How to Become a Foster Parent in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has approximately 8,500 to 9,000 children in state custody and only around 5,500 licensed foster homes. That gap means DCF is actively looking for people like you. The licensing process is thorough — typically four to nine months from first inquiry to approval — but every step has a clear purpose, and none of it is designed to exclude people who are genuinely ready to care for a child.

Here is what the process actually looks like.

Who Can Apply in Massachusetts

Massachusetts sets intentionally inclusive eligibility standards. The minimum age is 18 — the lowest in the nation. You do not need to own your home, be married, or have children already. Single adults, cohabiting couples, same-sex couples, and married couples are all eligible.

The core requirements are:

• At least 18 years old and a Massachusetts resident
• Stable income sufficient to meet your own household's needs (the stipend cannot be your primary financial plan)
• Housing that meets DCF physical standards — adequate space, working utilities, and no safety hazards
• No criminal convictions that fall under DCF's permanent disqualification list (many records are subject to discretionary review, not automatic denial)
• All household members aged 14 and older must pass CORI, SORI, and FBI fingerprint checks

DCF also evaluates physical and mental health through physician statements for all household members. You are not required to be in perfect health — the question is whether any condition would impair your ability to care for a child safely.

One nuance worth knowing: while the legal minimum age is 18, several private agencies that contract with DCF (such as Plummer Youth Promise) set their internal minimums at 21 or 25. If you are 18–20, you will have the best options applying directly through a DCF area office rather than through a private agency.

The Eight Steps to Licensure

Step 1: Inquiry and Information Meeting

Contact your local DCF area office or a private agency licensed to place foster children in Massachusetts. DCF holds regular information meetings — many are now virtual — where you can ask questions and begin the application. You are not committing to anything at this stage.

A full directory of DCF's 29 area offices is available through Mass.gov. Which office serves you depends on your home address.

Step 2: Complete the Application

The master application covers all household members: biographical information, employment, financial disclosures, references (at least 3–4 from both relatives and non-relatives), and your motivations for fostering. You will also submit documentation at this stage, including certified birth certificates, tax returns for the past two years, and employer references.

Gather certified documents early. Ordering official copies from vital records offices in Massachusetts (or other states if you were born elsewhere) can take two to three weeks.

Step 3: Preliminary Home Safety Check

A licensing worker will visit your home before MAPP training begins to confirm it meets basic physical standards under 110 CMR 7.105. This is not the full home study — it is a preliminary check to confirm the home is safe enough to proceed.

Key items the worker looks for: working smoke and CO detectors on every floor, adequate bedroom space (minimum 50 sq. ft. per child), proper egress from upper floors, and no obvious hazards. If you live in a pre-1978 home and plan to care for children under six, you will need a lead compliance letter.

Step 4: Background Clearances

All household members aged 14 and older undergo:

• CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) — Massachusetts state criminal records
• SORI (Sex Offender Registry Information) — state sex offender registry
• DCF Central Registry — internal records of supported abuse or neglect findings
• FBI fingerprint check via IdentoGO — a national criminal history check costing approximately $35 per person

If you have lived outside Massachusetts in the last five years, DCF will also check the equivalent child abuse registry in those states under the Adam Walsh Act.

A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you unless it falls under DCF's permanent bar offenses (serious violent crimes and sexual offenses against children). Most other offenses go through discretionary review, where DCF considers the nature of the offense, time elapsed, and evidence of rehabilitation.

Step 5: MAPP Training

MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) is the mandatory 30-hour pre-service training program, typically delivered in ten three-hour sessions over several weeks. Both members of a couple must attend together.

MAPP is offered through DCF area offices and private agencies across the state's five regions. Some agencies now offer evening virtual sessions specifically designed for Boston-area commuters. Topics include trauma and brain development, managing birth family visits, the legal system, mandated reporting obligations, and the home's physical safety standards.

One practical note: MAPP sessions in the Greater Boston region fill quickly. Register as soon as you clear the preliminary home safety check. Waiting can push your timeline out by six months or more.

Step 6: Psychosocial Interviews

After MAPP, your licensing worker conducts a series of in-depth interviews — typically individual and joint sessions — exploring your family history, relationships, parenting philosophy, and any prior experiences with loss or trauma. These interviews inform the home study narrative.

This is the "mutual selection" part of the process. DCF is assessing whether you are ready, but you should also be assessing whether the agency and the type of placement they are proposing is right for your household.

Step 7: The Home Study Narrative

The licensing worker drafts a comprehensive written report — Form CFSS-4 or its equivalent — summarizing their clinical assessment of your family. This report goes to supervisors and the Area Director for review. It includes the physical home assessment, background check results, interview findings, and a recommendation regarding licensure.

The full home study process takes several weeks after your interviews are complete.

Step 8: License Issuance

Upon final approval, you receive a DCF foster care license. Licenses are valid for two years, with a mandatory reassessment every year. Once licensed, you will typically receive a call from a placement coordinator when a child who matches your household profile becomes available. You have the right to accept or decline any placement.

Types of Foster Care Licenses

Family Foster Care is the standard license for general placements, including infants through teens.

Kinship/Relative Foster Care applies when you are caring for a specific related child. Square footage requirements may be waived to preserve family connections, and an expedited pathway allows the child to move in after a preliminary background check, with the full home study to be completed within 60 days.

Respite Care licenses families to provide short-term breaks (typically a weekend or a week) for other licensed foster families.

Intensive Foster Care (IFC) serves children with the highest clinical and behavioral needs. IFC homes receive significantly higher stipends and weekly support visits from a clinical team.

How Long Does Licensing Take?

The typical timeline in Massachusetts is four to nine months from first inquiry to final license. The range is wide because it depends heavily on:

• How quickly you gather documentation
• How soon after your safety check you register for MAPP
• Which DCF office or agency you work with (response times vary significantly across the 29 area offices)
• Whether any background check items require discretionary review

Kinship placements can move faster through an expedited pathway — the child can be placed within days while licensing proceeds in parallel.

What to Do Now

If you are ready to start, the first concrete step is contacting your local DCF area office or a contracted private agency for an information session. That meeting is free, low-commitment, and will tell you whether the type of care DCF is looking for in your region is a match for what you are offering.

If you want to understand the full process — including the common pitfalls that delay or derail applications, what DCF's CORI discretionary review actually considers, and how to prepare your home for a Massachusetts-specific inspection — the Massachusetts Foster Care Licensing Guide covers every step in detail. It is built specifically for the 110 CMR regulatory framework, not a generic national guide repackaged for this state.

The System Needs You

Massachusetts has more children in care than it has licensed homes. The families that make it through the process are not necessarily the ones with the most polished applications — they are the ones who understood the process well enough to navigate it without stalling. That is the gap this guide fills.

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