Hawaii Foster Care Licensing: What "Resource Caregiver" Actually Means

If you have searched for "how to become a foster parent in Hawaii" and ended up on a DHS page that talks about "resource caregivers" and "resource family homes," you are not reading the wrong thing. Hawaii has deliberately moved away from the term "foster parent" — and understanding why that shift happened tells you a lot about how the entire system is designed.

Why Hawaii Uses "Resource Caregiver" Instead of "Foster Parent"

The terminology change is not just semantics. The DHS made this shift to emphasize that licensed caregivers are not just substitute parents for the duration of a placement. They are a resource for the child, for the biological family, and for the state's goal of reunification.

Resource caregivers are expected to maintain contact with birth families when it is safe to do so, support visitation, and actively participate in case planning. The name reflects that expectation. You are not replacing the child's family — you are part of the network working to stabilize it, or when that is not possible, to provide permanent safety.

The Four Licensing Categories

Hawaii's foster care licensing system (governed by Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 17, Chapter 17-1625) recognizes four distinct license types. Which category applies to you shapes the timeline, the training requirements, and the financial support you receive.

General Licensed Resource Family

This is the standard license for families who are applying to care for any child referred by DHS, with no prior relationship to a specific child. General resource families must complete the full H.A.N.A.I. pre-service training (15 hours) and a comprehensive home study before receiving a placement.

This is the path for families responding to general recruitment campaigns, attending community orientations, or simply wanting to open their home to a child in need.

Child-Specific or Relative Resource Family (Kinship)

When a specific child enters CWS custody and a relative or person known to that child wants to provide care, they apply as a child-specific or relative resource family. Hawaii law (HRS §587A) gives legal preference to blood relatives and hanai relatives for placement.

Relative caregivers may be issued a provisional certificate of approval for up to 60 days to allow placement to happen immediately, while full licensing requirements are completed. This is how the system avoids placing a child with strangers when family is willing and available. The 60-day provisional period does not eliminate the requirements — it just reorders the timeline so the child is safe first.

Therapeutic Foster Care (Nā 'Ohana Pulāma)

Also called the NOP program, therapeutic foster care is specialized licensing for families who want to care for children with significant emotional or behavioral challenges. These families receive intensive pre-placement training beyond standard H.A.N.A.I. requirements, 24/7 program support from a supervising agency, and higher monthly stipends to reflect the increased complexity of care.

Catholic Charities Hawaii manages the therapeutic foster care program. If you are interested, contact them directly rather than going through the general DHS intake process.

Independent Resource Family Home

An independent resource family home receives children for care under the supervision of sources other than a child-placing agency — typically through direct placement by a legal custodian. This category is less common and involves a different licensing pathway than the standard DHS process.

Who Can Apply for a Hawaii Foster Care License

Hawaii's eligibility standards are intentionally broad. The state prohibits discrimination based on marital status, gender, or sexual orientation. Single adults, unmarried couples, and LGBTQ+ families are all eligible to apply.

Core requirements:

• Age: Applicants must be at least 18 years old. This is lower than many states (which require 21) and specifically enables younger adult relatives to serve as kinship caregivers.
• Residency: You must be a Hawaii resident. Home ownership is not required — renters can apply with the permission of their property owner.
• Character: All adult household members must be of reputable and responsible character and demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively with DHS and other agencies.
• Health: All household members must be free from physical, emotional, or mental conditions that would pose a risk to a foster child.

The DHS explicitly acknowledges Hawaii's housing realities in its licensing approach. Multi-generational living arrangements — common in Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and many other communities across the islands — are evaluated through the lens of how those arrangements actually function for a child, not against a mainland nuclear-family housing model.

How Long the License Is Valid

A Hawaii resource caregiver license is typically issued for one year, with annual renewal. Renewal requires a minimum of 13 hours of ongoing training per year (as updated in 2023), continued compliance with home safety standards, and no disqualifying changes in household composition or criminal history.

Which License Category Do You Need?

For most people reading this, the answer is either general (you want to foster any child DHS places) or child-specific (a family member's child is already in or entering the system). If you are not sure which applies, the orientation session or your first conversation with the DHS licensing unit will clarify it.

If you are a relative who has just found out a family member's child has been removed, call your island's CWS office immediately and ask specifically about the provisional certificate of approval for relative caregivers. You do not need to be fully licensed to have the child placed with you — you need to start the process, and the 60-day provisional window gives you time to complete it.

For a complete breakdown of requirements, timelines, and financial support for each license category, see the Hawaii Foster Care Licensing Guide.

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