How to Become a Foster Parent in West Virginia

West Virginia currently has approximately 6,939 children in out-of-home care on any given day, and the need for licensed foster families — especially families willing to care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and sibling groups — far exceeds current capacity. The licensing process is demanding but navigable. Here is what it actually involves.

Who Can Apply

West Virginia allows single adults, married couples, and unmarried couples to apply for foster care licensure. There is no requirement to own your home — renters can qualify provided the property meets safety standards. Age requirements specify that at least one foster parent must be 21 years old or older.

You do not need to have biological children or prior experience with childcare, though relevant experience is noted in your application. Most importantly, you do not need to be wealthy. The state pays a monthly foster care stipend to cover the child's daily needs, and most children adopted from foster care qualify for Medicaid coverage.

What the state does look for is stability: stable housing, stable income sufficient to support your household without the foster stipend, no recent criminal history for adults in the home, and demonstrated emotional capacity to support a child who has experienced trauma.

The Application and Licensing Steps

Step 1: Attend an Orientation

All prospective foster parents begin with an information session hosted by the Bureau for Social Services (BSS) or a licensed child-placing agency (CPA) like Necco or Pressley Ridge. This session explains what foster care in West Virginia actually looks like — including the reality that the primary goal is always reunification with the biological family, not adoption.

Step 2: Submit an Application

You complete a written application that includes employment history, financial documentation, and a personal history for all adults in the household. The application also covers your interest in particular age groups, whether you are open to sibling groups, and whether you have experience with substance-exposed infants or children with developmental delays.

Step 3: Complete Pre-Service Training

West Virginia requires all prospective foster parents to complete a pre-service training program before their home study begins. The standard training is called PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education) and consists of approximately 27 hours of classroom or online instruction. Training covers:

• Child development and trauma responses
• Working with biological families during reunification
• Understanding the foster care system and your role within it
• Caring for children with specific needs including prenatal substance exposure

If you intend to pursue foster-to-adopt, you should be transparent about that during training. Concurrent planning — where a child's plan includes both reunification and adoption preparation simultaneously — is standard practice in WV, and foster parents who want to adopt are not disqualified; they simply need to be prepared for either outcome.

Step 4: Background Clearances

All adults (18 and older) living in the home must pass three separate background checks before the home study can be completed:

1. West Virginia State Police (WVSP) criminal history check
2. FBI fingerprint check (national criminal database)
3. BCF Registry check for any history of child abuse or neglect in West Virginia or other states where you have lived

Felony convictions for crimes against a person, any substantiated finding of child abuse or neglect, and felony drug-related offenses generally bar approval. Two or more misdemeanors may require a waiver or judicial review.

Step 5: The Home Study

The home study is the most thorough part of the licensing process. A licensed social worker or CPA caseworker conducts in-person interviews with all household members, inspects your home, and reviews your documentation. Expect the process to take 3–6 months in total.

Required documentation includes:

• Certified birth certificates for all household members
• Marriage license or divorce decrees (if applicable)
• Proof of income (W-2s, pay stubs, recent tax returns)
• Physical exam results with TB screening for all household members
• Written character references from non-relative individuals
• Pet vaccination records if you have animals

Rural property requirements receive specific attention in West Virginia. Because most of the state is rural, the home study evaluates:

• Septic systems: A 3-bedroom home requires at least a 1,000-gallon tank (64CSR9 standards)
• Well water: Private wells must be tested for bacteria and chemical contaminants
• Firearms: All weapons and ammunition must be stored in separate locked containers inaccessible to children
• Fire safety: Working smoke detectors on each floor and near every bedroom; carbon monoxide detectors required; fire extinguisher in the kitchen
• Pools and ponds: Fences required around pools; rural ponds assessed for child safety

The BCF does not require a large home or expensive renovations. What matters is cleanliness, functional safety systems, and adequate sleeping space. Children over five cannot share a room with the opposite sex, and each child must have their own bed — no cots or roll-aways.

Step 6: Licensing Approval

Once the home study is approved, you receive a foster care license specifying the age range and number of children you are approved to care for. The license is valid for one year and must be renewed annually. A major life change — new address, new adult household member, divorce — requires an updated home study.

What Foster Parents Receive

West Virginia foster parents receive a monthly maintenance payment intended to cover the child's daily expenses:

• Ages 0–5: approximately $790 per month
• Ages 6–12: approximately $851 per month
• Ages 13+: higher rates reflecting increased needs

Children in foster care retain Medicaid coverage (Mountain Health Promise in WV) while in placement. Foster parents are not expected to pay for the child's medical care out of pocket.

If you become a certified kinship caregiver — a relative or family friend who has taken in a child already known to you — the same monthly rates apply. Kinship caregivers are not required to be licensed foster parents before placement in emergency situations, but they must complete the full licensing process within 90 days to maintain the placement and receive foster care payments.

NAS Infants: What to Know Before Saying Yes

West Virginia has one of the highest rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in the nation — 37 per 1,000 live births in some reporting years, compared to a national average of approximately 7 per 1,000. If you foster in West Virginia, there is a meaningful chance you will be asked to care for an infant going through opioid withdrawal.

NAS infants present with high-pitched crying, tremors, poor feeding, and heightened sensitivity to light and sound. The symptoms are difficult but manageable with proper techniques — tight swaddling, vertical rocking, low-stimulation environments, and frequent small feedings. The BSS provides specialized training for families who indicate they are open to substance-exposed infants.

The good news from research: long-term developmental outcomes for NAS infants with stable, nurturing caregivers are far better than early crisis presentations suggest. A retrospective study of 387 NAS infants found that outcomes in cognitive, social-emotional, and language development were similar between those who required pharmacological NAS treatment and those who did not, provided they had stable home environments and access to early intervention.

West Virginia's Birth to Three program provides early intervention services for children under 36 months with developmental delays or diagnosed conditions — more on this in our Birth to Three West Virginia article.

From Foster Parent to Adoptive Parent

If you become a foster parent with the intention of adopting, the path most commonly leads through the termination of parental rights (TPR) process. Under federal law (the Adoption and Safe Families Act), the state must file for TPR if a child has been in foster care for 15 of the most recent 22 months, unless specific exceptions apply.

Once TPR is finalized, you can file an adoption petition in the Circuit Court — not Family Court — of your county. A minimum six-month residency period in the adoptive home is required before finalization under §48-22-601. Children adopted from foster care in West Virginia typically qualify for ongoing adoption assistance subsidies and Medicaid coverage through age 18 or 21.

The West Virginia Adoption Process Guide covers the full path from foster care licensing through Circuit Court finalization, including what to expect at each MDT review, how to advocate for adoption as the permanency goal, and the financial benefits available after finalization.

Starting Today

Contact the BSS regional office in your county or reach out directly to a licensed CPA like Necco, Pressley Ridge, or Children's Home Society to attend an orientation. The process from first inquiry to receiving a placement typically takes 6–12 months — there is no shortcut to a quality home study, but there is no reason to delay starting either.

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