How to Become a Foster Parent in Indiana

The Indiana Department of Child Services oversees the foster family home program. According to the Child Placing Agency Contract, DCS’s stated goal is that Indiana children live in safe, healthy, and supportive families and communities. Indiana’s foster family home licensing policy breaks the licensing process into defined steps covering eligibility, background checks, a home study, and pre-service training. The sections below walk you through each one.

Who can be a foster parent in Indiana?

Most people who look into this assume they won’t qualify. They’re single, or they rent, or they don’t make a lot of money. The truth is that Indiana’s eligibility requirements are broader than most people expect. You don’t need to be married. You don’t need to own your home. You don’t need a high income. What you need is a stable life, good judgment, and a genuine ability to care for a child.

Age

You must be at least 21 years old. That’s the only age requirement. There’s no upper age limit in the rules.

Marital status and household composition

Indiana is straightforward here: you can be married, partnered, or single. Indiana’s foster care regulations specifically allow a married couple, an unmarried cohabitating couple who have lived together for at least one year, or a single person to apply. If you’re part of a couple, both of you must be approved, not just one.

If you’re married but currently separated, you can still apply, but the rules require that you’ve lived apart from your spouse for at least one continuous year with no intent to reconcile, that you’re maintaining a separate household, and that at least three references can verify the separation.

Income

You don’t need to be wealthy, but you do need to be financially stable. Indiana’s DCS foster family home licensing policy requires that you maintain sufficient income to live without the foster care per diem. In plain terms: the money DCS pays you to help care for a foster child shouldn’t be what’s keeping your household afloat. Foster care payments are meant to support the child, not to serve as your income.

Physical and mental health

Indiana doesn’t require you to be in perfect health. The standard is that your physical and mental health must not be detrimental to the health and welfare of foster children. A chronic condition, a history of mental health treatment, or a disability doesn’t automatically disqualify you. What matters is whether your health, as it stands today, allows you to safely care for a child.

Judgment, character, and skills

Beyond the basics, Indiana looks at the whole picture of who you are. The state evaluates whether your behaviors and circumstances contribute to the safety and well-being of children, and whether you can demonstrate strengths in areas like nurturing, meeting children’s developmental needs, supporting a child’s connections to their birth family, and working as part of a professional team. These qualities are assessed through the home study process.

A note on citizenship

DCS can issue a foster family home license to applicants who are permanent residents or who hold a permanent resident card. Applicants with other qualified alien status may also be considered with prior written approval from the appropriate DCS official.

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The bottom line: Indiana wants people who are stable, caring, and honest about their circumstances.

Background check requirements in Indiana

Before a child ever spends a night in your home, Indiana wants to know who lives there. This is a system designed to keep kids safe, and it applies to everyone who goes through this.

Who has to complete checks

It’s not just the applicants. Indiana’s initial licensure checklist makes clear that background checks reach every adult in your household, and some checks extend to children as young as six. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Everyone in the household who is 18 or older must complete a criminal history background check application and a fingerprint-based national criminal history check.
• Every household member age 6 and older must complete a Child Protective Services (CPS) history check.
• Every household member age 14 and older must be checked against the National Sex Offender Registry.

If you have a college-aged kid who comes home for the summer, a parent living with you, or a partner who isn’t officially a co-applicant, they’ll need to go through this process too.

What checks are actually run

There are three distinct checks happening, not just one. Federal background check guidance for foster and adoptive caregivers requires states to run state criminal records checks, fingerprint-based checks of national crime databases, and checks of child abuse and neglect registries, including registries from other states where you’ve lived in the past five years. Indiana follows all of these. On top of that, Indiana adds its own CPS history check, which looks at whether anyone in your home has a prior report of child abuse or neglect in the state’s system.

The fingerprint-based check is handled through a DCS-approved vendor. Indiana’s fingerprint-based check policy explains that you’ll register through that vendor, bring a valid government-issued photo ID to your appointment, and have your prints submitted electronically. The results go directly to DCS. Each check is tied to a specific person and a specific purpose, so a fingerprint check done for one reason can’t be recycled for another.

Renewal

Your foster family home license is valid for four years, according to Indiana’s foster family home licensing policy. Background checks are part of the renewal process, so you’ll go through them again when your license comes up for renewal, not just at initial licensure.

What can disqualify you

DCS evaluates the results of every fingerprint-based check and makes a determination: qualified, conditionally disqualified, or disqualified. The policy doesn’t publish a simple list of disqualifying offenses, but certain criminal history findings and child abuse or neglect findings can prevent licensure. If a record comes back and you believe it’s inaccurate, you have the right to challenge it. Indiana’s fingerprint check policy notes that you can contact the Indiana State Police to contest an inaccurate in-state record, or the local law enforcement agency that posted the record if it originated out of state.

Check with your licensing agency directly to find out what you’ll be expected to pay and whether any fees are covered. Requirements vary by county, so ask your agency for specifics.

What to expect from the home study

You’ve filled out the paperwork, cleared your background checks, and now someone is going to come to your house and evaluate you. Here’s what actually happens.

Who conducts it

Depending on how you applied, your home study will be conducted either by a caseworker from your local DCS office or by a worker from a Licensed Child Placing Agency (LCPA). According to the DCS foster family home licensing manual, local DCS offices are responsible for the home study of prospective foster family homes they license directly, while LCPAs conduct home studies for the families they work with and then make a licensing recommendation to the state.

What the caseworker is actually looking for

Think of the home study as a series of conversations paired with a walkthrough of your home. The caseworker wants to understand who you are, how your household works, and whether a child would be safe and well cared for in your home.

On the personal side, Indiana’s foster care regulations are specific about what they’re assessing. They want to see that your behaviors, circumstances, and physical and mental health contribute to the safety and well-being of children. They’re also looking at concrete competencies, things like your ability to nurture a child, support a child’s relationships with their birth family, help a child manage loss and form attachments, and work as part of a professional team that includes DCS and other service providers.

That last one matters more than people expect. Foster care isn’t a closed system where you and the child are on your own. You’ll be working with caseworkers, birth parents, courts, and schools. The caseworker wants to know you can do that.

On the home itself, the walk-through covers safety, cleanliness, sleeping arrangements, and whether the physical space is appropriate for a child. The regulations address things like bedroom and bathroom requirements, fire and safety hazards, and general sanitation. None of this requires a showplace. It requires a home that’s safe, clean, and has room for a child.

What you’ll need to talk about

Expect honest questions about your finances, your health, your relationships, your parenting history, and your motivations. You’ll also be asked about your household members, including children already in your home. The regulations require that the whole picture of your household be part of the assessment, and changes to that picture after you’re licensed, such as a new person moving in, a health change, or a change in employment, need to be reported to DCS or your agency.

How long it takes

The home study itself isn’t a single afternoon. It typically involves more than one visit and multiple conversations. The full licensing process, from application to issued license, depends on how quickly you complete all the required steps, including background checks and pre-service training. A foster family home license, once issued, is good for four years.

Pre-service training requirements

Before a child ever sets foot in your home, Indiana requires you to complete training.

What the state requires before you’re licensed

Indiana’s foster parent training regulations set a clear floor: you must complete at least 10 hours of pre-service training as part of the family preparation process before you can be initially licensed. DCS specifies what that training covers, but the regulation guarantees it won’t be less than those 10 hours, regardless of which agency licenses you.

On top of the pre-service hours, you’ll need to complete three additional requirements before your license is issued:

• A current first aid course, with certification you’ll need to maintain throughout your entire licensing period
• A current infant, child, and adult CPR course, also maintained continuously
• A course in universal precautions

You’ll need to keep an updated Red Cross first aid manual and CPR manual, or their equivalent, in your home. CPR, first aid, and universal precautions don’t count toward your training hour totals. They’re required separately, on top of everything else.

What the training actually covers

The competencies you’re expected to develop through training give a good picture of what the curriculum addresses. Indiana’s child welfare administrative code describes the skills foster parents must demonstrate, which the pre-service training is designed to build:

• Protecting, guiding, and nurturing children
• Meeting physical, mental, emotional, and developmental needs
• Supporting children’s relationships with their birth families
• Developing partnerships with birth families, DCS, and the community
• Helping children manage loss and form attachments
• Building children’s positive self-concept and cultural identity
• Connecting children to lasting relationships
• Working as part of a professional team

After licensing: what comes next

Once you’re licensed, the training doesn’t stop. DCS policy 12.14 requires every licensee in the household to complete at least 15 hours of in-service training each year. If you hold a therapeutic certification, that requirement goes up to 20 hours annually, split between 10 hours of general training and 10 hours of therapeutic-specific content.

Up to 8 of those annual hours can come from alternative formats like online courses, books, or videos. The rest must be face-to-face, such as conferences or support group trainings. You’re allowed to carry up to 5 hours into the next training year, but only if you completed them in the last three months of the current year and didn’t need them to meet that year’s requirement.

Your annual training cycle starts the day your license is issued, not when you apply.

How agencies and counties shape the experience

The 10-hour pre-service floor is a state minimum. Your licensing agency may require more, use a specific curriculum, or structure the training differently than another county’s agency does. Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency for specifics on how training is delivered, what program it uses, and whether there are additional expectations beyond the state baseline.

License types and renewal in Indiana

You don’t just get one generic stamp of approval in Indiana. The state distinguishes between different categories of licensed foster homes, and understanding which category applies to you shapes everything from the training you’ll need to the children who can be placed with you.

The two main license categories

Most families start as a standard foster family home. According to the DCS foster family home licensing manual, this means you’re providing 24-hour care and supervision to a child who is in placement under a juvenile court order. That’s the foundation every licensed home rests on.

The second category is a foster family home with a therapeutic certificate. This isn’t a separate license but an added certification on top of your standard license. Indiana’s licensing policy defines a therapeutic home as one that’s approved to care for children with serious emotional disturbances, significant behavioral health needs and functional impairments, or developmental and physical disabilities. These homes carry additional training requirements: 20 hours of in-service training per year instead of the standard 15, split between 10 hours of general training and 10 hours of additional therapeutic training specific to the child’s needs. According to the DCS in-service training policy, this applies to all therapeutically certified homes.

Caring for relatives

If you’re seeking to foster a related child, the path into licensing is the same, but there’s a specific note worth knowing. Indiana’s licensing manual is clear that DCS doesn’t require the removal of related children from a relative’s home simply because that relative was denied a license, withdrew their application, or didn’t complete the licensing process. The state takes kinship placement seriously, and the rules reflect that.

How long your license lasts

Indiana’s foster family home license is issued for a period of four years, as spelled out in the state’s licensing authority policy. Even with a four-year license, you’re still required to complete in-service training every single year.

Annual training as part of staying licensed

The DCS in-service training requirements treat your license issue date as the start of your annual training clock. Standard licensed homes need 15 hours each year. Up to 8 of those hours can come from alternative formats like online courses, books, or videos. The remaining hours must be face-to-face, whether that’s a conference, a live session, or training through a support group. CPR, First Aid, and Universal Precautions don’t count toward your in-service hours since they’re treated as baseline licensing requirements, not continuing education.

One small but useful provision: if you complete up to 5 in-service hours in the three months before your training year ends, and you don’t need them for the current year, you can roll them forward to count toward the following year.

Who issues and oversees your license

Your license will come either through a DCS local office or through a Licensed Child Placing Agency, known as an LCPA. Both paths lead to the same license, and Indiana’s policy is explicit that all licensed homes follow the same licensing procedures and documentation requirements regardless of which route they took. The agency that licenses you is also the one responsible for tracking your training records and supporting you through renewal.

Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency for specifics on how they manage the renewal process locally.

Staying licensed: what’s required after approval

Getting licensed isn’t a one-time event. The work you put in to get approved has to continue, every year, for as long as you want to keep fostering.

Annual training hours

Every licensed foster parent has to complete training each year to keep their license active. Indiana’s in-service training policy requires at least 15 hours annually for standard licenses, and at least 20 hours if you hold a therapeutic certification. That 20-hour requirement breaks down into 10 hours of general training and 10 hours of therapeutic training specific to the children in your care.

You can complete up to 8 of those hours through alternative formats like online courses, books, or videos. The rest must be face-to-face, through conferences, live events, or support group trainings. CPR, First Aid, and Universal Precautions don’t count toward your annual in-service hours. Those are separate licensing requirements you have to maintain on their own, with continuous certification throughout your licensing period.

If you finish some training in the last three months of your training year and you don’t need those hours to meet your current year’s requirement, you can carry over up to 5 hours into the next year.

Keep your own documentation of every training you complete. According to Indiana’s foster parent training regulations, you’re required to have that documentation available for review by licensing staff.

Reevaluation and relicensure

Your license is issued for four years, but your abilities as a foster parent don’t go unexamined during that time. Indiana’s foster care regulations state that your competencies, including things like protecting and nurturing children, supporting birth family relationships, and working as part of a professional team, will be reevaluated at each relicensure. DCS or your licensing agency can also conduct that evaluation at any other time they choose.

Reporting changes in your household

You’re required to report to DCS or your child placing agency any change in your household that could affect the health, welfare, or well-being of a child in your care. The list of reportable changes under Indiana foster care regulations is broad:

• A change in your physical address, mailing address, or phone number
• Changes to the physical condition of your home or how bedrooms are used
• Changes in your employment
• Changes to the physical or mental health of any household member
• Changes in your marital status
• Any arrest, conviction, or child protective services assessment involving you or anyone in your household
• Any change in your household’s composition
• Temporary relocation due to a disaster

That last item, arrests or CPS assessments, includes household members, not just you. If someone living in your home is arrested or becomes the subject of a CPS assessment, you need to report it.

You’re also required to cooperate with any inquiry from DCS or your child placing agency about a child’s care or your license, and to keep records of each child placed with you, including their name, the date they arrived, and the date they left.