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development.
QPI gives these stakeholders a voice in a system that frequently discounts their input. For example, a foster parent who offers the county insights into her foster children is often told to “stay in your lane”.
QPI’s goals include aligning the system around common standards. This could help address the uneven quality of Minnesota’s program.
QPI programs are usually implemented by states. Here it’s a nonprofit coalition. This may be the best option since historically the Department of Human Services hasn’t had the resources or legal authority to launch such an effort.