The New Hampshire Foster Care Home Study: What to Expect

For most prospective foster parents, the home study is the part of the licensing process that creates the most anxiety. It's the phase where someone comes into your house, asks personal questions about your upbringing and your marriage, and then writes a report about whether you're suitable to parent a child in crisis. It helps to know what they're actually looking for — and what they're not.

The New Hampshire foster care home study is comprehensive but not adversarial. DCYF and private agency workers conducting home studies are looking for safety, stability, and self-awareness — not perfection.

Who Conducts the Home Study

In New Hampshire, the home study is conducted by a DCYF Resource Worker or a qualified practitioner from a licensed child-placing agency, depending on which path you've chosen for licensure. The process involves multiple in-home visits. There is no fixed number of visits, but expect at least two to three sessions that cover interviews with all household members and a thorough physical inspection of the home.

The home study typically takes between 90 and 120 days from the first interview to the completion of the written report, though this varies by district and the speed with which supporting documents (inspections, references, medical clearances) come in.

The Interviews: What They Actually Ask

The interview portion is a structured assessment of your household's readiness to parent children who have experienced trauma. Common topics include:

• Your motivation to foster — Why now? What do you hope to provide? Do you understand the reunification goal?
• Your childhood and upbringing — Not to dig up trauma for its own sake, but to understand your parenting models and how you've processed your own history
• Your relationship stability — For couples, how do you handle conflict? What does your partnership look like when under stress?
• Your loss tolerance — Foster care involves children who may leave, be reunified with birth parents, or move to another placement. Can you genuinely support a child through that without making it about your own grief?
• Your support network — Who helps you? Who would you call at 2 AM if a foster child had a crisis?
• Your flexibility — Are you open to sibling groups? Emergency placements? Children with behavioral challenges?

You will also be asked about your current household members — your children, your parents if they live with you, and any other adults in the home. Every adult household member participates in the home study to some degree.

The Autobiography

Applicants are typically required to write a personal narrative or autobiography using Form 2163. This is not a clinical document — it is a personal account of your life history, including your upbringing, significant relationships, major life events, and your philosophy on parenting. Many applicants find this to be unexpectedly clarifying. It's also one of the items that stalls applicants who underestimate it. Give yourself at least a week to write a thoughtful autobiography; trying to knock it out the night before a home study meeting rarely produces good results.

The Physical Home Inspections

Two separate inspections are required, conducted by local municipal inspectors — not by DCYF directly. These are the inspections that most commonly cause delays because applicants don't know what to fix before scheduling them.

Fire Inspection (Form 2361)

Key items NH fire inspectors check for foster homes:

• Smoke detectors functioning and positioned outside all sleeping areas and on each floor of the home
• At least one fire extinguisher present and within service date
• Safe heating systems with no combustible materials within 36 inches of furnaces or space heaters
• Safe egress from sleeping areas (windows that open adequately, stairs not obstructed)
• Firearms stored in a locked container, ammunition stored separately

The 36-inch rule is the single most common fire inspection failure in older New Hampshire homes. Furnace rooms that double as storage areas are almost always a problem. Clear the area completely before the inspection.

Health Inspection (Form 2360)

Key items NH health inspectors check:

• Clean water supply
• No lead paint hazards — if your home was built before 1978, chipped or peeling paint will be flagged and must be remediated before licensure
• No evidence of pest or rodent infestation
• Safe storage of medications and household toxins (locked cabinet or out of reach)
• Pool or hot tub properly fenced if present
• General cleanliness and absence of health hazards

Pre-1978 homes receive additional scrutiny. If you live in an older home and there is any peeling or chipped paint, address it before the inspection — lead paint remediation can take time and add weeks to your timeline if it's caught during the inspection rather than beforehand.

Both inspections are completed on forms that go into your licensing file. Inspectors complete their reports; DCYF reviews them as part of the overall application.

Reference Letters

You must provide five reference letters from individuals who:

• Are not related to you
• Know you personally
• Can speak to your parenting potential or your character in a context relevant to caring for children

These are not character references in the legal sense. The letters should be substantive — several paragraphs that actually say something about how you interact with children, how you handle stress, and why the writer believes you'd be a good foster parent. A reference that reads "I've known John for 10 years and he's a great guy" won't help your application. Choose references who can write with specificity.

Medical Clearances

Every household member must submit Form 2152 — a statement from a licensed healthcare provider confirming that the person has no physical or mental health condition that would impair their ability to care for children. This is a standard form, not a deep medical examination, but every adult in the home must complete it. Scheduling these appointments early avoids last-minute delays.

What Happens After the Home Study

The Resource Worker compiles everything into a written report that is submitted to DCYF's central Foster Care Unit for final review. If the application is approved, a foster family care license (Form 2369) is issued — valid for two years. If it is denied, you have the right to appeal through DCYF's Administrative Appeals Unit (AAU).

The written report is a narrative document, not a pass/fail checklist. Workers are documenting their professional assessment of your readiness to parent children in crisis. Being honest, reflective, and prepared serves you far better than trying to present a flawless image.

The New Hampshire Foster Care Licensing Guide includes the complete room-by-room home inspection preparation checklist drawn from He-C 6446.09 standards, plus a guide to writing the autobiography that meets DCYF's expectations without taking you hours to figure out from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the New Hampshire foster care home study take?

Typically 90 to 120 days from the first interview to the completed written report. The main variables are how quickly you can get fire and health inspections scheduled, how fast references return their letters, and the district office's current caseload.

Do I have to be married to pass the home study?

No. Single adults are explicitly permitted to be licensed foster parents in New Hampshire under He-C 6446.04. The home study assesses your individual stability and support network, not your marital status.

Will they ask about my mental health history?

The home study includes an assessment of emotional and psychological stability. This doesn't mean a history of depression or anxiety is disqualifying — many excellent foster parents have personal mental health histories. What matters is that you've addressed those issues and have the stability and insight to parent children with complex needs.

What if the home study reveals problems?

Depending on the nature of the issue, your Resource Worker will either note it in the report (minor items) or work with you to address it before finalizing the application. Most issues that come up during home studies are fixable. The ones that result in denial are typically either safety violations that can't be remediated or undisclosed criminal history.

Can I appeal if my home study is denied?

Yes. Under DCYF Policy 1718, if your application is denied, you have the right to appeal through the Department's Administrative Appeals Unit (AAU). You must request an appeal within the deadline specified in your denial notice.

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