Alternatives to Waiting for the Delaware DFS Foster Care Information Session

The Delaware Division of Family Services holds monthly information sessions for prospective foster parents. These sessions provide an overview of the foster care system, the licensing requirements, and the general process. They are also the single biggest bottleneck in the early stage of becoming a foster parent in Delaware — not because the sessions are bad, but because they are infrequent, scheduled at times that may not work for you, and framed as the necessary first step when they are actually not the only way to begin.

You cannot bypass the DFS licensing process. DFS is the licensing authority, and you will need to work with them regardless. But the monthly information session is an orientation, not a gate. You can do substantial preparation work — including some of the most time-consuming steps in the entire process — before you attend a session or while you wait for the next one.

The alternative to waiting is not skipping the session. It is arriving at the session document-ready, with your background checks initiated, your home preparation underway, and your questions specific to your situation rather than general orientation questions the session is designed to answer. Families who do this move through the post-session licensing process significantly faster than families who use the session as their starting point.

What the Information Session Actually Covers

Understanding what the session provides helps you understand what you can learn independently.

The typical DFS information session covers:

• An overview of Delaware's foster care system and the children who need placement
• The general licensing requirements under 9 DE Admin. Code 201
• The distinction between DFS direct licensing and private agency licensing
• An introduction to PRIDE pre-service training (the 30-hour requirement)
• General information about background checks, the home study, and board rates
• A chance to ask questions and receive application materials

This is valuable context, particularly the in-person interaction with DFS staff and the ability to ask questions. It is not, however, information you cannot access elsewhere — and the session does not cover the operational specifics that actually stall applications: the IdentoGO service code, the cross-state background check coordination, the current board rates with COLA adjustments, or the county-level training logistics.

What You Can Do Before the Next Session

These are the concrete steps within your control that do not require DFS involvement or session attendance to begin.

1. Initiate Your Background Checks

Delaware requires an SBI fingerprinted check, an FBI check, and a Child Protection Registry check. All adults in your household must complete these. If any adult has lived outside Delaware in the past five years, out-of-state registry checks are also required.

You can begin this process now. The SBI check uses the SBI 212B online submission. FBI fingerprinting is done through IdentoGO — the key detail is using the correct service code for "Foster Parent - DFS," which is not prominently listed on the IdentoGO website. The Delaware Foster Care Licensing Guide provides the exact code and the step-by-step process.

Background checks take time to process — the SBI check alone can take 15 to 60 days depending on volume. Every day you initiate these before the information session is a day removed from your post-session licensing timeline.

2. Prepare Your Home

The home study evaluates your residence against the physical standards in 9 DE Admin. Code 201. These standards are not secret — they are published regulation. You can begin preparing now:

• Sleeping arrangements: Separate beds for each child. Separate rooms for children over age one of the opposite sex. Separate cribs for infants.
• Safety equipment: Working carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors on every level. Fire extinguisher accessible.
• Firearm storage: Firearms and ammunition stored separately in locked cabinets. This is non-negotiable in Delaware.
• Alcohol storage: Alcohol secured and inaccessible to children.
• Water safety: Safe drinkable water. Sussex County homes with well water need specific testing — the guide covers the protocol.
• Environmental conditions: Home free of rodent and insect infestation. Plumbing in good working condition.
• Outdoor hazards: Swimming pools fenced and gated. Trampolines may require removal or specific safety measures depending on DFS interpretation.

Addressing these items before your home study is scheduled eliminates the most common reason for failed or delayed home inspections. The guide provides a room-by-room walkthrough so you can self-assess before a DFS inspector arrives.

3. Understand the DFS vs. Private Agency Decision

Before your information session, you can research whether to pursue licensing directly through DFS or through one of Delaware's contracted private agencies. This decision affects your training schedule, your caseworker relationship, and potentially your placement timeline.

DFS is the "direct path" — high volume, state-managed, with the full range of available placements. Private agencies like Children & Families First and Children's Choice offer more personalized support but may focus on specific types of placements.

The critical detail most free resources miss: not all private agencies in Delaware hold current DFS contracts for foster care placement. Some agencies focus solely on adoption or on private placement services that do not intersect with the state foster care system. Choosing an agency that does not hold a foster care contract means you cannot receive state foster children through that agency.

The guide identifies which agencies hold current contracts and what each path means operationally.

4. Review the PRIDE Training Requirement

PRIDE pre-service training is 30 hours across ten IHS Foundation Modules, managed through Prevent Child Abuse Delaware (PCAD). Each module requires an 85% passing score. Training is offered in sessions across all three counties, but scheduling varies and popular sessions fill early.

While you cannot enroll in PRIDE before completing certain licensing steps, you can learn what the training covers, how the modules are structured, and what the five post-licensing training levels involve (from Level 1 Caregiver's Voice and CPR through Level 5 Crisis De-escalation). Knowing this before the information session means you can ask specific scheduling questions rather than hearing about the training for the first time.

5. Learn the Financial Reality

Delaware's board rate structure is one of the most common sources of confusion and misinformation. The DFS website's most commonly linked payment schedule dates to 2009. Facebook groups regularly cite these outdated numbers. The actual rates after COLA adjustments are different.

The guide includes the current board rate tables: the Individual Sponsor Rate (approximately $956/month base level in 2026), the Personal Needs Allowance, age-specific daily clothing and incidental allowances, the one-time Initial Clothing Payment by age bracket, and the infant "Baby Rate." It also explains the Level of Care (LOC) and GFT rate structure, what these payments cover, and the critical fact that board payments are reimbursements for cost of care, not income — your household must demonstrate financial stability independent of these funds.

Understanding this before the information session means you walk in with realistic financial expectations rather than the confusion that results from outdated public information.

6. Gather Your Documentation

You know the categories of documents you will need: identification, proof of residence, income verification, vehicle registration and insurance, pet vaccination records, and medical clearances. Gathering these now — rather than after the session when DFS gives you the formal checklist — removes a common source of post-session delay.

What You Still Need the Information Session (or DFS Contact) For

To be clear about what independent preparation cannot replace:

• Formal application submission. Your application goes through DFS or your chosen agency. You cannot self-license.
• Home study scheduling. DFS assigns a caseworker and schedules the home study visits. You cannot arrange this independently.
• PRIDE training enrollment. PCAD and DFS coordinate training enrollment. You can learn about the training, but enrollment requires being in the formal process.
• License issuance. Only DFS issues a foster care license in Delaware.
• Placement authorization. Only DFS or a contracted agency matches you with a child.

The information session is one way to formally enter the DFS process. Calling the DFS office directly — the office at 1825 Faulkland Road in Wilmington for New Castle County, or the appropriate county office for Kent or Sussex — is another way. Some families make initial contact by phone and are directed to the next information session; others are able to begin the application process without attending a session first, depending on the county office and current DFS staffing.

Comparison: Waiting vs. Preparing

Who This Is For

• Prospective foster parents who decided to pursue fostering but the next DFS information session is weeks away
• Families who attended an information session that was rescheduled or cancelled and do not want to lose momentum
• Working professionals in New Castle County whose schedules conflict with the session times DFS offers
• Sussex County residents for whom traveling to the information session location is a significant commitment and want to maximize the value of making that trip
• Kinship caregivers who cannot afford to wait for a monthly session when a child needs placement now
• Anyone who has already attended the information session and wants to accelerate the post-session process

Who This Is NOT For

• People who have not yet decided whether to pursue foster care — the information session is actually a good fit for the exploratory stage
• Families looking for the session schedule itself — contact DFS directly or check kids.delaware.gov for current dates
• Families already in the active licensing process with a caseworker assigned — you are past this stage

Tradeoffs

Preparing before the session: You invest time upfront that pays off in a shorter licensing timeline. Background checks that take 15 to 60 days are already processing while you wait for the session. Your home is ready for inspection before the home study is scheduled. The limitation is that preparation requires a source of accurate, current, Delaware-specific information — and the DFS website, with its "Coming Soon" portals and 2009 payment schedules, is not sufficient on its own.

Waiting for the session to start everything: Low upfront effort, but you add the session wait time plus the full post-session timeline to your total licensing duration. Every step — background checks, home preparation, training enrollment — starts after the session rather than before it. For families without time pressure, this is a reasonable approach. For kinship caregivers, commuters with scheduling constraints, or anyone motivated to move quickly, the wait is unnecessary.

Using a guide as your preparation tool: The Delaware Foster Care Licensing Guide provides the complete process — background check walkthrough with IdentoGO codes, home study preparation checklist from 9 DE Admin. Code 201, PRIDE training overview, DFS-vs-agency comparison, county-level logistics, and current board rates. It is the preparation resource that lets you arrive at the information session (or your first DFS phone call) ready to execute rather than ready to learn.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is attending the DFS information session mandatory for licensing?

The information session is the standard entry point that DFS directs prospective foster parents toward. Whether it is strictly mandatory or whether DFS will accept applications initiated by phone varies by county office and current staffing. In practice, most applicants attend a session. The guide covers how to contact DFS directly if you want to explore beginning the process without waiting for the next session.

How often are the information sessions held?

DFS typically holds information sessions monthly, though the schedule varies by county and sessions are occasionally rescheduled or cancelled. Contact the DFS office for your county for the current schedule: the New Castle County office at 1825 Faulkland Road in Wilmington, or the Kent or Sussex County offices.

Can I submit my application at the information session?

Some sessions provide application materials that you can complete and submit during or immediately after the session. If you have already gathered your documentation and initiated your background checks, you can submit a complete application at the session rather than leaving with paperwork to complete at home — which significantly accelerates the post-session timeline.

What if I am a kinship caregiver and cannot wait for the monthly session?

Kinship caregivers with an emergency placement should contact DFS directly. Emergency kinship placement can be authorized outside the standard information session pathway. The guide covers the kinship-specific process, including the emergency provisions and training grace periods.

Will DFS be upset that I started my background checks before attending the session?

No. DFS wants applicants who are prepared and proactive. Initiating background checks early is not circumventing the process — it is demonstrating the organizational commitment that DFS looks for in foster parent applicants. Arriving at the session with checks already processing shows serious intent.

I attended the information session six months ago but never followed through. Do I need to attend another one?

This depends on how long ago you attended and whether DFS has any record of your attendance. Contact the DFS office for your county to ask whether your previous attendance is still on file. If you need to restart, the guide ensures you can prepare fully so that this time the momentum carries through to licensing.

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