Montana foster care and adoption guidelines
Thank you for considering adopting or fostering a child.
On this page:
- State contact information
- Foster and adoption licensing requirements
- Costs to foster and adopt
- Agency contact and orientation information
- Post-adoption support services
- Information on Montana's children
- Upcoming events
State contact information
To learn more about becoming a licensed foster parent or an approved adoptive parent, please call 866-9-FOSTER (866-936-7837), or fill out the inquiry form on the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services website.
Foster and adoption licensing requirements
You may qualify to be a foster or adoptive parent if you:
- Are single or married.
- Rent or own your own house or apartment.
- Have enough income to support your current household without relying on foster care reimbursement.
- Complete an orientation and pre-service training program.
- Provide references that can attest to your appropriateness to provide foster care for children.
- Are over 18 and pass a fingerprint-based criminal background check of the National Criminal Information Database and a Child Protective Services background check.
The process to foster and adopt is as follows:
- Get information at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) website.
- Fill out the inquiry form on our website.
- A resource family specialist will contact you to begin the home study process. It will include home visits, paperwork, training, and a family assessment.
- If you are licensed for foster care or approved to adopt, your family will be considered for placement of a child, dependent upon the needs of the child. Families are identified to meet the needs of children.
Costs to foster and adopt
There are no fees to foster or adopt through the Child and Family Services Division.
Private agency contact and orientation information
Contact a private adoption agency in your area.
Post-adoption support services
See a comprehensive list of post-adoption and guardianship support services and support groups available to families who live in Montana.
Information on Montana's children
The children who are placed in foster care by the division range in age from infants to teenagers. Frequently sibling groups need placement together. The children come from many different backgrounds and reflect the cultural diversity of the state.
As of December 2022, there are 2,600 children in foster care in Montana; 85 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.
Upcoming events
The annual Child Abuse and Neglect Conference is usually held in April and is for foster and adoptive parents and professionals. Call 406-841-2400 for more information.
Find additional training information at the Montana DPHHS website.