Foster Parent Information

Foster Care Requirements

• Potential foster parents must complete an application form and a Mutual Home Assessment.
• The family's home must receive and pass a fire and safety inspection from the Fire Marshal and meet the building code.
• The family's home must receive and pass an environmental safety check that is conducted by the agency. If the family has well water, they must receive and pass a water inspection by Environmental Health.
• All family members must have a physical examination and adults in the family must have a TB skin test.
• All adult family members 18 years and older must be fingerprinted in order for criminal records checks to be conducted locally, through the SBI and the FBI.
• If potential foster parents are a married couple, they must have been married for at least one year. Single applicants can also be licensed as foster parents.
• To be licensed, foster parents must be at least 21 years old. All adult members of the household must attend training and complete all licensure requirements.
• Foster families need to have adequate income to financially support their own family without relying on the foster child's board payment, as the board payment is designed to cover the essentials of room and board for the foster child.
• The foster home must have a working telephone which functions without the use of electrical power.
• The foster family must have access to transportation and be willing and able to provide necessary transportation to meet the needs of the foster child.
• The foster home must provide each child with his/her own bedroom space.
• The foster home must be a drug-free, domestic violence-free environment and not be receiving any Child Protective Services from the agency.
• The foster family must be willing to conduct Shared Parenting meetings with the child's birth parents and / or other relatives.