How to Become a Foster Parent in Pennsylvania

Description

Foster care in Pennsylvania provides temporary, family-based care for children who cannot safely remain in their own homes. Reunification with parents is generally the initial permanency goal whenever it can be achieved safely. Foster parents provide daily care, supervision, transportation, educational advocacy, healthcare coordination, emotional support, normal childhood experiences, and connections to family, siblings, culture, school, community, and identity while working with the child's parents, relatives, county agency, courts, attorneys, healthcare providers, schools, and service professionals.

Agency

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Youth and Families, oversees the Commonwealth's child-welfare system and establishes foster-family care regulations. Pennsylvania operates a county-administered system, so County Children and Youth Agencies investigate child-abuse and neglect concerns, arrange placements, provide case management, and approve or contract for foster-family homes. Licensed private foster-family care agencies also recruit, assess, approve, train, supervise, and support foster families under Pennsylvania requirements.

Who Can Apply

Adults who are generally at least 21 years old may apply through a County Children and Youth Agency or a licensed private foster-family care agency. Applicants may be single, married, partnered, widowed, divorced, working, retired, renting, or homeowners. They must demonstrate suitable character, emotional maturity, stable relationships, sufficient financial resources, appropriate physical and mental health, reliable transportation, safe parenting and discipline practices, a supportive household, and the ability to care for children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, separation, grief, loss, and instability.

Average Time To License

No single statewide approval period applies to every Pennsylvania family. The process generally includes an inquiry, orientation, application, preservice preparation, personal references, medical information, Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history checks, FBI fingerprint-based checks when required, Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certifications, interviews with applicants and household members, a written family profile or home study, and inspection of the residence. Approval may take longer when documentation is incomplete, prior-state records are required, background information needs additional review, or home-safety corrections must be completed.

Website

Visit the official agency website

Minimum Age

Pennsylvania foster-parent applicants must generally be at least 21 years old. Agencies evaluate maturity, judgment, caregiving ability, stability, and suitability in addition to chronological age. Some kinship or child-specific situations may be reviewed under different procedures permitted by law and agency policy.

Residency

Applicants must have a residence that can be inspected, approved, and monitored by a Pennsylvania County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency. The responsible agency generally serves the county where the applicant lives or operates under a contract that permits it to approve homes in that area. Applicants and household members who previously lived outside Pennsylvania may need criminal-history, child-abuse, foster-care, licensing, or other records from prior jurisdictions.

Marital Status

Pennsylvania permits qualified single adults, married couples, and other committed adult households to foster. When two adults share responsibility for the household and caregiving, both generally participate in orientation, training, interviews, medical reviews, clearances, and the family-assessment process. The agency evaluates relationship stability, communication, conflict resolution, mutual support, and each adult's commitment to fostering.

Income Requirements

Applicants must have income and financial resources sufficient to meet their existing household obligations without relying on foster-care maintenance payments. The approving agency may review employment, benefits, debts, housing expenses, insurance, budgeting, and other financial information. Foster-care payments are intended to help meet the needs of a child placed in the home and are not wages or a substitute for the family's regular income.

Home Ownership

Home ownership is not required. Applicants may rent or own a house, apartment, condominium, manufactured home, or other suitable residence when it provides adequate space, utilities, sanitation, privacy, sleeping arrangements, emergency exits, and protection from hazards. Renters should confirm that their lease, landlord, occupancy limits, and property rules permit additional household members and any safety modifications required by the approving agency.

Bedroom Requirements

The foster home must provide adequate sleeping space, individual beds or approved cribs, clean bedding, reasonable privacy, and storage for clothing and personal belongings. Sleeping arrangements are reviewed according to each child's age, sex, gender identity, sibling relationships, developmental level, behaviors, trauma history, medical needs, and personal safety. Pennsylvania regulations generally limit bedroom sharing between children of opposite sexes after early childhood unless the agency approves an arrangement based on the children's relationships and individual circumstances. Foster children may not routinely sleep in living rooms, dining rooms, hallways, unfinished spaces, or rooms used as passageways.

Transportation

Applicants must have a reliable transportation plan for school, family visits, medical and dental appointments, counseling, court, childcare, case meetings, extracurricular activities, cultural and religious activities, and emergencies. Vehicles used to transport children must be safely maintained, legally registered, adequately insured, operated by licensed drivers, and equipped with seat belts, car seats, booster seats, and other restraints required by Pennsylvania law and the child's age, size, development, and medical needs.

Health Requirements

Applicants must be physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of providing safe and consistent care. Pennsylvania foster-family approval commonly requires medical statements or physical examinations for applicants and may require health information for other household members. The agency may request additional documentation or professional evaluation when a physical condition, mental-health concern, medication, communicable disease, substance-use history, hospitalization, or treatment history could affect supervision, judgment, household stability, or child safety. A disability does not automatically prevent approval when the applicant can safely perform caregiving responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation.

Pet Policy

Pets and other animals are permitted when they are safely maintained and do not present an unreasonable danger or health risk. The approving agency may review vaccination and licensing records, temperament, bite or aggression history, sanitation, fencing, cages, livestock areas, food and waste storage, and the family's plan for supervising interactions between children and animals. Animals that present a foreseeable risk may require restricted access, additional safeguards, professional evaluation, or removal from contact with children.

Firearm Policy

Firearms, ammunition, bows, knives, and other weapons must be legally possessed and stored so children cannot access them. Firearms should be unloaded and secured in locked storage, with ammunition separately locked or otherwise stored according to the approving agency's safety requirements. Keys, combinations, and access devices must remain under the control of an authorized adult. The county or private agency may require stricter safeguards based on the weapon, the home, or the needs and behaviors of a child placed there.

Contact Agency

Contact the County Children and Youth Agency serving your county or a Pennsylvania-licensed private foster-family care agency. Prospective families may also use the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network, commonly called SWAN, or the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange to learn about agencies and available foster, adoptive, kinship, and permanency programs. The agency will explain its service area, placement population, approval process, training schedule, and current need for foster families.

Attend Orientation

Attend an orientation or information session provided by the selected county or private agency. Orientation explains the purpose of foster care, reunification and permanency, the role of foster parents, agency expectations, preservice training, background clearances, the family profile or home study, home-safety standards, reimbursement, support services, and the possible effect of fostering on household members.

Choose Agency

Applicants may work with their local County Children and Youth Agency or an appropriately licensed private foster-family care agency. Agencies may differ in the counties they serve, ages and needs of children placed, therapeutic or medical programs, training schedules, reimbursement structures, respite services, adoption services, and ongoing support. Families should select an agency whose program, expectations, and placement population fit their household's abilities and goals.

Documents Needed

• Completed foster-family application
• Government-issued identification
• Social Security numbers or other identifying information requested by the agency
• Information about every adult and child living in the household
• Current and previous residential-address history
• Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history certifications
• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certifications
• FBI fingerprint-based criminal-history checks when required
• Out-of-state criminal-history and child-abuse records when applicable
• Personal references
• Medical examination or health-statement forms
• Employment and income information
• Household budget or financial-stability documentation
• Marriage, divorce, separation, or partnership records when requested
• Driver's licenses
• Vehicle registration
• Proof of automobile insurance
• Emergency contact information
• Childcare, supervision, and transportation plans
• Emergency evacuation and disaster plans
• Information about bedrooms and proposed sleeping arrangements
• Pet vaccination and licensing records when applicable
• Information about firearms, pools, and other household hazards
• Preservice-training completion documentation
• CPR and First Aid certification when required by the approving agency
• Additional explanations, releases, or records requested during the family assessment

Required

Yes

Description

Pennsylvania county and licensed private agencies require applicants to participate in an agency-specific orientation, information meeting, or preliminary screening process. Orientation introduces applicants to temporary foster care, reunification, concurrent planning, adoption, kinship care, trauma and loss, family connections, confidentiality, discipline restrictions, teamwork, training, approval requirements, reimbursement, and the responsibilities involved in caring for children in agency custody.

How To Register

Contact the local County Children and Youth Agency or a Pennsylvania-licensed private foster-family care agency and request information about the next orientation. Registration procedures differ by agency and may involve an online inquiry form, telephone screening, introductory interview, mailed information packet, or scheduled group meeting. Applicants interested in adoption or foster-to-adopt services may also connect with SWAN or the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange.

Duration

Pennsylvania does not establish one identical statewide orientation length. Some agencies provide a single information session, while others combine orientation with several preliminary meetings or the first portion of preservice training. The full preparation process commonly includes approximately 20 to 30 hours of training, but the exact schedule and curriculum depend on the approving agency and placement program.

Application Process

Applicants submit the agency's foster-family application and required supporting records. The county or private agency then completes a family profile or home study that evaluates applicants, household members, references, physical and mental health, finances, relationships, parenting experience, discipline practices, background history, support systems, transportation, home safety, placement preferences, and ability to work with children, parents, relatives, and professional teams. Approval is granted when the agency determines that the family complies with Pennsylvania requirements and can safely meet children's needs.

Required Documents

• Completed foster-family application
• Government-issued identification for each applicant
• Identifying information for all household members
• Current and previous residential-address history
• Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history certifications
• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certifications
• FBI fingerprint-based criminal-history checks when required
• Criminal-history and child-abuse checks from prior jurisdictions when applicable
• Signed releases and background-clearance authorization forms
• Personal-reference contact information
• Medical examination or health-assessment forms for applicants
• Health information for other household members when requested
• Employment verification
• Income, benefits, debts, expenses, and household-budget information
• Marriage, divorce, separation, domestic-partnership, or relationship records when requested
• Information concerning prior foster-care, adoption, childcare, or child-welfare involvement
• Information concerning arrests, charges, convictions, protection orders, or other legal history
• Driver's licenses for household drivers
• Vehicle registration
• Proof of automobile insurance
• Emergency contact information
• Childcare and supervision plans
• Transportation plans
• Alternate-caregiver and respite plans
• Emergency evacuation, fire, and disaster plans
• Information about bedrooms, beds, and proposed sleeping arrangements
• Water, sewage, heating, sanitation, or utility documentation when applicable
• Pet vaccination, licensing, or veterinary records when applicable
• Information about firearms, ammunition, pools, hot tubs, and other environmental hazards
• Preservice-training completion records
• CPR and First Aid certification when required
• Additional evaluations, explanations, safety plans, or supporting records requested by the approving agency

References Required

Applicants must provide references who can discuss their character, reliability, maturity, relationships, parenting or caregiving abilities, emotional stability, household functioning, and suitability to care for children. Pennsylvania regulations require the approving agency to obtain references from individuals who are familiar with the applicants and household. Agencies may request additional references, including employers, adult children, former partners, neighbors, childcare professionals, or others with relevant knowledge.

Interview Process

The family profile or home study includes interviews with each applicant and other household members. Applicants may be interviewed jointly and separately, and children living in the home are included in a developmentally appropriate manner. Interviews explore motivation, family history, relationships, parenting experience, trauma awareness, discipline, health, finances, employment, substance-use history, support systems, cultural responsiveness, daily routines, transportation, placement preferences, ability to support reunification, and willingness to cooperate with the county agency, courts, parents, relatives, schools, healthcare providers, and service professionals.

Required

Yes

Curriculum

Pennsylvania requires foster-parent applicants to complete preservice preparation through their approving County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency. Because Pennsylvania uses a county-administered system, agencies may use different approved curricula and schedules. Training commonly covers the purpose of foster care; reunification and permanency; trauma, abuse, neglect, grief, separation, loss, and attachment; child and adolescent development; behavior as communication; positive discipline; prohibited punishment; cultural humility; racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic identity; sexual orientation and gender identity; sibling and family relationships; mandated reporting; confidentiality; healthcare and medication; educational advocacy; normalcy; the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard; working with parents and professional teams; placement transitions; caregiver self-care; and accessing support.

Required Hours

Pennsylvania does not establish one identical preservice-training hour requirement for every foster family. County agencies and licensed private providers determine the curriculum and schedule used to prepare applicants, and many programs require approximately 20 to 30 hours before approval. Therapeutic, medically complex, emergency, kinship, or specialized foster-care programs may require additional preparation. Ongoing training requirements also vary by agency, placement program, and the individual needs of children placed in the home.

Online Available

Online, virtual, in-person, and hybrid training options may be available depending on the county or private agency. Some agencies offer live virtual classes, self-paced coursework, webinars, or approved online continuing education. Applicants must still participate directly in interviews, the family profile or home study, background clearances, and physical inspection of the residence. CPR, First Aid, medication, or other skills-based certifications may require an in-person demonstration or an approved blended-learning component.

Certification

Applicants must complete all preservice training assigned by the approving agency before final approval unless the agency authorizes a child-specific or emergency exception permitted by law. Agencies may also require current CPR and First Aid certification, medication-administration instruction, mandated-reporter training, water-safety instruction, safe-sleep training, or other specialized education. Foster parents must complete additional training when needed to safely serve children with therapeutic, medical, behavioral, developmental, educational, cultural, or supervision needs.

Required

Yes

Interviews

Pennsylvania requires the approving county or private agency to complete a written family profile, commonly called a home study. The process includes interviews with each applicant and other household members. Applicants may be interviewed jointly and separately, and children residing in the home are included in a developmentally appropriate manner. Interviews assess motivation, family history, relationships, parenting experience, discipline, trauma awareness, physical and emotional health, finances, employment, substance-use history, legal history, support systems, cultural responsiveness, daily routines, placement preferences, and the family's ability to support reunification and work cooperatively with children, parents, relatives, courts, schools, healthcare providers, and agency staff.

Home Visits

The approving agency conducts one or more visits to the applicant's residence as part of the family profile and safety assessment. The worker observes household interactions and examines bedrooms, beds, exits, utilities, heating, sanitation, water supply, smoke alarms, fire-safety equipment, medication and chemical storage, firearms, animals, vehicles, pools, water hazards, outdoor areas, and other conditions that may affect child safety. Follow-up visits may be required to complete interviews, inspect repairs, verify documentation, evaluate household changes, or confirm that identified safety concerns have been corrected.

Topics Covered

• Applicants' reasons and motivation for becoming foster parents
• Understanding that foster care is generally temporary
• Understanding that reunification is the initial permanency goal for many children
• Willingness to support parents and relatives working toward reunification
• Ability to support concurrent and alternative permanency plans
• Ability to cooperate with county agencies, private providers, courts, attorneys, schools, healthcare providers, therapists, and community services
• Applicants' childhood experiences and family histories
• Current household relationships and family functioning
• Marital, partnership, cohabitating, or significant-relationship stability
• Communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution
• The anticipated effect of fostering on every household member
• Children already living in the home and their feelings about fostering
• Previous parenting, childcare, foster-care, adoption, kinship, or caregiving experience
• Parenting philosophy and expectations of children
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development
• Understanding of trauma, abuse, neglect, attachment, separation, grief, and loss
• Ability to provide trauma-informed and relationship-based care
• Discipline practices and prohibited forms of punishment
• Ability to respond safely to challenging, aggressive, self-harming, or trauma-related behavior
• Ability to provide supervision, consistency, structure, nurture, and age-appropriate independence
• Ability to preserve relationships with parents, siblings, relatives, and other important people
• Ability to support family visits, communication, transportation, and case-plan activities
• Physical health and functional ability to provide daily care
• Mental and emotional health
• Medication, counseling, hospitalization, or treatment history relevant to caregiving
• Alcohol, cannabis, controlled-substance, nicotine, and other substance-use history
• Domestic violence, protection orders, stalking, or household-safety concerns
• Criminal history and child-abuse or neglect history
• Applicants' honesty and willingness to disclose relevant information
• Financial stability, income, debts, expenses, and household budgeting
• Employment, education, childcare, and daily household schedules
• Transportation resources and ability to attend appointments, school, court, and family visits
• Emergency caregivers, respite resources, and backup-supervision plans
• Emergency preparedness, evacuation, severe-weather, fire, and disaster planning
• Extended-family, community, faith-community, peer, and professional support systems
• Race, ethnicity, culture, language, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
• Ability to provide affirming, culturally responsive care
• Ability to respect and maintain each child's identity, traditions, and community connections
• Ability to care for Indian children consistently with applicable federal requirements
• Protection of confidential and sensitive information
• Understanding of the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard
• Ability to provide normal childhood and adolescent activities
• Ability to advocate for educational, medical, dental, behavioral-health, and developmental needs
• Pets, firearms, pools, water hazards, smoking, vaping, cannabis, and other environmental risks
• Bedroom arrangements, individual beds, privacy, storage, and proposed household capacity
• Accessibility needs and reasonable accommodations
• Placement preferences concerning age, sibling groups, behaviors, medical needs, disabilities, identity, and level of care
• The family's strengths, vulnerabilities, limitations, and support needs
• Ability to maintain records and promptly report required information
• Ability to cooperate with agency supervision, monitoring, investigations, and reapproval

Timeline

Pennsylvania does not publish one guaranteed statewide completion period. Many applicants complete the family profile and approval process in approximately three to six months. Timing depends on the agency's training schedule, application completeness, interview availability, references, medical reports, criminal-history and child-abuse clearances, out-of-state record requests, home visits, supporting documentation, and correction of identified safety concerns. Kinship, emergency, or child-specific approvals may follow different procedures and timelines.

Bedroom Rules

Each foster child must have an individual bed or approved crib with a safe mattress, clean bedding, and adequate space for personal belongings. Bedrooms must provide reasonable privacy, ventilation, heat, lighting, sanitation, and a safe means of exit. Sleeping arrangements are evaluated according to each child's age, sex, gender identity, developmental level, sibling relationships, trauma history, medical needs, behaviors, and personal safety. Pennsylvania regulations generally restrict bedroom sharing by children of opposite sexes after early childhood unless the approving agency determines that an exception is appropriate. Foster children may not routinely sleep in living rooms, dining rooms, halls, unfinished areas, or rooms used as passageways.

Smoke Detectors

The foster home must have properly installed and functioning smoke alarms in locations required by Pennsylvania law, local building or fire codes, and the approving agency's standards. Carbon-monoxide alarms must be installed when required because of fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, attached garages, or local code. Foster parents must test and maintain alarms, replace batteries or expired units, and ensure that alarms remain operational and accessible for inspection.

Fire Extinguisher

The home must maintain appropriate fire-safety equipment and an evacuation plan suitable for the residence and children placed there. The approving agency may require one or more accessible, properly rated fire extinguishers based on the home's layout, cooking and heating equipment, local fire-code requirements, or child-specific risks. Exits, hallways, stairways, windows, and evacuation routes must remain unobstructed, and household members must understand how to respond during a fire or other emergency.

Medications

Prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements, syringes, cannabis products, nicotine products, and other potentially harmful medical supplies must be stored so children cannot gain unauthorized access. Storage requirements depend on each child's age, developmental ability, behavior, substance-use history, self-harm risk, and individual safety plan. Controlled substances and other high-risk medications may require locked storage, restricted key access, medication counts, administration records, or additional safeguards.

Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning products, detergents, pesticides, poisons, fuels, automotive chemicals, alcohol, cannabis products, vaping liquids, sharp objects, power tools, and other hazardous materials must be stored safely and made inaccessible to children according to their ages and abilities. Hazardous substances should remain labeled and, whenever practical, in their original containers. Locked storage or a written safety plan may be required when a child has developmental, behavioral, substance-use, or self-harm concerns.

Firearms

Firearms and other weapons must be legally possessed and secured so children cannot access them. Firearms should be unloaded and stored in locked containers, gun safes, or another locked arrangement approved by the agency. Ammunition must be stored separately in locked storage or secured according to the agency's written requirements. Bows, arrows, air guns, knives, and other weapons must also be safely stored. Keys, combinations, and access devices must remain under the control of an authorized responsible adult.

Pools

Swimming pools, hot tubs, ponds, streams, wells, and other water hazards must be protected against unsupervised access. Depending on the property and children served, the approving agency may require fencing, self-closing and self-latching gates, locked or approved covers, door alarms, pool alarms, rescue equipment, life jackets, or a written supervision plan. Children must receive active, developmentally appropriate adult supervision around water, and caregivers must follow any child-specific medical or safety restrictions.

Pets

Pets, livestock, reptiles, birds, and other animals may live at the foster home when they do not present an unreasonable danger or health risk. Foster parents are responsible for vaccinations, licensing, veterinary care, sanitation, appropriate containment, and supervision of interactions between children and animals. The agency may consider an animal's species, size, temperament, training, bite history, aggressive behavior, and compatibility with a child's trauma or medical needs. Additional barriers, restricted access, professional evaluation, a written safety plan, or removal of an animal may be required.

Vehicle Requirements

Vehicles used to transport foster children must be legally registered, adequately insured, safely maintained, and operated by a person with a valid driver's license. Each child must use a seat belt, rear-facing or forward-facing car seat, booster seat, or other restraint required by Pennsylvania law and appropriate for the child's age, height, weight, development, and medical needs. Drivers must comply with agency, court, school, healthcare, and child-specific transportation restrictions.

Fingerprinting

Pennsylvania requires foster-parent applicants and covered adult household members to complete criminal-history clearances. These commonly include a Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Record Check and an FBI fingerprint-based federal criminal-history check when required by the Child Protective Services Law or the approving agency. Fingerprints or updated clearances may be required when a prior clearance expires, an adult joins the household, a caregiver role changes, or new information requires review.

Child Abuse Registry

Applicants and other covered adults must obtain a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification through the Department of Human Services. Applicants who have lived outside Pennsylvania may also be required to obtain child-abuse or neglect registry checks from prior states, territories, Tribes, or other jurisdictions. The approving agency reviews founded, indicated, substantiated, or equivalent findings to determine whether approval is legally permitted and whether the household can safely care for children.

Criminal History

The approving agency reviews Pennsylvania and federal criminal-history information together with child-abuse records, sex-offender information, court records, prior foster-care or licensing history, references, interviews, and other evidence relevant to safety and suitability. Applicants must accurately disclose arrests, citations, charges, convictions, deferred adjudications, probation, parole, protection orders, and other legal matters requested by the agency. Failure to disclose required information may independently affect approval.

Disqualifying Offenses

Pennsylvania and federal law prohibit approval in certain circumstances involving serious criminal convictions or child-abuse findings. Disqualifying conduct may include specified offenses involving homicide, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual offenses, crimes against children, child abuse, domestic violence, trafficking, serious drug offenses, and other conduct identified by state or federal law. Some offenses create permanent barriers, while others may apply for a specified period or require an individualized agency review. Applicants should obtain a case-specific determination from the approving agency because eligibility depends on the offense, grading, date, disposition, rehabilitation, and applicable law.

Additional Checks

Additional reviews may include the Pennsylvania Sex Offender Registry, out-of-state criminal and child-abuse records, prior foster-care or adoption applications, childcare or human-services licensing history, protection-order and court records, motor-vehicle records for household drivers, professional-license information, medical or treatment documentation, reference interviews, and information concerning frequent visitors, substitute caregivers, or others who may have unsupervised access to children.

Steps

• Contact the County Children and Youth Agency or a licensed private foster-family care agency.
• Complete the agency's initial inquiry and screening process.
• Attend orientation or an information session.
• Select the county or private agency that best fits the family's goals and placement preferences.
• Submit the foster-family application.
• Provide required identification, household, medical, financial, transportation, and relationship information.
• Complete Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history clearances.
• Complete Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certifications.
• Complete FBI fingerprint-based criminal-history checks when required.
• Complete out-of-state criminal and child-abuse checks when applicable.
• Provide personal references.
• Complete the agency's required preservice training.
• Complete CPR, First Aid, mandated-reporter, medication, or other required certifications.
• Participate in interviews with the approving worker.
• Ensure household members participate in the assessment as requested.
• Complete the written family profile or home study.
• Complete one or more home visits and the physical safety assessment.
• Develop emergency, evacuation, childcare, supervision, transportation, respite, and support plans.
• Correct any fire, sanitation, environmental, sleeping-space, or household-safety concerns.
• Complete any additional evaluation, training, explanation, exception request, or written safety plan required by the agency.
• Receive final approval from the County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency.
• Discuss household capacity, placement preferences, strengths, limitations, and support needs.
• Begin receiving placement inquiries for children whose needs are compatible with the approved home.
• Complete ongoing training and cooperate with agency supervision.
• Report significant household, legal, health, relationship, or safety changes.
• Complete reapproval requirements before the family's approval expires.

Average Timeline

Pennsylvania does not guarantee one statewide approval timeline. Many foster families complete the process in approximately three to six months. Completion depends on the agency's training schedule, application and medical documentation, reference responses, fingerprint processing, criminal-history and child-abuse clearances, interviews, the written family profile, home visits, and correction of any safety deficiencies. Kinship, emergency, therapeutic, and child-specific approvals may follow different timelines.

Renewal Requirements

Pennsylvania foster-family homes remain subject to continuing supervision and periodic reapproval by the responsible county or private agency. Reapproval may include updated applications and household information, renewed criminal-history and child-abuse clearances, interviews, home visits, safety inspections, medical information, training records, review of placement experiences, and correction of identified deficiencies. Foster parents must promptly report changes involving household members, residence, relationships, employment, health, criminal charges, child-abuse involvement, firearms, animals, pools, transportation, or other circumstances that could affect child safety or approval.

Ongoing Training

Pennsylvania does not prescribe one identical statewide annual training-hour total for every foster family. The approving county or private agency establishes continuing-education requirements based on its program, contract, accreditation standards, and the needs of children served. Ongoing training may address trauma, behavior support, child development, attachment, grief and loss, reunification, shared parenting, cultural identity, LGBTQ+ youth, mandated reporting, confidentiality, normalcy, medication, healthcare, education, suicide prevention, substance use, human trafficking, de-escalation, first aid, CPR, and specialized medical or therapeutic care.

How Placements Work

After a family is approved, the County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency may contact the family about children whose needs appear compatible with the home's approved capacity, experience, training, household composition, location, schedule, transportation, support system, and placement preferences. Placement decisions consider the child's age, developmental level, medical and behavioral-health needs, trauma history, supervision needs, sibling relationships, school, family connections, culture, race, ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, community ties, and permanency plan. Pennsylvania agencies must select placements that protect the child's safety and support the child's overall well-being and permanency needs.

Can Decline Placements

Yes. Foster parents may ask questions and decline a proposed placement when they do not believe they can safely and appropriately meet the child's needs. Declining a placement does not ordinarily end the family's approval. Families should communicate honestly about their experience, household capacity, bedroom space, schedules, transportation, childcare, existing children, animals, and ability to manage the child's medical, developmental, emotional, behavioral, cultural, and supervision needs.

Emergency Placements

Pennsylvania county agencies may request emergency, temporary, shelter, or after-hours placements when a child must be removed quickly and a longer-term placement has not yet been identified. Emergency placements may occur before all records and background information about the child are available. The agency should provide all reasonably available information concerning immediate safety concerns, medications, allergies, medical conditions, behaviors, supervision, family contact, school, transportation, and known trauma. Additional information should be provided as it becomes available.

Sibling Groups

Pennsylvania seeks to place siblings together whenever doing so is safe, appropriate, and consistent with their individual needs. Foster families able to care for sibling groups are especially needed. When siblings cannot live together, foster parents are generally expected to support visits, telephone or video contact, transportation, shared activities, celebrations, and other meaningful connections unless a court order, case plan, or safety concern limits contact.

Age Preferences

Applicants discuss the ages, number of children, sibling groups, placement types, and levels of need they feel prepared to serve during the family profile or home-study process. Families may indicate preferences concerning infants, toddlers, school-age children, teenagers, young adults, emergency care, respite care, sibling groups, therapeutic care, medical needs, developmental disabilities, behavioral needs, kinship care, or foster-to-adopt placements. Final approval and placement decisions must remain within the family's demonstrated abilities and approved household capacity.

Monthly Board Rate

Approved Pennsylvania foster parents receive a maintenance payment intended to help cover the child's food, housing, clothing, supervision, transportation, personal-care items, recreation, school needs, and other ordinary daily expenses. Pennsylvania does not publish one universal statewide payment amount for every foster child. Rates are administered through County Children and Youth Agencies and contracted private providers and may vary according to the county, provider, child's age, placement type, assessed level of care, and medical, developmental, emotional, or behavioral needs. Families should obtain the current written rate schedule from their approving agency.

Clothing Allowance

A child entering foster care may qualify for an initial clothing allowance or other approved funds when the child arrives without adequate clothing. Additional assistance may be available for seasonal clothing, school uniforms, growth, employment, cultural or religious needs, special events, or replacement of unusable items. Availability, amounts, purchasing procedures, prior-approval requirements, and receipt documentation vary by county and agency.

Daycare Assistance

Childcare assistance may be authorized when care is necessary to support an approved placement, including circumstances related to the foster parent's employment, education, training, appointments, family visits, or the child's developmental and supervision needs. Approval depends on the child's case plan, funding source, county policy, provider eligibility, and prior authorization. Foster parents should obtain approval from the child's caseworker before arranging paid childcare because unauthorized expenses may not be reimbursed.

Medical Coverage

Children in Pennsylvania foster care generally receive medical coverage through Medical Assistance or another state-arranged health plan. Coverage may include medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, behavioral-health, developmental, and specialty services. Foster parents coordinate appointments and transportation, follow consent and authorization requirements, maintain health information, administer medications as directed, and promptly report significant diagnoses, injuries, medication changes, hospitalizations, or treatment concerns to the child's caseworker.

Mileage Reimbursement

Mileage or transportation reimbursement may be available for approved child-related travel, including family visits, medical and behavioral-health appointments, court hearings, case meetings, school transportation, placement transitions, and other activities identified in the child's case plan. Eligibility, reimbursement rates, documentation, and prior-approval requirements vary by county and private agency. Foster parents should keep accurate mileage records and confirm reimbursable trips before travel whenever possible.

Additional Benefits

Depending on the child's needs and the policies of the responsible county or private agency, foster families may receive enhanced or specialized maintenance payments, emergency-placement payments, respite care, childcare assistance, clothing funds, transportation assistance, training, behavioral-health consultation, educational support, medical equipment, developmental services, case-management support, and other child-specific resources. Eligible children who later enter adoption or permanent legal custodianship may qualify for separate permanency-assistance programs.

Respite Care

Respite care may be available to provide temporary relief, respond to family emergencies, support placement stability, or meet a child's planned needs. Respite providers generally must be approved by the County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency and must understand the child's supervision, medication, transportation, confidentiality, family-contact, behavioral, and safety requirements. Foster parents should coordinate overnight or extended respite through their approving agency rather than using an unapproved caregiver.

Support Groups

Pennsylvania foster parents may participate in local and statewide support groups, foster-parent associations, kinship-caregiver groups, adoptive-family groups, agency meetings, training events, conferences, and online communities. County agencies, private foster-care providers, the Pennsylvania State Resource Family Association, the Pennsylvania KinConnector program, and community organizations may offer peer support, education, advocacy, resource exchanges, appreciation events, and connections with other caregivers.

Mentoring

Some County Children and Youth Agencies, private foster-care providers, resource-family associations, and community organizations connect new foster parents with experienced caregivers. Mentors may help families understand placement calls, agency expectations, documentation, court proceedings, family visits, reunification, trauma-related behavior, educational advocacy, placement transitions, respite, and caregiver stress. Availability and program structure vary by agency and region.

Counseling

Children in foster care may receive behavioral-health assessments, counseling, psychiatric care, substance-use treatment, developmental services, crisis intervention, and trauma-focused treatment when clinically indicated. Foster parents may also receive caregiver consultation, family therapy, parent coaching, specialized training, or other support intended to stabilize the placement. Services should be coordinated with the child's caseworker, healthcare plan, school, and authorized treatment providers.

Crisis Support

Foster parents should contact the child's caseworker, foster-family worker, agency supervisor, after-hours emergency contact, behavioral-health crisis provider, medical provider, or emergency services depending on the seriousness of the concern. Immediate danger, serious injury, suicidal behavior, violence, a missing child, suspected abuse, unauthorized contact, medication emergencies, hospitalization, law-enforcement involvement, or other critical incidents must be reported promptly according to agency policy. The agency may arrange crisis intervention, respite, safety planning, additional services, placement stabilization, or a different level of care.

Available

Yes. Pennsylvania families may be approved to provide foster care, adoption, or both. A foster family may later be considered as an adoptive resource for a child already placed in the home when adoption becomes the child's court-approved permanency goal. Families must begin foster care prepared to support reunification and the child's existing family relationships rather than expecting that a foster placement will automatically result in adoption.

Process

Children generally enter Pennsylvania foster care with reunification as the initial permanency goal whenever reunification can be achieved safely. County agencies also assess relatives, kin, permanent legal custodianship, and other permanency resources. If parental rights are terminated or relinquished and adoption becomes the approved goal, the agency evaluates potential adoptive families according to the child's attachments, sibling relationships, relatives, culture, identity, placement history, medical and behavioral needs, and best interests. A current foster family may express interest and be considered, but adoption of a specific child is not guaranteed.

Legal Risk

Foster care is temporary and involves legal and emotional uncertainty. A child may reunify with parents, move to relatives or kin, enter permanent legal custodianship, or achieve permanency with another approved family. Appeals, relative searches, family-service plans, and court proceedings may remain unresolved while the child lives with a foster family. Foster parents must continue supporting the child's current permanency goal, family visits, sibling relationships, and important connections unless the court or agency changes the plan.

Adoption Subsidy

Eligible children adopted from Pennsylvania foster care may qualify for adoption assistance. Assistance may include a negotiated recurring subsidy, Medical Assistance coverage, reimbursement of qualifying nonrecurring adoption expenses, and services related to the child's special needs. Eligibility and payment amounts depend on federal and Pennsylvania requirements, the child's circumstances and needs, and the terms of the written adoption-assistance agreement. The agreement must generally be completed before the adoption is finalized.

Available

Yes. Pennsylvania prioritizes safe placement with relatives and individuals who have a significant family-like relationship with the child. Kinship caregivers may include grandparents, adult siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, godparents, close family friends, and other adults with an existing positive relationship with the child. Kinship care helps preserve family bonds, sibling relationships, culture, identity, school, community, and familiarity during a child-welfare case.

Licensing Differences

Kinship caregivers must complete applicable safety assessments, criminal-history checks, child-abuse clearances, household evaluations, and approval requirements. Emergency kinship placements may sometimes occur before the full foster-family approval process is complete when permitted by law and the county agency determines that the placement is safe. Relatives seeking foster-care maintenance payments generally must become fully approved as foster parents. Agencies may provide individualized assistance to help kinship families complete documentation, training, home modifications, and other approval requirements.

Financial Support

Approved kinship foster parents may receive foster-care maintenance payments and child-related supports under the same applicable payment structure used for other approved foster families. Depending on eligibility and the child's legal status, assistance may include Medical Assistance, childcare, clothing funds, transportation support, respite, specialized-care payments, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families child-only benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, Social Security benefits, adoption assistance, or Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship assistance. Pennsylvania KinConnector can help kinship families identify available financial, legal, educational, healthcare, and community resources.

How old do I have to be to become a foster parent in Pennsylvania?

Applicants must generally be at least 21 years old. Agencies also evaluate maturity, judgment, emotional stability, caregiving ability, relationships, finances, health, background history, and the applicant's ability to safely meet children's needs.

Do I have to live in Pennsylvania?

Applicants must have a residence that can be inspected, approved, and monitored by a Pennsylvania County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency. Applicants who previously lived outside Pennsylvania may need criminal-history and child-abuse clearances from other jurisdictions.

Do I have to own my home?

No. Foster parents may rent or own a house, apartment, condominium, manufactured home, or another suitable residence. The home must provide adequate space, utilities, sanitation, privacy, safe sleeping arrangements, emergency exits, and protection from hazards.

Can single adults become foster parents?

Yes. Qualified single adults, married couples, and other committed adult households may foster in Pennsylvania. Every adult who shares responsibility for the household or children's care may need to participate in training, interviews, background clearances, medical reviews, and the family assessment.

Can LGBTQ+ adults become foster parents?

Qualified LGBTQ+ adults may apply to become foster parents. Applicants must demonstrate that they can provide safe, affirming, culturally responsive care and support each child's identity, family connections, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Can I work outside the home and still foster?

Yes. Many Pennsylvania foster parents work full-time, work part-time, attend school, or have other responsibilities. Applicants must have reliable plans for childcare, supervision, transportation, family visits, appointments, school, court, emergencies, and the child's daily needs.

Do I need to have children of my own?

No. Applicants are not required to have biological or adopted children. The approving agency evaluates caregiving experience, parenting abilities, preparation, judgment, support systems, household stability, and willingness to learn.

Is there a minimum income requirement?

Pennsylvania does not establish one universal minimum household-income amount for all applicants. Families must demonstrate that they can meet their existing household expenses without depending on foster-care maintenance payments.

How long does it take to become an approved foster parent?

Many Pennsylvania families complete the process in approximately three to six months, although no statewide timeline is guaranteed. Timing depends on training schedules, application completion, references, medical reports, background clearances, interviews, home visits, the family profile, and any required home-safety corrections.

What training is required?

Applicants complete preservice preparation assigned by their County Children and Youth Agency or licensed private foster-family care agency. Training commonly covers trauma, grief and loss, child development, behavior support, discipline, reunification, family relationships, cultural identity, confidentiality, mandated reporting, healthcare, normalcy, and teamwork.

Is online training available?

Some Pennsylvania agencies provide virtual, online, in-person, or hybrid training. Availability depends on the county, private provider, and placement program. Interviews, background clearances, and physical inspection of the residence still require direct participation.

Is a home study required?

Yes. Pennsylvania agencies complete a written family profile or home study that includes interviews, references, background clearances, health and financial information, household assessment, home visits, and an evaluation of the family's ability to safely care for children.

What background checks are required?

Applicants and covered household members commonly complete Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history checks, Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certifications, and FBI fingerprint-based criminal-history checks when required. Out-of-state criminal and child-abuse checks may also be necessary.

Will a criminal record automatically disqualify me?

Not every criminal record automatically prevents approval. Pennsylvania law permanently or temporarily disqualifies applicants for certain offenses and child-abuse findings. Other records may require further review based on the offense, date, disposition, rehabilitation, subsequent conduct, and potential risk to children.

Can I have pets?

Yes. Pets and other animals are permitted when safely maintained, vaccinated, licensed when required, and appropriately supervised. Agencies may review temperament, bite history, sanitation, fencing, containment, and the family's plan for introducing children to animals.

Can I own firearms?

Yes. Legally possessed firearms must be unloaded and secured in locked storage that is inaccessible to children. Ammunition and other weapons must also be safely secured according to the approving agency's requirements and any child-specific safety plan.

Can foster children share bedrooms?

Yes, when the arrangement is safe and appropriate. The agency considers each child's age, sex, gender identity, sibling relationships, developmental level, behaviors, trauma history, medical needs, privacy, and personal safety when approving bedroom sharing.

Can I choose the ages of children I foster?

Yes. Applicants discuss preferred ages, number of children, sibling groups, placement types, medical needs, disabilities, behavioral needs, and levels of care during the family assessment. Approval and placement decisions remain limited to the family's demonstrated abilities and household capacity.

Can I decline a placement?

Yes. Foster parents may decline a placement when they do not believe they can safely meet the child's needs or when the proposed placement would not be appropriate for their household. Families should ask detailed questions before accepting a placement.

Will I receive information about a child before placement?

The placing agency should provide all reasonably available information concerning the child's health, medications, behaviors, supervision needs, education, family relationships, culture, identity, family visits, and case plan. Emergency placements may occur before every record has been gathered.

Does Pennsylvania try to keep siblings together?

Yes. Pennsylvania seeks to place siblings together whenever doing so is safe and appropriate. When siblings cannot live together, foster parents are generally expected to support visits, communication, shared activities, and preservation of the sibling relationship.

Does Pennsylvania prioritize relatives and kin?

Yes. County agencies search for relatives and adults who have significant family-like relationships with the child. Kinship placement can help preserve family bonds, identity, culture, school, community, and important relationships.

Can relatives receive foster-care payments?

Yes. Relatives and kin who complete applicable foster-family approval requirements may qualify for foster-care maintenance payments, Medical Assistance, childcare, clothing funds, transportation support, respite, and other child-related services.

Is reunification the primary goal?

Yes. Safe reunification with parents is generally the initial permanency goal for children entering Pennsylvania foster care. Foster parents are expected to support the child's parents, family visits, sibling relationships, relatives, case plan, and other important connections.

Will I receive financial assistance?

Yes. Approved foster parents receive maintenance payments intended to help meet the child's ordinary needs. Payment rates and additional assistance vary by county, private provider, placement type, child's age, and assessed level of care.

Do children in Pennsylvania foster care receive medical coverage?

Yes. Children in foster care generally receive healthcare coverage through Pennsylvania Medical Assistance or another state-arranged health plan. Coverage may include medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, behavioral-health, developmental, and specialty services.

Is childcare assistance available?

Childcare may be authorized when needed to support an approved placement, including care related to employment, education, training, appointments, family visits, or the child's developmental and supervision needs. Prior agency approval may be required.

Is respite care available?

Yes. Approved respite care may be available to provide temporary caregiver relief, respond to emergencies, meet planned needs, and support placement stability. Respite arrangements should be coordinated through the responsible county or private agency.

Can foster parents adopt?

Yes. If reunification and other preferred permanency options are no longer available and adoption becomes the child's court-approved goal, the current foster family may be considered as an adoptive resource when adoption by that family serves the child's best interests.

Does fostering guarantee that I can adopt?

No. Foster care is temporary, and most children enter care with reunification as the initial goal. A child may reunify, move to relatives or kin, enter permanent legal custodianship, or be adopted by another approved family.

Is adoption assistance available?

Eligible children adopted from Pennsylvania foster care may qualify for a recurring adoption subsidy, Medical Assistance coverage, reimbursement of qualifying nonrecurring adoption expenses, and services related to the child's special needs.

What is Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship?

Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship is a Pennsylvania permanency option that may provide financial and medical assistance to eligible caregivers who become permanent legal custodians of children when reunification and adoption are not appropriate permanency options.

Do foster parents need ongoing training?

Yes. Foster parents complete continuing education assigned by their approving county or private agency. Training requirements depend on the agency, placement program, and individual needs of children served.

How do I report suspected child abuse or neglect?

Call Pennsylvania ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313. ChildLine accepts reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 911 when a child is in immediate danger or requires urgent emergency assistance.

State Agency

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Youth and Families

Phone

1-800-585-SWAN (7926)

Email

[email protected]

Address

625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120