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A general overview of the Arizona state regulations and requirements for family foster homes.
Currently, Arizona “leads the nation in the number of children per capita in group or shelter care,” according to Arizonans for Children, Inc., with children being removed from their homes at the growing rate of 600 per month. The need for foster families in Arizona is enormous. If you are a resident of Arizona and desire to become a foster parent, here is an overview of the steps and requirements for licensing in your state.
Foster Family Requirements
- All members of the household must agree to the decision to provide foster care- even the biological children of the applicants.
- Fingerprints will need to be obtained from all adult household members.
- All family and household members will need to have a background records check conducted by the Arizona Child Protective Services (CPS).
- All household members will need to submit a Physician’s Report of Health from their physician.
Foster Parent Requirements
- May be married or single. If married, the couple files jointly and both spouses must meet all of the licensing requirements.
- Must be at least 21 years of age or older.
- Two individuals who wish to share the responsibilities of foster parents (mother/ daughter, sister/ sister, roommates) may apply jointly. Both individuals need to meet the licensing requirements, and the stability of the relationship and commitment to parent jointly will be assessed.
References
Each applicant must submit at least five references. This is a breakdown of the reference requirements:
- Two of the references must be related by blood or marriage.
- Three of the references should be personal references.
- References cannot be from the same household of the applicants.
- If there are school-age children in the home, references form a teacher is also needed.
- Applicants will need to show that they have sufficient income.
Training Requirements
Each applicant is required to complete pre-licensing training. Each session is three hours in length and usually takes ten weeks to complete.
Must be certified in First Aid and CPR.
Documents Required for Verification
- Arizona Drivers License
- Social Security Cards (for all household members)
- Birth Certificates (for all household members)
- Proof of Auto Insurance
- Marriage Licenses and Divorce Decrees
- Immunization Records
- Adoption papers or Legal Guardianship papers (if applicable)
- Documentation of Rabies vaccination
- Animal Licenses for all dogs (if applicable)
The Home Study Process
A home study is done in order to determine the character of the persons living in the home, suitability to parent, and the ability to care for a child with special needs. The agency will also evaluate the home itself to ensure that the environment is safe and suitable for placement of foster children.
Prior to the interview process of the home study, a Family Assessment Guide will need to be completed. Interviews will be conducted with each household member separately, as well as with the family unit as a whole.
The home study, start to finish, takes approximately three months to complete.
Home Inspection
The Department of Economic Security (DES) will inspect the home. The licensing agency may conduct a courtesy inspection of the home prior to the DES inspection to help the applicants get their home ready and be sure they are in compliance. Some of the things the DES will look for are:
- Are all medications and toxics are to be locked up?
- Is there a 2A10BC fire extinguisher on the premises?
- Are smoke detectors located in the sleeping areas of the home?
- Are exits from the home easily accessible?
- Is the home generally clean and free of hazards?
- Do the applicants practice safe food storage techniques?
- Are there fences around any pools or bodies of water on the premises?
Your licensing agency should supply you with a complete regulations manual for your reference.
Steps to Getting Started
Those wishing to inquire further about becoming licensed for foster care in the state of Arizona, may contact an agency that provides foster care services in your area, or the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) at 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU.
Reference: Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth and Families- Foster Care and Adoption.
Related Articles:
Common Foster Child Behaviors
Lifebooks for Foster Children
The copyright of the article Arizona Foster Care Regulations in Foster Parenting is owned by Crystal Killion. Permission to republish Arizona Foster Care Regulations in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
May 13, 2008 9:11 AM
Guest
:
Let's see if we can't make this process a little more complicated! I'd be
interested in being a foster parent, but the requirements just are too
extensive.
Aug 28, 2008 10:40 AM
Guest
:
The requirements are appropriate for taking care of & protecting
children. I am certifide to adopt & it was lengthy but not that
difficult. I just wish we had done the foster certification at the same
time... should be the same requirements for adoption & foster.
Aug 31, 2008 4:53 PM
Guest
:
I am going to become a foster parent. 10 weeks of classes is a long period
of time. I am hoping to be able to speed up the process somehow. I have
many college credit hours in child psychology and wish that could apply
somehow. It is fascinating that in some states they require only six hours
of training. There is a lot that goes along with taking on a neglected and
abused child. In order to benefit the child a paren needs to be adequately
prepared. I do have to say, the fire extinguisher seems like a bit much!
Sep 9, 2008 9:55 AM
Guest
:
I don't think the requirements should be anything more than any normal,
loving parent would already know. A fire extinguisher and CPR seem
excessive considering the fact that the homes these kids are being removed
from probably don't even provide adequate heat, food and loving care. Maybe
all parents should have to go through this before they ever have children
and then we wouldn't NEED foster homes!
Sep 10, 2008 12:19 PM
Guest
:
I work at a childrens shelter. Children are placed there all the time for
dirupting the foster home. I think there should be more training not just
10 weeks, and the foster parent should be at least 25 years old. Sorry to
say I think alot of people get into foster care for the wrong reasons and
the children are the ones who suffer.
Sep 12, 2008 9:02 PM
Guest
:
Can a DES CPS Investigator become a foster parent?
Sep 23, 2008 11:57 AM
Guest
:
Being a previous foster child, and now going through the training to become
a foster parent myself, I can say that it is NOT too much, and definetly
not hard. The requirements are too extensive? What are you a convict? Or
is is too hard for you to make your home a safe place? No, let me guess,
it's against your religion to protect your family from a fire. All the
documents required are ones you should already have and if this kind of
stuff is too difficult, then being a foster parent would be much too
difficult for you.
Sep 29, 2008 7:05 PM
Guest
:
An AZ DES CPS worker I know, with her husband, takes in 8 foster kids and
has 4 of her own.
Some of the biological kids are
home-schooled and they help take care of the foster kids. A 11-y/o
home-schooled boy cannot read. It is a travesty.
Are there not
limits on the number of kids per household? If so, would DES/CPS waive this
requirement given she is in the system so to speak?
Oct 15, 2008 11:29 AM
Guest
:
I agree with whoever said the requirements are the basics every family
should already have. And I also agree, if the requirements are too hard,
the job will be much too hard for you. These are children who are in
desperate need of a family to just LOVE them and give the basics to them at
minimal, how can you sit and complain? That's what's wrong with
America.Everyone wants everything to come easy and not have to work for
anything. Guess what, hard work is the only way to get anywhere.
Oct 17, 2008 10:27 AM
Guest
:
I give two thumbs up to people that become responsible foster parents! We
read in the news where all these killers come from broken homes and were
abused in foster homes and yet you people are complaining about the
requirements being too much!! Think if you had your own kids and some
tragedy happened and your kids were taken away!? Wouldnt you want them to
go to a SAFE and LOVING home!! You should never think that highly of
yourself that meeting SIMPLE requirements is TOO much! You are bringing in
children that are suffering and need love and guidance! 10 weeks of 3 hour
training would barley be enough to teach average Joe how to be a good
parent much less how to be a good, RESPONSIBLE role model to a misguided
child!! THE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT TOO MUCH!! GET OVER YOURSELVES!!!
Oct 18, 2008 1:21 AM
Guest
:
And even with all the guidelines and training in place people like that AZ
DES CPS worker and my husbands ex-wife (nutbag) are getting foster kids.
Makes me worry even more about those poor children.
Oct 22, 2008 11:11 AM
Guest
:
Placement with grandparents seems to be a priority because they are
immediate family, which in some cases is appropriate. However what if the
grandparents are unfit and are manipulating the system to "steal their
grandchild." As a social worker I have seen family destruction way too
often.
Dec 3, 2008 1:21 PM
Guest
:
Yes a DES/CPS employee can become a foster parent, most times they want
kids placed from other districts but if not possible they do place from
different offices/areas.
Dec 4, 2008 10:13 AM
Guest
:
I'm not sure where to start. I am 25 yrs old, married for 4 years, and
have an 18 month old daughter. We recently moved to AZ so my husband can
attend medical school. I was looking into becoming foster parents as I
have always wanted to help troubled children. Plus, it would provide us
with a reason for me to stay home with our own child. Reading these posts,
I feel some of you don't understand safety. These requirements are
NOTHING! They seem very simple and easy to me. It is not nearly as
complicated as it was for me to get adopted by my father as a child. If
you can't do the training, take proper care, etc, then being a foster
parent is not your best option. You can help children in shelters if you
want to help, but being a foster parent should be taken seriously, as if
the child is your own. These children deserve someone willing to go the
extra step. Having a fire extinguisher?? Sounds like a good idea to me!
We recently bought and moved into a 2 story home. Next on my list of items
to purchase, fire ladders for all bedrooms upstairs. If I'm willing to do
that, I'd certainly be willing to get a fire extinguisher. If you are not,
are you really looking out for the children's best interest? As a child, I
remember flames shooting out of our kitchen due to a grease fire. My
mother threw a large pot over the flames to extinguish it, and used our
fire extinquisher to stop the cabinets from burning. Trust me, the
precautions listed here are for your safety, as well as the childrens. I
would hate to have a child removed from a horrible situation only to be
placed into another sitation where one is not willing to secure their
homes, and take the proper training. It is much harder dealing with
abused, neglected children than caring for your own child. That is why
training is necessary. Yes, many think they have the training necessary
because they are parents, like myself. However, having worked with
troubled youth in the past, I know they sometimes require a different
approach, counseling, etc. Training can and will help you prepare to hear
what some of these children will tell you, and will help you know how to
react. After-all, you can't simply say "yeah your mommy and daddy are
bad people." They love their parents, but hate the situation they
were in. Training will help you learn and understand how to react, how to
comfort, how to counsel, and how to raise these children as they deserve to
be raised.
Dec 23, 2008 3:24 PM
Guest
:
I think that all RESPONSIBLE parents, biological or not, should practice
safety first in their home. IE: First-aid, CPR, Fire Extinguishers etc.
And not just know these things to save your children's lives but educate
your children to save your life and the lives of their siblings if the
situation should call for it. Why is everyone complaining about being made
to be prepaired? I don't understand why seems to be such a hastle...
Jan 5, 2009 10:57 AM
Guest
:
I think that when it's listed out it may seem daunting, but as a mother
most of it is common sense. These are children who have already been
subjected to people who should have been sterilized. So if they go to a
strangers home shouldn't the state make extra sure that they are not
sending the child to another place where further damage could be done? It's
not like they want you to fail, they desperately need good homes willing to
take in children, and they have people who will come in and do
pre-inspections to help you prepare your home. If the process is too much
work for some people of the people posting on here then I don't think they
are good candidates for foster care or adoption.
Jan 6, 2009 11:36 AM
Guest
:
On paper, It sounds far more complicated than it actually is, takes about 6
months or so. It is well worth the wait. I have been a FP for over 3
years now, adopted two kiddos, and still continue to Foster. It is the
MOST REWARDING thing I have ever done. If you are at all interested, I
encourage all to GO FOR IT!
Jan 7, 2009 5:00 PM
Guest
:
I am a 27/f just starting the process of licensing my home for foster care.
My mother has done foster care since I was 8 years old and I am thankful
to have had the experience at such a young age of how important it is to
open your home to those in need. It is not a job for everyone, so if you
feel that a fire extinguisher or training is too much, maybe you should try
working as a behavioral health technician first to truly understand the
care that these children need. Safety, consistency, structure, compassion
& love are so important. You must be able to provide warmth &
strong guidance in a clean, safe atmosphere- children in foster care have a
wide range of behaviors and needs and the requirements are bare minimums.
It saddens me that more training is not required. Good luck to all the
wonderful people opening their homes to provide a real life for these
children- education, self sufficiency & loving support that we all
deserve!
Jan 10, 2009 1:19 PM
Guest
:
I have custody of my girlfriends kids, two toddlers. She was recently
incarcerated and the state is only giving me 18 dollars per month for each
child because i am not certified. The state says i can not get
certification until I am divorced from my estranged husband. Long story
short I have no idea where he is, let alone how long that will take. In the
mean time i have kids of my own, and I am in a financial nightmare....
Anyone know of anywhere i can get some help with diapers and other such
things....
19 Comments
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