How to Become a Foster Parent in New Brunswick: Requirements and Application Steps

People who call the Department of Social Development to ask about fostering often come away with a list of documents to gather but no real sense of what the next twelve months are going to look like. The process is thorough, it takes time, and the specific requirements in New Brunswick differ from what you'll read in generic national guides. Here's the actual pathway from first inquiry to receiving your first placement.

Who Can Apply in New Brunswick

The Department of Social Development sets baseline eligibility requirements under the Child and Youth Well-Being Act (2024) and the Child and Youth Social Services Regulation (NB Reg 2024-6). You meet the initial criteria if:

• You are at least 19 years old. For the specialized Professional Care Home model — which serves children with complex medical or trauma-related needs — the minimum age is 21.
• You are a resident of New Brunswick and either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
• Your household is financially self-sufficient. Foster care payments are a reimbursement for child-rearing costs, not a salary. DSD will assess whether your household can meet its own financial obligations independent of the per diem. You cannot qualify if the per diem would constitute your primary income.
• Every adult in the home is in good health. All household members must provide a medical clearance from a physician.

You do not need to be married. Single applicants, common-law couples, and same-sex couples are all eligible. You do not need to own your home — renters can apply, but your home must still meet the physical safety standards described below.

Types of Foster Care Available

Before you apply, it helps to know what kind of care you're applying for. New Brunswick offers several distinct categories:

Respite/Relief Care — Short-term care, often for a weekend or during school breaks, to give primary foster families a break. This is a common entry point for people who want to test the experience before committing to full-time care.

Traditional Foster Care — The standard model. A child is placed in your home on a full-time basis while the Department works toward a permanency goal (reunification, adoption, or long-term guardianship).

Kinship Care — Placement of a child with a relative or someone who has a pre-existing close relationship with the child. This pathway has its own process and is prioritized under the new Act whenever it is safe to do so.

Professional Care Home — A specialized model for children with severe medical or behavioral needs. Caregivers receive an enhanced monthly stipend. Applicants must be at least 21, and the requirements for training and experience are more stringent.

Step One: Contact Your Regional Office or Apply Online

The entry point is either your regional DSD office or the online portal, Community Care NB (CCNB), available at ccnb-scnb.gnb.ca. The portal allows you to begin the application process digitally — disclosing relationship status, financial background, and any history of mental health or addiction.

New Brunswick is organized into eight DSD regions. Your region is determined by where you live, and your regional office manages your application from intake through approval. The offices are toll-free and are the right starting point if you have questions about your specific situation before committing to the portal.

Step Two: Screening and Background Checks

Once you submit an initial inquiry, DSD initiates the background screening process. This involves two separate checks for every adult living in the household:

Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) — Obtained through your local RCMP detachment or municipal police. This is a specialized criminal record check that searches for convictions including those for which a pardon has been granted, specifically related to sexual offences against vulnerable persons.

Social Development Record Check — An internal search of DSD's own databases for any prior involvement in child protection, adult protection, or disability investigations — including cases where no finding was made and cases from your own childhood if you were involved in the child welfare system.

Both checks are mandatory for every household member aged 19 and over. Processing can take several weeks, so initiating this early is important.

You also need to supply three non-related character references who have known you for at least three years. DSD will interview these people directly.

Step Three: Information Session

After initial screening, DSD invites applicants to a one-hour information session, typically delivered virtually via Zoom. This session covers the different types of care, what to expect from the training and home study process, and gives you a chance to ask questions before you commit to the next stage.

Step Four: PRIDE Training

PRIDE stands for Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education. It's a standardized 27-hour pre-service training curriculum — nine three-hour sessions — delivered in both English and French to reflect New Brunswick's bilingual character.

PRIDE is not a test you can fail. It's a structured preparation process that covers the impact of trauma on child development, supporting cultural identity, trauma-informed discipline, birth family visitation, and how foster care affects your biological children if you have them. The final session is a reflection on your readiness to move to the home study phase.

You must also hold a valid First Aid and CPR certificate (typically Type 2 standard, from a provider like Red Cross or St. John Ambulance) before your home study can be completed.

Step Five: The Home Study

The home study is a comprehensive evaluation of your household, conducted by an assigned social worker. It typically involves multiple in-home visits and interviews covering your life history, childhood experiences, relationship stability, financial situation, and motivation for fostering.

New Brunswick uses the SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) model. This is not simply a safety inspection — it's an audit of your life circumstances, relationships, and parenting values. The social worker explores how you handle conflict, what your support network looks like, how your biological children are adjusting to the idea, and how you would manage the emotional complexity of caring for a child who has experienced trauma.

The physical inspection of your home is part of the home study, but it happens alongside these interviews. The physical standards are specific — bedroom dimensions, egress windows, smoke and CO detectors on every level, locked storage for medications and firearms, pool fencing if applicable. These requirements come from NB Reg 2024-6 and the provincial Building Code Administration Act.

Step Six: Approval and Licensing

The completed home study report goes to a District Manager for review and approval. If approved, you sign a Foster Home Agreement and receive a license specifying the conditions of your approval — the age range and number of children permitted in your home. The standard maximum is four children total, including biological children.

Licenses are reviewed annually. Full background check renewals are required every five years. If a new adult moves into your home, they must complete the background check process before they can reside there.

How Long Does It Take?

From first inquiry to receiving a placement, plan for six to twelve months. The most common sources of delay are:

• Background check processing times, particularly for RCMP Vulnerable Sector Checks in rural areas
• PRIDE training cohort availability (not all regions run sessions continuously)
• Missing documentation — medical forms, references, financial records
• Home physical safety issues identified during the inspection that require remediation

The New Brunswick Foster Care Guide walks through each of these steps with the specific forms, documents, and physical home standards required under the current 2024 legislation — including a pre-inspection checklist you can use to assess your home before the social worker arrives.

A Note for French-Speaking Applicants

Every step of this process is available in French. PRIDE training is delivered in French. Home study interviews can be conducted in French. All DSD forms are available in both official languages. The NBFFA (NB Foster Family Association) also offers French-language peer support, particularly through associations serving the Acadian Peninsula and Edmundston regions.

If French is your preferred language, state that clearly when you first contact your regional office. You are legally entitled to services in your first official language throughout the entire application process.

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