Completing a Foster Home Study

A home study is normally conducted after you have completed your pre-service training classes and foster application.

Some, but not all, states use dual-approval home studies that can be used for families just to foster, just to adopt, or to foster-to-adopt. This is for two primary reasons:

• While some families are certain they have no intention of adopting when they apply to be foster parents, many do end up adopting the children in their care if and when they are freed for adoption
   
• When children are placed into families for the purpose of adoption, the legal relationship between the child and pre-adoptive family is considered foster care because the child is still in the legal custody of the State and under the jurisdiction of the Court until the until the adoption is legalized  some months later
   

While all States require a criminal history and child abuse background check to be approved to foster, not all require a full home study. For those States that do require a home study, it is a very similar process to that of completing an adoption home study.

Find out the requirements to provide foster care in your state by using our interactive map of state adoption and foster care information. You can also contact us.

Ready to take the next step?

Once your application is complete, it will conclude with a report that reflects your caseworker’s findings and is the final step for getting approved to foster.