To become a foster parent in the US you apply to your state child welfare agency or a licensed foster care agency, attend the required training, pass background checks on every adult in your home and complete a home study before you're approved or licensed. You can usually be single or married. The exact rules are set by each state; Texas, for example, requires foster parents to be at least 21.
If you've searched for what a foster carer is, that's the UK term for the same role. This guide covers the US system, where foster parents provide temporary, safe homes for children who can't live with their own parents for now.
Every requirement below comes from state agency pages in Texas, California and New York and from the federal Children's Bureau, checked in October 2026. Your own state's agency has the final word.
The steps, in order
- Contact your state child welfare agency or a licensed child-placing agency and ask for an information session.
- Attend the pre-service training. In Texas it's free, and families can withdraw at any time.
- Share background information and allow criminal history and abuse or neglect checks on every adult in your household.
- Complete the home study, where the agency assesses your family and your home environment.
- Meet any extra state requirements, such as CPR and first aid certification.
- Receive your license or approval, then talk with the agency about the ages and needs of children you can care for.
Requirements in three states compared
| State | How approval works | Notable requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Texas (DFPS) | Licensing through DFPS or a licensed child-placing agency | At least 21; single or married; financially stable; background and abuse or neglect checks on all adults; free training; CPR and first aid; TB testing where required; annual training |
| California (CDSS) | Resource Family Approval, one process for foster, relative, adoption and guardianship caregivers | Comprehensive family evaluation, home environment check and training for all families, including relatives |
| New York (OCFS) | Certification or approval, with an online application system (NYS FACS) | Agency home study; foster parents receive training on meeting the needs of children in care |
California's approach is worth knowing about if you're a grandparent, aunt or family friend. Its Resource Family Approval process replaced separate licensing, relative approval and adoption approval with one set of standards for every caregiver, whatever the child's plan.
What foster parents can say yes and no to
New York spells out foster parents' rights clearly. You can accept or reject a child for placement, limit the number of children placed with you within your home's legal capacity, receive information about each child before placement, and take part in conferences about the child's permanency plan at least every 90 days. You also have the right to training on meeting the needs of children in care.
That matters when you're deciding whether you're ready. You don't have to say yes to every call. Before your home study, decide the ages you can care for, whether you can take brothers and sisters together, and how much notice you'd need, and tell your caseworker. Clear limits make for better matches.
Fostering usually means supporting a return home
Here's the point new applicants often miss. Texas DFPS says many families are interested in both fostering and adopting, but in most cases the work means helping prepare children for reunification with their birth family, mentoring birth parents or working toward a relative or kinship placement. New York describes foster parents as a continuing presence who help plan for the child's permanency, whether that's going home or adoption.
The numbers in New York show how the system has shifted. OCFS reports that children in residential foster care placements fell from 53,902 on 31 December 1995 to 12,814 on 31 December 2025.
How foster care is funded
Foster care is paid for jointly by states and the federal government. Under the federal Title IV-E Foster Care Program, the Children's Bureau matches states' maintenance payments for eligible children at the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, which ranges from 50% to 83% depending on the state, and it matches allowable training for foster parents at 75%. The amount a family receives is set by the state.
States can also choose to offer foster care to eligible young people up to age 21 if they're in school, working at least 80 hours a month or meet other conditions. New York, for example, tells youth they can agree to stay in foster care after 18 until they're 21.
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Before you apply
Think about work and support. Caring for a newly placed child takes time, and this guide to FMLA leave and who qualifies explains unpaid, job-protected leave rules. If you'll use paid childcare or sitters, this review of how Care.com handles background checks is worth reading too.
Verdict
Start with one call to your state agency and one information session. The checks, training and home study can feel like a lot, but they're there to protect children who've already been through enough, and the training is often free. Go in understanding that the usual goal is reunification with the child's family, know that you can set limits on the placements you take, and ask exactly what support your state provides.
Frequently asked questions
What are the requirements to become a foster parent?
They vary by state. In Texas you must be at least 21, financially stable, allow criminal history and abuse or neglect checks on all adults in your home, attend free training and keep CPR and first aid certification. You can be single or married.
Can a single person become a foster parent?
Yes. Texas DFPS says prospective foster and adoptive parents may be single or married.
What is a foster carer?
Foster carer is the UK term for a foster parent: someone who gives a child a temporary, safe home when the child's own parents can't care for them.
Do foster parents get paid?
Foster parents receive maintenance payments set by their state. Under federal Title IV-E rules, the Children's Bureau matches states' maintenance payments for eligible children at between 50% and 83% depending on the state.
Can foster parents turn down a placement?
In New York, foster parents have the right to accept or reject a child for placement and to limit the number of children placed in their home within legal capacity.
