Foster Care Licensing
Becoming a Licensed Foster Parent
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent you should first contact Utah Foster Care.
Utah Foster Care recruits and prepares prospective foster parents to become licensed and receive foster children into their home. Once prospective foster parents have met with Utah Foster Care, they are invited to attend a foster parent training series and are given a foster care license application packet to begin the licensing process.
- Submit application
- Clear a criminal background check
- Complete the pre-service training course with Utah Foster Care
- Submit a medical form from your doctor
- Provide income/financial documentation
- Provide names and address of three to four references
- Provide proof of certification in CPR and First Aid
- Submit proof of car insurance
- Submit a copy of your marriage license (if applicable)
- Provide immunization records for all household members (only required if you would like to be considered for placement of infants under 2 months of age or other unimmunized children of any age)
Once training is completed and all paperwork has been submitted, the prospective foster family will meet with a Licensor for a safety inspection of the home and the home study (an in-depth interview to gather information on family history and dynamics that will assist in matching foster children to the family).
Renewing your Foster License
To renew your foster license, please complete the following steps:
- Approximately two months before your license expires you will receive a renewal application packet from your licensor. Fill out and return the application along with the background check form (new fingerprints or fees are generally not needed), updated financial and car insurance information, and updated CPR/First Aid training if your previous training was more than two years ago. You may also submit immunization information if not previously submitted (and wish to take unimmunized placments.) Your licensor should receive this paperwork no later than 30 days before your license expires.
- Your licensor will review your paperwork and submit your background screening forms to update your background check.
- Your licensor will contact you to schedule a time to update your home study and do a safety inspection of your home. You should review the information in the Home Visit Preparation Checklist to ensure that you have addressed the items the licensor will be checking.
- Your RFC (Resource Family Consultant) with DCFS will review and approve the training you have done over the course of the past year. Generally 16 hours of training is needed per couple (with each spouse having at least 4 hours) or 16 hours for a single foster provider.