6001.1 An agency shall select and maintain as foster parents individuals who have the following characteristics:

1. (a) Knowledge of, interest in, and regard for the principles of good child care and understanding of the resource parent's responsibility in providing care for a foster child;
2. (b) The willingness to work with CFSA and agency personnel in the best interest of the foster child;
3. (c) Maturity and personality characteristics which:
4. (1) Make it possible to provide an emotional climate in which a foster child can benefit during temporary care;
5. (2) Create an atmosphere in which social skills can be enriched;
6. (3) Help a foster child to understand placement in foster care and the child's own feelings about the placement; and
7. (4) Help maintain family ties through regular and consistent family contact in accordance with a foster child's case plan;
8. (d) The flexibility to understand and work with lifestyles different from the resource parent's;
9. (e) The commitment to building the capacity to value, respect, appreciate, and educate a foster child regarding the child's racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural heritage thereby cultivating a supportive and inclusive home and environment;
10. (f) The commitment to building the capacity to understand that it is in the best interest of a foster child to have healthy multiracial experiences;
11. (g) The suitability and stamina to meet the demands of caring for growing foster children;
12. (h) The willingness to support and encourage a foster child's educational progress, and take an active role by attending school conferences and similar activities whenever possible;
13. (i) The ability to give a foster child the needed care, attention, and

environment as appropriate to a foster child's age and the foster child's physical, mental, emotional, educational, and developmental needs;

(j) The ability to provide a nurturing family life and meet the needs of a foster child, notwithstanding any employment or obligations outside the home; and

(k) Awareness of the way in which a child needs family life to grow and learn, and the ability to provide a foster child with the skills and values which a parent customarily provides.

6001.2 A foster parent shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

6001.3 A resource parent shall:

(a) Be in good health as documented by a health examination conducted by a licensed physician or licensed, qualified health care professional within the previous twenty-four (24) months; and

(b) Have the physical health, mental health, and stamina to care for a foster child as documented by a statement provided by a licensed physician or licensed, qualified health care professional.

6001.4 An adult household member shall be in good health as documented by a health examination conducted by a licensed physician or licensed, qualified health care professional within the previous twenty-four (24) months. The agency may make an exception to this requirement, if:

(a) The health concern does not pose a risk to the foster child;

(b) The adult household member shall not be responsible for the care of a foster child; and

(c) The requirements of 6002.2 are met if the adult household member needs assistance with at least three (3) activities of daily living.

6001.5 If a resource parent or adult household member has symptoms or a history of physical or mental health concerns or has recently been under the care of a licensed physician or health care professional for symptoms or a history of physical or mental health concerns, CFSA or the agency may require the individual to:

(a) Undergo additional medical examinations of a general or specific nature; and

(b) Provide a written statement by the examining or treating licensed physician or licensed, qualified health care professional to the effect that the physical or mental health concern problem poses no threat to the foster child.

6001.6 A resource parent and all household members shall be free of disease in communicable form, as certified by a licensed physician or licensed, qualified health care professional. Each child in the household shall be in compliance with the immunization requirements of the jurisdiction in which the foster home is located.

6001.7 A resource parent shall have sufficient family income to meet the reasonable living needs of his or her own family without relying on foster care board and care payments. The agency shall refer to the current year Poverty Guidelines Computations published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when determining if a resource parent has sufficient family income to meet the reasonable living needs of his or her own family.

6001.8 A criminal records check and a child protection register clearance shall be performed as set forth in §§ 6008 and 6009.

6001.9 A resource parent shall possess current infant, child, and adult Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and first aid certifications before being licensed to care for a foster child.

6001.10 The CPR and first aid certifications shall be from an organization approved by the agency.

6001.11 A resource parent shall have stable housing.

6001.12 A resource parent shall work with only one entity at a time, whether public or private, to complete a home study for foster or adoptive care or to provide foster or adoptive care.

6001.13 For married couples, cohabitating couples, and couples in a domestic partnership, both individuals shall comply with the requirements of this chapter and be approved to be licensed as resource parents before a foster home is licensed.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 48 DCR 6617 (July 27, 2001); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 59 DCR 10669 (September 7, 2012); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 71 DCR 002859 (March 15, 2024).