Foster Care Background Check in NC: What Every Adult in Your Household Faces

Every adult in a prospective North Carolina foster home must pass a series of background checks before any license can be issued. There are no exceptions for relatives, no waivers for long-tenured applicants, and no shortcut for families who have already completed training. The checks must clear in full before the licensing packet is complete.

Understanding what these checks involve — what they look for, how long they take, and what can disqualify you — is essential before you invest months in training and a home study.

The Five Required Checks

Under 10A NCAC 70E.1104, every person 18 years of age or older who resides in the home must undergo all of the following:

1. NC State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) Criminal History Check

The SBI check is a search of North Carolina's criminal records maintained by the State Bureau of Investigation. It covers convictions, pending charges, and arrest records within NC. SBI results typically return within one to two weeks.

2. FBI National Fingerprint-Based Check

The FBI check searches the National Crime Information Center and other federal databases using fingerprints, covering criminal history from all states and federal records. This is a live-scan fingerprint check — not ink-and-paper.

Fingerprinting in North Carolina is typically conducted through IdentoGO (a third-party vendor contracted by the state) or in some counties through local law enforcement. Your supervising agency will provide specific instructions for scheduling fingerprinting once your application is submitted.

FBI results typically return within two to four weeks from the fingerprint submission date. However, if the FBI's database has an incomplete print match or requires manual review, results can take longer.

3. NC Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry

This check searches the NC DHHS database for any substantiated finding of child abuse or neglect in North Carolina. A substantiated finding — not an unfounded complaint — appears on this registry.

A substantiated finding does not automatically disqualify an applicant. The supervising agency reviews the nature and circumstances of the finding. However, a finding of abuse or neglect that was substantiated, particularly against a child, is a significant barrier.

4. NC Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry

This is an absolute check. Any person listed on the NC Sex Offender Registry is permanently and unconditionally barred from being a foster parent or living in a foster home. This disqualification cannot be reviewed, appealed, or waived under any circumstance.

5. Interstate Registry Checks

If any adult in your household has lived in another state within the last five years, North Carolina must request that state's child abuse and neglect registry check. The timeline for these checks varies by state — some return results within days, others take several weeks or months.

This is the most common cause of background check delays. If your household includes adults who have lived in multiple states, start gathering their complete address histories for the past five years as soon as you decide to apply. Interstate checks cannot begin until the application is formally submitted, but knowing which states will be queried helps you set realistic timeline expectations.

Who Must Be Checked

Background check requirements apply to every adult (18 years or older) who resides in the household. This includes:

• Both spouses in a married couple
• Unmarried partners
• Adult children living at home
• Roommates or other adults sharing the residence
• Anyone who regularly resides in the home even if not permanent (e.g., a college student who lives there during school breaks and during summers)

The requirement is based on physical presence in the home, not on the person's relationship to the foster parent applicant.

Absolute Disqualifiers

Certain criminal history findings automatically prevent licensure with no case-by-case review available. Under NCGS 131D-10.2 and 10A NCAC 70E, absolute disqualifiers include:

• Any felony conviction for child abuse or neglect
• Any felony conviction for spousal abuse
• Any felony conviction for crimes against children (including child pornography)
• Any felony conviction for rape, sexual assault, or homicide
• Any felony conviction for physical assault, battery, or drug-related offenses within the last five years

The last item is time-limited — the five-year window matters. A felony drug conviction from six years ago falls into the case-by-case review category; the same conviction from three years ago is an automatic disqualifier.

Case-by-Case Review for Non-Absolute Offenses

Convictions that do not fall into the absolute disqualifier categories — or those that occurred more than five years ago — go through case-by-case review conducted by the supervising agency and, in some cases, the state licensing authority.

This review considers:

• The nature and severity of the offense
• The time elapsed since the offense
• Evidence of rehabilitation, including treatment completion, stable employment, and community ties
• The relationship between the offense and the ability to safely care for a child

An old misdemeanor is very different from a recent pattern of arrests. The review process recognizes that people's circumstances change over time. Applicants with non-absolute offenses in their history should disclose them proactively — attempting to conceal records that the check will find is grounds for denial independent of the underlying offense.

What to Do if You Have Concerns About Your History

If you have a criminal history and are uncertain whether it disqualifies you, the most practical step is to contact your supervising agency before investing significant time in training. Ask directly: "I have [describe the situation]. Does this create an absolute disqualifier, or will this go through case-by-case review?" Licensed agencies field this question regularly and can give you a realistic assessment without you having to guess.

The North Carolina Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a pre-qualification audit section that walks through the eligibility criteria — including the criminal history standards — so you can assess your household's eligibility before committing to the full process. This is particularly useful for households with complex histories, multi-state backgrounds, or adults whose records include offenses from several years ago.

See more United States guides →