1-800-CHILDREN

Certification Requirements:

There are several requirements for adults who want to become foster or adoptive parents. These requirements may vary slightly by agency, but most require some variation of the following:

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• Interested families must attend an informational meeting. Call Family Enrichment Center at 270-781-6714 to find out when and where the next meeting will be held. 

• Applicants must be at least 21 years old

• Parents can be married or single

• Parents should be financially stable and have an income (separate from any financial support offered to foster or adoptive parents for the child's needs) sufficient to meet their family's needs

• Applicants must be able to provide a safe, secure, and healthy home for a child

• Parents must be in good physical and mental health

• The home must meet requirements for housing safety and space

• All adults in the home must successfully complete training requirements, which include; an informational meeting, 15 hours of preparation, training and web based trainings.  In addition to the training, all adults will complete paperwork to help them make an informed decision about whether fostering and adopting is appropriate for their family.

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The Certification Process: 

• Attend an informational meeting and complete a basic screening questionnaire before continuing with the process. 

• Complete a minimum of 15 hours of group training provided by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, plus additional online training hours.

• Complete a background check for each adult household member. Record checks include but are not limited to National Crime Information Database (NCID), sex offender registry address check, fingerprinting, and a child abuse/neglect check for each state of residence during the past five years.

• Complete a home study facilitated by a local Recruitment and Certification worker. This will be completed through a minimum of three in-home consultations. Additional pertinent documentation will be requested as needed. 

The training, evaluation, and approval process normally takes six to nine months. The amount of time until a family receives a child depends on how flexible the family is about the type of child they wish to parent. Foster parents may receive a child shortly after approval. Adoptive placements generally take longer because the move to an adoptive home must be planned and gradual so that both the child and the family have time to adjust.

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Costs to Foster and Adopt:

Some private agencies may charge a fee to cover the cost of the training, evaluation, and approval process. Other private agencies are free. The state social services agency’s foster care and adoption program is free. The only cost that may be associated with the training and approval process for many agencies is the cost of the required physical examination. Regardless of your choice of agencies, you are not obligated to become a foster or adoptive parent simply because you attend the program.

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Take the First Step:

Complete our inquiry form to get started or ask more questions. We are here to help!