Children's residential facilities

Children’s residential facilities (CRF) are licensed under Minnesota Rules, chapter 2960 to provide temporary care or treatment to children in a group setting when not living with a parent or guardian. Services include supervision, food, lodging, training, education or treatment. The services provided in a program will depend on the specific service type the program is licensed as. Each service type is described below.

Depending on the type of services provided, children’s residential facilities may be licensed by the Department of Human Services (DHS) or the Department of Corrections (DOC). This chart shows the types of children’s residential facilities licensed by DHS and DOC: CRF Program Types Chart.

DHS licensed CRF service types
- Group Residential Facility: Provide temporary care to children that live at the program in a group setting when not living with a parent or guardian. These programs may provide only group residential facility services or may also be certified to provide mental health treatment or chemical dependency treatment.
Group residential facility certifications:
- Mental health treatment certification: A group residential facility certified to provide mental health treatment services, under the clinical supervision of a mental health professional, to support the child and their family in gaining the skills necessary to return to the community.
- Locked facility certification: A program with a mental health treatment certification may also be certified as a locked facility to provide for the safety of the children.
- Chemical dependency treatment certification: A group residential facility certified to provide chemical dependency treatment services to address patterns of harmful chemical use.
- Shelter care services: Provide short-term residential care for 90 days or less to children in crisis that are in need of out-of-home placement.
- Transitional services: Provide housing, independent living skills training, and related supportive services to youth leaving out-of-home placement who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness.
- Restrictive procedures certification: A certification that allows mental health treatment or shelter services programs to use restrictive techniques including physical escorts, physical holds, or seclusion.
3rd Path Children’s Mental Health Residential Services Path

In compliance with legislation that passed in 2021, the state of Minnesota has developed another way to access Children’s Residential Facilities (CRF) (formerly known as Residential Treatment Centers or RTC) services to assist children living with severe emotional disturbance (SED) and their families. This pathway is called the Children’s Mental Health (CMH) Residential Services Path, also referred to as “3^rd Path," which was developed with the goal of providing children and their families an alternative way to gain access to services to meet a child’s individual and specific needs in a CRF.

For further information, please visit the 3^rd Path/ CMH Residential Services Path webpage.
Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) certifications
Psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF)

Provide mental health treatment services to children and youth under the age of 21 with complex mental health conditions. Active treatment services are provided seven days per week under the supervision of a physician. PRTF programs provide a higher level of care than CRF mental health treatment programs. PRTFs are licensed by DHS through a variance to Minnesota Rules, chapter 2960. PRTFs are also required to be certified as a PRTF and licensed as a supervised living facility (SLF) by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Additional Information for PRTFs
Out-of-state children’s residential facilities

Minnesota children are sometimes placed in residential mental health treatment programs in other states. State law allows a portion of the cost to be covered in certain circumstances for residential services provided to children with severe emotional disturbances in facilities located in other states. In these cases, the placement must be made by the county. These out-of-state facilities must be inspected by the Minnesota DHS and then certified by the Minnesota DOC according to the standards in Minnesota Statutes, section 260B.198, subdivision 11.

For out-of-state program certification, contact the DOC at 651-361-7200 or DOC Inspection, Enforcement and Licensing.
DOC licensed CRF service types
Apply for a license
Requirements

Requirements for all programs: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 245A

Background study requirements: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 245C

Requirements for children’s residential facilities: Minnesota Rules, chapter 2960

Sections of chapter 2960 applicable to each DHS service type:

Group residential facility: Minnesota Rules, parts 2960.0010 to 2960.0220
Mental health treatment: Minnesota Rules, parts 2960.0010 to 2960.0220 and 2960.0580 to 2960.0700
Locked facility: Minnesota Rules, part 2960.0700
Chemical dependency treatment: Minnesota Rules, parts 2960.0010 to 2960.0220 and 2960.0430 to 2960.0490
Shelter care services: Minnesota Rules, part 2960.0010 to 2960.0120 and 2960.0510 to 2960.0530
Transitional services: Minnesota Rules, part 2960.0010 to 2960.0120 and 2960.0500
Restrictive procedures certification: Minnesota Rules, part 2960.0710

Requirements for psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF): PRTF Variance

Reporting requirements for maltreatment of minors: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 260E

Reporting requirements for maltreatment of vulnerable adults: Minnesota Statutes, sections 626.557 and 626.5572

Medical assistance requirements: Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256B
Forms and documents
Critical incident reporting form and definitions

Variance request form

Maltreatment of vulnerable adults reporting policy

Maltreatment of minors reporting policy

Screening forms for group residential facilities, mental health treatment and chemical dependency treatment programs (refer to ‘Checklist of required screenings’ for instructions on which forms must be completed):
Infant safe sleep forms and parent education
HIV minimum standards
Effective January 1, 2024 license holders certified to provide chemical dependency (substance use disorder) treatment services must incorporate these resources into their trainings, policies, and procedures as follows:
- Maintain a list of referral sources for referring clients to HIV-related services and update the list annually. The resources in HIV Training & Resources for Substance Use Disorder Programs may be used for this purpose. Programs must use the current version of this document to comply with the annual update requirement.
- Have and implement written policies and procedures for working with HIV-infected clients and referring clients to individual HIV counseling and services. These policies and procedures should be consistent with the information in What You Should Know About Substance Use Disorder and HIV.
- Orient clients to the HIV minimum standards within 72 hours of admission to the program. The orientation must include all contents in HIV Training & Resources for Substance Use Disorder Programs.
- Orient staff to HIV minimum standards within 72 hours of employment. This orientation must include:
  - all of the contents in HIV Training & Resources for Substance Use Disorder Programs and
  - your program's policies and procedures for working with HIV-infected clients and referring clients to individual HIV counseling and services when needed.
- Train staff annually to HIV minimum standards. This training must include:
  - information on each of these topics: HIV Basics, HIV transmission and prevention, Substance use and HIV, Opioid overdose prevention, and Resources for support with HIV or SUD. You may use the contents in the HIV Training and Resources for Substance Use Disorder Programs or develop your own content for each of the topics outlined above and
  - your program's policies and procedures for working with HIV-infected clients and referring clients to individual HIV counseling and services when needed.
Additional content for any orientation or training is available in the resource What You Should Know About Substance Use Disorder and HIV.
Contact a licensor
Self-monitoring checklist
Additional resources