Foster Home Licensing

Levels of Foster Care Licensure

Level I: Child-Specific Foster Home 

This NEW licensure type is designed for relatives and non-relatives who have an existing relationship with the child from whom they are seeking licensure. When a child is not able to safely remain at home with their parents, a family or like-family member who is willing and able to provide care for the child, is the next best alternative.

Level II: Non-Child Specific Foster Home

This licensure type is available to individuals in the community who may be interested in fostering. As a foster parent, you can give a child the love and security they need. You become a partner with the department, the court system, and community-based care agencies to ensure children in foster care are safe, healthy, and able to reach their full potential.

Level III: Safe Foster Home for Victims of Human Trafficking

Foster home licensing for individuals interested in providing a safe and stable environment for victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined as the transporting, soliciting, recruiting, harboring, providing, or obtaining of another person for transport; for the purposes of forced labor, domestic servitude or sexual exploitation using force, fraud and/or coercion.

Level IV: Therapeutic Foster Home

Licensed foster home for caregivers who have received specialized training to care for a wide variety of children and adolescents who may have significant emotional, behavioral, or social needs. As a therapeutic foster parent, you will provide individualized care in your home to ensure a child receives the appropriate level of care in the least restrictive setting.

Level V: Medical Foster Home

Licensing for caregivers who have received specialized training to provide care for children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. Medical foster parents enable children from birth through age 20 with medically-complex conditions whose parents can not care for them in their own homes, to live and receive care in a foster home rather than in hospitals or other facility settings.

Become a Foster Parent

For more information about becoming a Foster parent, please visit our Supporting Fostering page.