Foster Care Home Study Checklist [A Complete Guide]

Opening your home to a foster child is a brave and compassionate decision that has far-reaching implications for your family.

One of the first steps on this journey is completing your foster care home study. With this extremely comprehensive foster care home study checklist, you can make sure you’re prepared for the entire process.

The sooner you schedule your foster care home study, the sooner you can begin providing life-changing care for children in need. Let’s get started.

What is a Foster Care Home Study?

A foster care home study is a screening process to make sure your home can accommodate a child. It’s an important step that needs to be completed before the placement of a foster child.

The home study has three main parts. First, a document review is conducted by a social worker. This often takes a few days or even weeks as you gather and send relevant documents.

Next, a social worker conducts an in-home visit. During the visit, they’ll inspect your home for safety hazards, and interview members of the foster family.

What Does DCF Look for in a Home Inspection in Indiana? [Foster Home Requirements]

To foster a child, you’ll need to bring your home up to safety standards. This includes basic things like checking batteries in smoke detectors, and more in-depth processes, like installing child locks on cabinets. Some of Indiana’s minimum requirements include:

Reference the checklist at the end of this article for a comprehensive review of safety standards.

How to Prepare for a Foster Care Home Study

The longest process in the home study is often gathering documents for review. We recommend you begin gathering documents as soon as possible. 

You’ll also need to prepare for the safety inspection, which could take quite a bit of labor depending on how your home is currently set up.

You should also look over the example questions we provide and think through some of your answers to prepare for your interview.

Foster Care vs Private Adoption

Both Adoption and Foster care can be a wonderful experience for families and children; however, you should carefully consider which path is best for you and your family. This decision will likely come down to your motivations for welcoming a child into your home.

You may find foster care and adoption are much less similar than they appear. The goal of foster care is always reunification – that is, reuniting the foster child with their biological parents. Adoption through foster care is actually relatively rare.

If you want to provide children in need with a safe, supportive home for a short time while their parents work to improve their circumstances, then foster care is the ideal process for you. However, if you’re looking for a permanent addition to your family, you’ll want to contact an adoption agency for information on how to begin the adoption process.

Choosing your Foster Care Home Study Provider

American Adoptions of Indiana is a licensed home study provider for foster care home studies. We provide comprehensive services, and support throughout the process. You can talk with our experts about how to prepare for your home study beforehand, to make sure you have everything squared away. Contact us today for help preparing for your home study.

Your Foster Care Home Study Checklist

Use this checklist to prepare for all three parts of your foster care home study.

CPS Home Study Checklist: Background Check

• Background checks

• Child abuse history

• Criminal history

• Drivers licenses or other photo ID

• Social Security cards

• Passport

• Naturalization Papers

• Birth certificates for everyone residing in the home, including children.

• Marriage certificates

• Divorce decrees

• Previous adoption decrees

• Financial statement

• Proof of income

• Proof of insurance: home, health, auto, life

• Health statements from a physician

• Letter from a therapist (if applicable)

• Military discharge

• Pet vaccinations

• Most recent pay stub

• W-2

• Tax returns

• A letter from your employer

• Non-working spouse statement

• Discipline policy form

• Safety policy form

• 10 year residences history with resident dates.

• Summary of community resources for children (public parks, libraries, etc.).

• Autobiography for each foster parent, describing your life up to this point and your desire to foster.

• Photos of your home, including front and back exterior and yard.

• Floorplans for your home, with dimensions for each room. These can be a non-professional illustration.

• Five character references (only one can be a family member)

CPS Home Study Checklist: Home Safety Check

General safety tips:

• Move poisonous substances (bleach, other cleaners) out of reach of children.

• Move medicine and alcohol to a locked storage container and/or out of reach of children.

• Move heating items (Clothes iron, curling iron, space heater) out of reach of children.

• Lock any weapons in a secure storage container.

• Move any sharp objects (knives, scissors, staplers) out of reach of children.

• Gate off any elevated segments of the house (stairs, unguarded balconies, tall porches, bunk beds).

• Gate off any immobile ground-level hazards (wood burning stoves, kitchen appliances, swimming pools).

• Move anything that can be eaten that should not be eaten out of reach of children.

• Cover all outlets.

Specific Safety Steps:

• Place one smoke detector within 10 feet of each bedroom door.

• Place at least one carbon monoxide detector per floor.

• Place at least one fire extinguisher per floor.

• Fix any electrical hazards (exposed wiring, sparking outlet).

• Remove environmental health risks like lead paint, mold, radon, or asbestos.

• If your home was built before 1978, consider repainting to be sure no paint in your house contains harmful lead dust.

• Anchor any heavy furniture to walls.

• General tidiness is always good.

Specific Child-Proofing Steps:

• Remove table cloths.

• Remove blinds with looped cords.

• Install safety guards or gates on windows, landings, and decks.

• Install non-skid rug liners under rugs.

• Install locks on toilet seats.

• Install lockable covers on trash cans.

• Install knob covers.

• Install safety gates in front of floor-level heaters and radiators.

• Install gates in front of hearths and Fireplaces. Move matches and firewood out of reach.

• Install padding on any sharp corners on furniture (coffee tables, kitchen tables, chairs).

• Install soft, non-slip covers on tubs, bathroom floors, and faucets.

• Check your garage safety sensor.

• Secure all furniture against tipping.

• Move cribs away from other furniture.

• Move toys, pillows, and blankets out of cribs.

• Move top-heavy items behind more stable furniture.

• Move remotes to a secure location.

• Move all set top boxes, streaming devices, DVD players and game consoles into covered cabinets.

• Move heavy items (stock pots, crock pots, rice cookers) to child-locked cabinets.

• Move breakable dishware out of reach of children.

• Move all cords out of sight, or use cord covers.

• Move pet food and water out of reach of children.

• Move dish towels out of reach of children.

• Remember to child proof the entire house, even rooms you don’t expect the child to frequent.

CPS Home Study Checklist: Interview

Lifestyle Questions

• Tell me about yourself.

• Describe your personality.

• What do you do for work?

• What is your career?

• Do you enjoy your work?

• Is there a risk of your work relocating you?

• What do you do for fun?

• What are some of your hobbies?

• What are some of your interests?

• How do you think your friends would describe you?

• Are you familiar with the home study process?

• How do you and your spouse view and experience religion?

• Are you a formal member of an organized religion or faith group?

• What values are important to you?

• Do you or any members of your family have a history of substance abuse?

• Have you been HIV tested?

• Describe any experiences you’ve had involving abuse.

• Describe your physical and mental health.

• Does your family have a history with illness that could be passed down to you?

• Do you already have children?

• How are they involved in this process?

• How is your relationship with your parents?

• Do you feel like you’re very similar to your parents?

• How would you describe your childhood?

• Are there family members aware of your plan to foster?

• Describe your social circle.

• Will fostering change your social life

Questions for Couples

• How did you and your partner meet?

• How has your relationship compared to your expectations of a relationship?

• How do you handle conflict with each other?

• How would you define your roles?

• How is your relationship with your in-laws?

• Do you have shared goals?

• How would fostering a child affect your relationship?

• Are there significant differences between you and your spouse?

• How do you currently handle your differences?

• What do you expect from fostering a child?

• What form of discipline do you plan to use?

• What is your tolerance for aggression or defiance from a child?

• Do you feel that successes and failures of children reflect on parents?

• Do you have a plan in place for a child if something happens to you?

• What are your plans around childcare?

• Who makes final decisions in the home?

Disclaimer
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