Indiana Foster Care Licensing: The Step-by-Step Process

Getting a foster care license in Indiana is not complicated, but it is detailed. The Department of Child Services (DCS) has a defined process with specific forms, checks, and training requirements that must be completed in a particular sequence. Most families who get frustrated are not struggling with the difficulty of any single step -- they are struggling because nobody gave them a clear picture of all the steps together.

Here is the full licensing process from the moment you express interest to the day your license is approved, based on current DCS policy under Indiana Code IC 31-27-4.

Phase 1: Interest Form and Orientation

The process begins when you submit an online interest form on the Indiana DCS website (in.gov/dcs). This is a simple form -- your name, contact information, county of residence, and a few basic questions about your household.

Within one to three weeks, a Regional Foster Care Specialist (RFCS) from your DCS region will contact you. Indiana is divided into 18 DCS regions, each with its own management team. Your RFCS is your primary contact throughout the licensing process. They will:

• Explain the roles and expectations of foster parents
• Walk you through the timeline and paperwork
• Answer questions about your specific situation
• Provide the Initial Licensing Packet

The RFCS will also help you decide whether to license directly through DCS or through a Licensed Child-Placing Agency (LCPA). Both paths lead to the same license, but the support experience differs. LCPAs generally offer smaller caseloads and more responsive communication, while DCS-direct licensing eliminates the middleman.

If you already know you want to work with an LCPA, you can contact them directly and skip the DCS interest form. Major LCPAs in Indiana include The Villages of Indiana, Firefly Children and Family Alliance, Bethany Christian Services, and Damar Services.

Phase 2: Application and Background Checks

Your RFCS or LCPA provides the Initial Licensing Packet, which includes the Application for Foster Family Home License (SF 10100). This is a multi-page form covering your household composition, employment, housing, and motivation for fostering.

Simultaneously, you submit the Combined Application for Criminal and Child Protection Services History Searches (SF 57332) to trigger background checks for every adult in your household.

What Gets Checked

The background check process is administered through the Central Office Background Check Unit (COBCU) and is the most thorough component of licensing:

• National fingerprint-based criminal history check for all household members aged 18+ (conducted through Identogo locations across Indiana)
• Indiana Child Protection Index (CPI) search for all household members aged 6+
• National Sex Offender Registry search for all household members aged 14+
• Local criminal records for all jurisdictions where applicants have lived in the past five years
• Driving record review for anyone who drives

Fingerprint results typically return within 48-72 hours from live-scan processing, but the full background check package -- including CPI and out-of-state checks -- can take four to eight weeks.

What Disqualifies You

Indiana law distinguishes between nonwaivable and waivable offenses. Nonwaivable offenses under IC 31-9-2-84.8 that automatically prevent licensing include:

• Murder or voluntary manslaughter
• Aggravated battery or domestic battery
• Human and sexual trafficking
• Any felony sex offense
• Arson (within the past 5 years)
• Incest or neglect of a dependent

Battery, kidnapping, criminal confinement, and felony drug or weapon offenses are nonwaivable if they occurred within the past five years. Older offenses in these categories, along with misdemeanors related to child safety, may be subject to a waiver process.

A substantiated child abuse or neglect report against any adult in your household is also grounds for denial.

If you have any criminal history and are uncertain about its impact, ask DCS or an LCPA before investing months in the process. Failing to disclose a conviction -- even one you believe was expunged -- can result in denial based on false statements.

Phase 3: RAPT Training and Medical Certifications

While your background checks are processing, you should be completing training. Running these concurrently is the fastest path to licensing.

RAPT (Resource and Adoptive Parent Training) is Indiana's mandatory pre-service curriculum. For foster care licensing, you need 10 hours across three modules:

• RAPT I (3 hours, trainer-led) -- Introduction to DCS
• RAPT II (4 hours, self-paced online via IU Canvas) -- Effects of Abuse and Neglect
• RAPT III (3 hours, trainer-led) -- Discipline, Attachment, and Family

Register for trainer-led sessions by emailing [email protected]. For RAPT II, your RFCS will set up your IU guest account.

Medical certifications required before licensure:

• CPR and First Aid -- must include adult, child, and pediatric airway obstruction per AHA guidelines (valid for two years)
• Universal Precautions / Blood-borne Pathogens -- completed annually

All household members must also submit a medical statement from a physician (Form SF 45145) certifying they are in good physical and mental health.

Phase 4: Home Study and Physical Inspection

The home study is the most intensive phase. A DCS licensing worker or LCPA worker will conduct a minimum of three home visits, plus individual and joint interviews with all applicants.

What the Home Study Evaluates

Personal history and interviews. You will provide autobiographies covering your upbringing, significant life events, and parenting philosophy. The worker conducts individual interviews with each applicant and joint interviews with couples. They are assessing your understanding of trauma, your discipline approach (corporal punishment is prohibited), your attitude toward reunification, and your capacity to work with DCS as part of the child's care team.

References. At least four references are required -- two must be unrelated to you. These can be written or collected via phone interviews by the licensing worker.

Financial profile. Verification of income, expenses, and financial management. This is not a credit check -- it is a review to confirm you can support an additional child without relying on the foster care per diem as household income.

Form SF 53199. The "Child Behavioral/Health Challenges" checklist helps the agency understand what types of placements your family is equipped to handle -- age ranges, behavioral needs, medical conditions, and the number of children you are willing to accept.

Physical Home Inspection Standards

The Resource Family Home Physical Environmental Checklist (SF 53186) is the inspection standard. Key requirements:

The inspection is not designed to fail you over minor issues. Most problems found during a first visit are correctable -- a missing fire extinguisher, a smoke detector that needs repositioning, an unlocked medication cabinet. Correct these before the follow-up visit and they will not hold up your license.

Phase 5: License Approval and Renewal

Once all requirements are met -- background checks cleared, RAPT completed, medical certifications submitted, home study written and approved -- the licensing worker submits a recommendation to the Central Office Foster Care Licensing Team.

Upon approval, your foster home license is issued. In Indiana, a license is valid for four years with an annual review to ensure ongoing compliance. The annual review includes:

• Updated background checks
• Verification of continuing education (15 hours of in-service training per year)
• Home safety re-inspection
• Review of any placement history or incidents

Realistic Timeline: Start to Finish

The biggest variables are background check processing time (especially the FBI fingerprint check) and RAPT scheduling availability in your region. Families who register for training and submit fingerprints in the same week as their application consistently complete licensing faster than those who approach the process sequentially.

Where the Process Breaks Down

Based on DCS policy documentation and foster parent community feedback, the most common delays are:

Documentation errors. Missing signatures or incomplete financial disclosures can restart the 90-day application clock. Double-check every form before submission.

Background check discrepancies. Failing to disclose previous convictions -- even minor ones -- triggers a review that can add weeks to the process. Full disclosure upfront is always faster than correction after the fact.

Training scheduling. RAPT I and III are only offered at scheduled times, and class sizes are limited. In rural regions, sessions may only be available monthly or less. Register the moment you receive your licensing packet.

RFCS workload. Your RFCS is managing dozens of prospective families simultaneously. If you have not heard back within two weeks, follow up. Polite persistence moves your file forward.

The Indiana Foster Care Licensing Guide provides the complete licensing checklist, every DCS form number you will need, a home inspection self-assessment you can walk through before the official visit, and a week-by-week timeline tracker to keep your process on schedule.

After Licensing: What Happens Next

Once licensed, you are eligible to receive placements. DCS identifies placement options based on the child's needs and your stated preferences. You have the right to decline any placement without penalty -- understanding what you are and are not equipped to handle is a sign of maturity, not weakness.

Your RFCS or LCPA remains your ongoing support contact. The 15-hour annual in-service training requirement begins immediately, and you will need at least 7 hours of face-to-face training each year to maintain your license.

For the complete picture -- from the interest form through your first year as a licensed foster parent -- the Indiana Foster Care Licensing Guide walks you through every phase with printable checklists, form references, and the practical knowledge that DCS orientation does not cover.

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