How to become a foster parent in Arkansas

Learn how foster care works in Arkansas

Foster care in Arkansas is run by DHS's Division of Children and Family Services, and Every Child Arkansas is the network DHS launched with more than 25 partner organizations to recruit and support foster families. Read through what fostering involves and the kinds of care Arkansas families provide.

Arkansas DHS - Every Child Arkansas launch announcement

Talk with experienced Arkansas foster parentsOptional

Hearing from families who foster right now is the best way to know whether this is your next step. Ask your church or an Every Child Arkansas partner organization to connect you with foster parents who can tell you what the journey was really like.

Every Child Arkansas - The Journey to Becoming a Foster Home

Review the basic requirements for foster parents

You must be at least 21 and show stable income sufficient to meet your own family's needs — the standards weigh how you manage your money more than how much you make. The assessment will also look at your household's health and your home itself, so check yourself against the standards before you invest months in the process.

9 CAR 30-307, Foster parent qualifications (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Choose DCFS or a private licensed placement agency

Arkansas foster homes are approved either by DCFS itself or by a private licensed placement agency working in your area, and Every Child Arkansas can connect you with either. Required training and certification are free whichever door you choose, so pick the agency whose schedule, support, and community best fit your family.

Every Child Arkansas - Foster Parent Pre-Application Process

Submit your foster care inquiry

Fill out the short Connect Form at Every Child Arkansas, or contact your local DCFS office directly. Someone from the network follows up to answer your questions and connect you with DCFS or a private agency active in your community — this phase is about conversation, not commitment, and comes before any paperwork or background checks.

Every Child Arkansas - Foster Parent Pre-Application Process

Attend the DCFS foster parent orientation

Orientation is the three-hour DCFS introduction to fostering: the children who need homes, what is expected of foster parents, and the rules you will live under. It counts as part of your required 30-hour pre-service curriculum.

After Submit your foster care inquiry

Takes about 3 hours

Cost: Free

Arkansas DCFS Foster Parent Handbook (PUB-30)

Submit your foster home application

Apply through DCFS or your chosen agency; your worker helps you assemble the required documentation. In a two-parent home you are joint applicants — each of you signs the application and participates in the approval process.

After Choose DCFS or a private licensed placement agency, Attend the DCFS foster parent orientation

9 CAR 30-307, Foster parent qualifications (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Complete fingerprint-based criminal record checks

Every household member age 18 1/2 and older (excluding children in foster care) completes an Arkansas State Police criminal record check and a fingerprint-based FBI background check; a member who turns 18 has six months from that birthday to complete theirs. State Police checks are then repeated at least every two years.

After Submit your foster home application

Ark. Code Ann. 9-28-409, Criminal record and child maltreatment checks

Clear the maltreatment central registry checks

Household members age 14 and older (excluding children in foster care) are checked against the Child Maltreatment Central Registry in Arkansas and in any state where they have lived during the past five years. Adult Maltreatment Central Registry checks run alongside, and registry checks are repeated every two years after approval.

After Submit your foster home application

9 CAR 30-204, Child Maltreatment Central Registry and criminal record checks

Host the in-home consultation visit

A DCFS or agency worker visits your home early in the assessment to walk through the process, answer your questions, and look over your home in person. The time spent may even count toward your annual training hours later.

After Submit your foster home application

Arkansas DCFS Foster Parent Handbook (PUB-30)

Complete the SAFE home study interviews

Arkansas assesses families using the SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) home study. Your worker interviews the members of your household and documents your family's history, home, and readiness to foster — the core record your approval decision rests on.

After Submit your foster home application

9 CAR 30-308, Content of the home study (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Provide three personal references

Give your worker at least three positive personal references for your family, including at least one from a relative and at least one from a non-relative. Choose people who have seen you around children and can speak honestly about your home.

After Submit your foster home application

9 CAR 30-411, Approval of foster homes (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Complete physical exams for your household

Every member of your foster family needs a physical exam within the 12 months before initial approval. Schedule appointments early so the paperwork is ready when your home study wraps up.

After Submit your foster home application

9 CAR 30-411, Approval of foster homes (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Pass the home health and safety check

Your home must meet the physical standards: an operational smoke detector on each level of occupancy, a water heater running at or below 120 degrees as tested at the plumbing fixture nearest it, and all ammunition secured and locked separately from firearms unless stored in a safe. Your worker confirms these during the assessment, so fix what you can before the visit.

After Submit your foster home application

9 CAR 30-309, Physical requirements of the home (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Complete 27 hours of pre-service training

Foster/Adopt PRIDE is Arkansas's 27-hour pre-service curriculum — together with your 3-hour orientation it completes the required 30 hours, which must be finished before a child is placed with you. CPR and First Aid are separate requirements on top of those hours, and classes are free through your agency.

After Attend the DCFS foster parent orientation

Takes about About 27 hours of classes (30 hours total with orientation)

Cost: Free

Arkansas DCFS Foster Parent Handbook (PUB-30)

Get certified in CPR and First Aid

Each foster parent must be certified in CPR and First Aid by a certified trainer associated with the American Heart Association, the National Safety Council, or the American Red Cross. Online courses from those organizations count only when you also demonstrate the skills in person to a certified trainer, so schedule early — certification is required before a child is placed in your home.

016.15.12 Ark. Code R. 004 - PUB-30 revisions on CPR and First Aid certification

Receive your foster home approval

Once your background and registry checks, home study, references, physicals, safety check, and training are complete, DCFS or your private licensed placement agency approves and opens your home as an Arkansas foster home. Your worker compiles everything — approval comes when every requirement on the list is met.

After Complete 27 hours of pre-service training, Complete physical exams for your household, Provide three personal references, Get certified in CPR and First Aid, Host the in-home consultation visit, Clear the maltreatment central registry checks, Complete fingerprint-based criminal record checks, Pass the home health and safety check, Complete the SAFE home study interviews

9 CAR 30-411, Approval of foster homes (Minimum Licensing Standards)

Prepare your home for your first placement

Set up sleeping space and supplies that keep meeting the standards you cleared, and settle into the ongoing rhythm: quarterly monitoring visits, an annual re-evaluation of your home, and at least 15 hours of approved training each year — first due by the end of your second year, and CPR renewal does not count toward it. Your community can stock the pantry, gather clothes, and pray you toward the first phone call.

After Receive your foster home approval

9 CAR 30-420, Monitoring and reevaluation (Minimum Licensing Standards)