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 provide time free from the interference of other responsibilities, and 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
15. (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.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 48 DCR 6617 (July 27, 2001).