6001 FOSTER PARENT REQUIREMENTS

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 foster 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 foster parent's;
9. (e) The capacity to value, respect, appreciate, and educate a foster child regarding the child's racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural heritage;
10. (f) The capacity to understand that it is in the best interest of a foster child of mixed racial parentage 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 and attention;
14. (j) The ability to provide a nurturing family life and meet the needs of a foster

child, notwithstanding any employment 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 foster parent and all household members shall be in good health as documented by a health examination within the previous twenty-four (24) months.

6001.4 If a foster parent or household member has symptoms or a history of physical or mental health problems or has recently been under the care of a physician for either of the above, CFSA or the agency may require the individual to:

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

(b) Provide a written statement by the examining or treating physician to the effect that the health problem poses no threat to the foster child.

6001.5 A foster parent and all household members shall be free of disease in communicable form, as certified by a physician. Each child in the household shall be in compliance with the immunization requirements of the jurisdiction in which the foster home is located.

6001.6 A foster 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.

6001.7 A criminal records check and a child protection register clearance shall be performed as set forth in §§ 6008 and 6009.

6001.8 A foster parent shall possess current American Red Cross Standard First Aid and infant, adult, and child Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certifications before being licensed to care for a foster child.

6001.9 The CPR and American Red Cross Standard First Aid certification training shall be approved by the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or the District of Columbia Department of Health.

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