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An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

 

FAQs

Submit a KYFACES inquiry or contact your local Department for Community Based Services office. You will be sent a packet of information that describes the requirements for being approved as a foster parent. To view a list of upcoming informational meetings near you visit:  July-December Informational Meetings                          
No, you can be married, single, divorced, widowed or living with a partner. However, if you are presenting as a couple, both must go through the approval process.
No, you can rent. But you must have adequate space available and your landlord's approval to care for foster children.
Yes. Extra help for the cost of day care may be available.
You should read through the information in the packet, then attend an information meeting designed to answer any questions you may have about foster care or adoption. Please call your local Department for Community Based Services office at the number provided in your packet or (800) 232-KIDS (5437) for times and dates of information meeting.
Persons from all racial/ethnic/cultural and religious backgrounds, renters and homeowners, single, married, divorced or living with a partner, persons who identify as LGBTQ+, persons with any education level, all are welcome to apply!
  • Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
  • Foster/Adoptive parents can be married, single or living with a partner.
  • Foster/Adoptive families should be financially stable and have an income sufficient to meet the family's needs.
  • Applicants must be able to provide a safe, secure and healthy home for a child.
  • Foster/Adoptive parents must be in good physical and mental health.
  • All adults in the home must complete criminal background checks including FBI, sex offender registry and a check of the child abuse registry.
  • All applicants must complete training to help them understand the needs of children in foster care.

To meet the needs of children placed in their home, foster parents receive:

  • Financial assistance in the form of a daily rate
  • Medical coverage for the children
  • Daycare assistance for working parents
  • Other assistance provided to meet the specialized needs of children on a case by case basis
  • Basic foster homes
  • Medically Complex Homes - for children with medical challenges
  • Specialized Medically Complex Homes - for children with medical and emotional challenges
  • Degreed Medically Complex Homes - for children with medical challenges in which the primary caretaker is a health care professional.
  • Care Plus Foster Home - for children who have emotional or behavioral challenges.
The law defines respite care as "temporary care provided by another family or individual to provide relief to a foster or adoptive parent with the expectation of the child's return to the current foster or adoptive home".
The Department for Community Based Services provides training that meets the needs of foster parents. Foster parents are required to receive a minimum of fifteen hours approved curriculum training and fifteen hours of pre-service web-based training to becoming a foster parent. Approved foster and adoptive families must complete a minimum of ten hours of ongoing training each year.
Yes. We want to ensure that the needs of the children placed in the home are compatible with the strengths of the foster parents.
Applicants will be expected to have an income sufficient to meet their present family needs and to insure the stability of the family unit.
A child may be placed with a relative when it is in the best interest of the child. To be eligible for the assistance provided to foster parents, a relative foster home must meet the same requirements for training and ongoing approval as nonrelative homes. The majority of children who are placed with relatives do so outside of the foster care system, and the family does not need to become approved to foster or adopt.
Maybe. Foster care is temporary care with the goal of reuniting the child with his or her birth family. Three out of four foster children do go home and it is important for foster parents to help the child successfully reunite with his or her birth parents while helping the child during such a tumultuous time. In the event that the child's goal changes to adoption, the foster family may apply to adopt. Many adoptions in Kentucky are foster parent adoptions. In selecting adoptive families, the best interest of the child is always of the utmost importance. Therefore, many factors have to be considered. For example, does the child need to be adopted with his or her siblings who may be in other foster homes? Your R&C worker can help you in deciding whether to explore this option.
All known relevant information about the child's educational, medical or developmental history is provided to the foster parent.
This is not a problem unless the child is allergic or scared.
Actually, there's no typical model. Some of our foster families are single-parent families. Some have kids in their home while others don't. Some older foster parents have already raised their own family, but want to open their hearts and homes to more kids. Some are homeowners, and some are renters. Our parents come from all racial, ethnic, religious backgrounds and sexual orientations.
A child's placement may be for as short as an overnight stay or longer than a year.
A foster child's return home is usually the ultimate goal. The foster parent will have the opportunity to participate in the planning and to say goodbye to the foster child. This can be a difficult time, but the child's return home represents a success. Returning home is the goal for most children in foster care. You will play an integral role in helping the child and family successfully transition.


1. How do I contact the kinship support hotline?

Call (877) 565-5608 Monday-Friday from 8:00 am-4:30 pm or email relative.supports@ky.gov.

2. What types of services are offered through the kinship support hotline?

Kinship hotline staff will share your needs from the call or email with a specialist and/or active social worker assigned to your case.  Relatives and fictive kin caregivers are provided information to a variety of supportive services to address their specific needs, including child care assistance, Child Only Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP), Relative Placements Support Benefit (RPSB), medical insurance (KCHIP), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (Food Stamps).       

3. How do I reach my social worker?

If the Department of Community Based Services is involved in the placement of the child in your care, ensure you have a contact number for the assigned social worker.  Obtain the social worker’s and supervisors’ name and contact number.  If the child is in DCBS custody placed in your home, ensure you have an on-call number for after-hour emergencies.

4. The child in my care is struggling with behaviors, is there training I can complete?

KY Kins offers a Kinship Catalogue containing Virtual Training Series. You can access the free trainings by clicking: Kinship/Fictive-Kin Caregivers – CoSW LMS.  You can also reach out to your child’s social worker to express training needs and they may be able to link you with other resources.

5. Can I become a foster parent?

Yes, relatives and fictive kin caregivers may apply to become a foster or adoptive home while the child is in the custody of the cabinet and in your care.

6. What are the training requirements to become a relative/fictive kin foster parent?

Relative/fictive Kin foster parents must be 18 years old. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services maintains custody of the child while relative/fictive kin caregiver pursues foster/adoption certification. Relative/fictive kin foster parents will have an assigned Recruitment and Certification (R&C) worker to assist with their approval process.  Relative/fictive kin foster parents must complete an application and complete required online trainings.

7. Can I be approved to adopt a relative, i.e. a grandchild?

Yes, but the parental rights must be terminated prior to proceeding with adoption.

8. Once I become a foster parent, are there other foster parents I can contact for advice and support?

Yes, there are other foster parents you can contact for support as well as respite or other supports.  KY KINS offers peer support, which is a program that links relative/fictive caregivers with a caregiver that has similar lived experience. Reach out to your R&C worker if you are interested in being matched with a KY KINS peer supporter.

9. How do I receive reimbursement as a relative/fictive kin foster parent?

If you are seeking approval as a foster parent for a relative or fictive kin child placed in your home, you must submit a Foster Parent Billing Invoice monthly to receive reimbursement. When you selected to become a relative/fictive kin foster parent, you should have received a Welcome Packet from DAFM (Division of Administration and Financial Management).  Reach out to your child’s social worker if you need assistance.

10. What if I need childcare assistance?

If you are seeking approval as a relative/fictive kin foster parent and need childcare assistance, reach out to your assigned Recruitment and Certification worker to determine eligibility.

If you are the temporary custodian and have an active DCBS case, reach out to the child’s ongoing worker to discuss your childcare needs and if you may be eligible for assistance.  If the DCBS case is closed, you can apply for Child Care assistance with Family Support at Kentucky Child Care Assistance | kynect Benefits or call the Kinship Support Hotline (877) 565-5608 Monday-Friday from 8:00 am-4:30 pm or email relative.supports@ky.gov to discuss your childcare needs.